SAN DIEGO DA WILL NOT ALLOW NEW LA DA TO PROSECUTE COP KILLER

San Diego DA Sends George Gascón Scathing Letter Criticizing Policies, Rescinds Permission To Prosecute Case

 

LAPPL News Watch

January 8, 2020

The San Diego County District Attorney has sent newly-elected Los Angeles County District Attorney George Gascón a scathing letter criticizing his policies as not "in the interest of justice," and rescinding permission for Gascón to prosecute an accused Los Angeles cop killer’s San Diego armed robbery charges. 

"I did not want to pick this fight, but I just can’t be silent," San Diego County DA Summer Stephan told FOX 11 in an interview on Thursday. 

The letter revolves around the case of Rhett Nelson, who in 2019 was charged in LA County with the shooting and killing of an innocent skateboarder named Dmitry Koltsov in downtown LA. Hours after that murder, Nelson is accused of fatally shooting off duty LA County Sheriff’s deputy Joseph Solano execution-style while he was standing in line at an Alhambra Jack in the Box. 

Before those shootings, Nelson is accused of using a gun to commit five armed robberies at convenience stores in the San Diego areas. 

"It is common to defer jurisdiction to the county that has the higher crimes, we had done so, but now the circumstances have changed," Stephan said. Stephan told FOX 11 she was appalled to learn of new LA District Attorney George Gascón’s intention to drop all gun enhancements against Nelson for the shootings and robberies, as well as Gascón’s intention to drop special circumstances of multiple murders. Dismissal of these special charges would take life without parole off the table if Nelson were convicted, and could potentially drastically shorten his prison time. 

"This doesn’t require creativity," Stephan said. "Two people were killed, you don’t get two lives for the price of one, that’s not how this works. The polices that have been set forth, I think they’re unlawful. I think you cannot stand up in front of a judge and say that it’s in the interest of justice because those words cannot come across any prosecutor’s lips and be truthful about it.”