Death Row

Last year, Costa Mesa-native and convicted killer Billy Joe Johnson told a jury that he wanted to be sentenced to death because he’d have more freedom on death row than with a life sentence. He said it’d be decades before he ever received a lethal injection. State Sen. Tom Harman however, has proposed a package of legislation that could change that. Through a series of bills, Harman, who is running for election as state attorney general, is looking to speed up the appeals process and change the way executions are carried out, which conceivably could lift a moratorium in effect since 2006.

Billy Joe Johnson got what he wanted. Johnson, 46, chuckled and joked with his lawyer as the courtroom clerk Thursday morning read the jury’s recommended death sentence for the convicted killer. The recommendation all but assures that Johnson, already facing life in prison for an earlier murder, will end up on death row, which will afford him more time with other inmates out of his cell, as he wished. If he is sentenced to life without parole, Johnson would rarely leave his one-man cell.

State Sen. Tom Harman’s bill to reform the appeals process in death penalty cases found no reprieve from the Assembly Public Safety Committee. The bill was executed this week by a 2-5 vote. Senate Bill 315 would have sped up the appeals process for death row inmates in California by appointing an attorney to each defendant within a year. “In its current form, California’s death penalty appeals process is more of a moratorium on execution than a system of judicial review,” Harman said.

This week I got the chance to spend some time with an old friend and former Daily Pilot reporter that some of you may remember. Christopher Goffard was a reporter at the Daily Pilot from late 1996 until the spring of 1998. Today, he covers the courts in Tampa Bay for the St. Petersburg Times. He was in Orange County to visit with friends and family who still live in the area. We spent lunch talking over two plates of tasty crab, shrimp and spinach enchiladas at Taco Mesa, one of his favorite haunts while he was working for the Pilot, and caught up with each others lives.

Serial killer Rodney James Alcala was sentenced to death two weeks ago. This is the third time in 30 years an Orange County jury has sentenced him to die for the murder and rape of 12-year-old Robin Samsoe. He has been in prison since 1979 and, if California death row statistics hold, he’ll be waiting at least another 18 years before running through his latest set of appeals. The staggering delays in California’s capital punishment system would be comical if not so tragic.

A judged sentenced convicted killer Billy Joe Johnson to death Monday for his role in the murder of a fellow gang member. Johnson, 46, a Costa Mesa native, stated in previous testimony that he wanted the death penalty rather than life in prison without parole because those on death row get better treatment than prisoners in the general population. Johnson lured fellow Public Enemy Number One gang member Scott Miller to his death — a shooter was waiting — in Anaheim in 2002.

Marisa O'Neil When retired Orange County Superior Court Judge Donald McCartin found out a federal court threw out his death-row conviction of Rodney Alcala last year, he knew he wanted to tell his side of the story. McCartin, a former Costa Mesa resident, does just that and tells about sending eight others to death row to Anaheim crime writer Don Lasseter in his book "Perfect Justice." McCartin will be signing copies of the book Saturday at Borders in his old hometown.

A key witness for the murder trials of Newport Beach retirees Tom and Jackie Hawks was sentenced to 20 years in prison as part of a plea agreement Monday for his role in their deaths, bringing a quiet conclusion to a case that sent two other killers to death row. Alonso Machain, 25, pleaded guilty to two counts of voluntary manslaughter, two counts of robbery and two counts of kidnapping as part of a plea agreement with prosecutors who used his...

He walked into court like it was just another day. Other than the jingling of his shackles, nothing in Costa Mesa-native and white supremacist Billy Joe Johnson’s appearance — an untucked, wrinkled dress shirt and blue pants — or demeanor — joking with his lawyer and the prosecutor — indicated that he was about to be sentenced to death. “A lot of people say it and are full of it, but Billy Joe just doesn’t care,” said his attorney, Michael Molfetta.

Shia The animal industry is a good indicator of hard times when even kittens that look like Shia the tortoiseshell Siamese are slow to be adopted. Many animals need help. There couldn’t be a better time to give your time. We need a foster family for the cat Murphy. See photos of animals at www.animalnetwork.org . Meet cats and kittens for adoption on weekends from noon to 4 p.m. at Fashion Island sponsored by Russo’s Pet Experience or in the caregiver’s home.

You have probably seen recent newspaper articles saying that the only U.S. manufacturer of sodium thiopental — the anesthetic that begins the three-drug process used in putting condemned prisoners to death — has announced that it was immediately ceasing production of that substance. The stated reason was that the company did not want any of its products to be associated with killing people. At this point, California still has enough of the drug for about 80 executions, but after that it will be forced to look elsewhere.

Serial killer Rodney James Alcala was sentenced to death two weeks ago. This is the third time in 30 years an Orange County jury has sentenced him to die for the murder and rape of 12-year-old Robin Samsoe. He has been in prison since 1979 and, if California death row statistics hold, he’ll be waiting at least another 18 years before running through his latest set of appeals. The staggering delays in California’s capital punishment system would be comical if not so tragic.

Last year, Costa Mesa-native and convicted killer Billy Joe Johnson told a jury that he wanted to be sentenced to death because he’d have more freedom on death row than with a life sentence. He said it’d be decades before he ever received a lethal injection. State Sen. Tom Harman however, has proposed a package of legislation that could change that. Through a series of bills, Harman, who is running for election as state attorney general, is looking to speed up the appeals process and change the way executions are carried out, which conceivably could lift a moratorium in effect since 2006.

A judged sentenced convicted killer Billy Joe Johnson to death Monday for his role in the murder of a fellow gang member. Johnson, 46, a Costa Mesa native, stated in previous testimony that he wanted the death penalty rather than life in prison without parole because those on death row get better treatment than prisoners in the general population. Johnson lured fellow Public Enemy Number One gang member Scott Miller to his death — a shooter was waiting — in Anaheim in 2002.

He walked into court like it was just another day. Other than the jingling of his shackles, nothing in Costa Mesa-native and white supremacist Billy Joe Johnson’s appearance — an untucked, wrinkled dress shirt and blue pants — or demeanor — joking with his lawyer and the prosecutor — indicated that he was about to be sentenced to death. “A lot of people say it and are full of it, but Billy Joe just doesn’t care,” said his attorney, Michael Molfetta.

Billy Joe Johnson got what he wanted. Johnson, 46, chuckled and joked with his lawyer as the courtroom clerk Thursday morning read the jury’s recommended death sentence for the convicted killer. The recommendation all but assures that Johnson, already facing life in prison for an earlier murder, will end up on death row, which will afford him more time with other inmates out of his cell, as he wished. If he is sentenced to life without parole, Johnson would rarely leave his one-man cell.

With Billy Joe Johnson’s 2006 trip to the witness stand where he confessed to a 2002 murder still fresh in people’s minds, he had a lot to live up to as he took the stand Wednesday. He didn’t disappoint. With a spiked mohawk and a courtroom full of prosecutors and police officers watching intently, Johnson, 46, testified matter-of-factly that authorities haven’t gotten him for all his crimes. “Like what? Murders?” Deputy Dist. Atty.

Shia The animal industry is a good indicator of hard times when even kittens that look like Shia the tortoiseshell Siamese are slow to be adopted. Many animals need help. There couldn’t be a better time to give your time. We need a foster family for the cat Murphy. See photos of animals at www.animalnetwork.org . Meet cats and kittens for adoption on weekends from noon to 4 p.m. at Fashion Island sponsored by Russo’s Pet Experience or in the caregiver’s home.

A key witness for the murder trials of Newport Beach retirees Tom and Jackie Hawks was sentenced to 20 years in prison as part of a plea agreement Monday for his role in their deaths, bringing a quiet conclusion to a case that sent two other killers to death row. Alonso Machain, 25, pleaded guilty to two counts of voluntary manslaughter, two counts of robbery and two counts of kidnapping as part of a plea agreement with prosecutors who used his...

State Sen. Tom Harman’s bill to reform the appeals process in death penalty cases found no reprieve from the Assembly Public Safety Committee. The bill was executed this week by a 2-5 vote. Senate Bill 315 would have sped up the appeals process for death row inmates in California by appointing an attorney to each defendant within a year. “In its current form, California’s death penalty appeals process is more of a moratorium on execution than a system of judicial review,” Harman said.