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DA George Gascón confronted by families of murder victims over sentencing guidelines
Families grieving the loss of their loved ones confronted new Los Angeles County DA George Gascón over his new policies.
POMONA, Calif. - "Killed my son, tortured him and what are you gonna do about it? Nothing," screamed Melissa Rodriguez.
She was in Pomona trying to get the attention of LA District Attorney George Gascón.
"I wanted him to hear that out loud, that he’d think about it and at one point I shouted to him, what if it was your son?" says Rodriguez.
Her son Joshua Rodriguez was murdered in 2015. She was one of several people who confronted District Attorney George Gascón over his new sentencing guidelines.
Another family of a different murdered victim, Loretta Verdugo told FOX 11, "I was just screaming, 'Justice for my sister! Justice for the murder victims! Represent us. You’re supposed to be with the victims, not the criminals!'"
Loretta Verdugo was there to speak for her murdered sister Robin Shirley. While Gascón didn’t speak to Rodriguez, Verdugo or the others in Pomona trying to get his attention, he did speak to the Deputy DA’s he was there to meet.
On a cell phone video, Gascón can be seen saying, "I apologize, it’s unfortunate that we have people that do not have education to keep their mouth shut for a moment so we can talk."
PREVIOUS COVERAGE: Video appears to show George Gascón accusing crowd of 'not having enough education to keep their mouth shut'
Hearing that for Rodriguez, was like a slap in the face. She says, "It was as if he said my son’s life didn’t matter. As if Joshua’s life didn’t matter and just shut up about it, that’s how I felt."
We requested an interview with Gascón but his office declined.
Last week, Gascón issued the following statement regarding Friday's incident:
"While speaking to colleagues outside of the office there were individuals yelling on opposite sides of the crowd. I did not understand what they were yelling about until later, let alone that they were victims. Regardless, it's not how I should have reacted. Clearly this family is in pain, and I will be contacted them to speak directly and hear them out. The defendants in this case are all facing life in prison."
Verdugo says, "Yeah, his apology doesn’t mean nothing. Doesn’t mean squat. He’s a liar."
Verdugo is concerned her sister’s killer will be eligible for resentencing under Gascon’s new directives.
Meanwhile, Rodriguez was just told the special enhancement allegations against her son’s killers will be dropped.
She says, "I would just ask him to reconsider what he’s doing to all of us, just to take a walk in our shoes, just for a moment."
Verdugo says if she could speak with Gascon she would have the following to say:
"What are you thinking? Who do you think you are? You work for the people and we the people didn’t vote for the laws that you’re trying to instill."
She adds, "He’s trying to put his progressive views, I don’t see them as progressive. I see them as a social experiment, something bad waiting to happen."
PREVIOUS COVERAGE:
- LA County DA George Gascón reverses course, says he will allow certain sentencing enhancements
- LA DA George Gascón's sweeping policy changes bring concerns to some
- Newly elected DA George Gascón to reopen several controversial officer-involved shooting cases
- DA Gascon's policy changes include dismissing special charges against accused cop killer
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