Gov. Gavin Newsom | Rich Pedroncelli/AP Photo Newsom grants clemency to 26, including man who stabbed elderly woman to death

SACRAMENTO — Gov. Gavin Newsom announced Friday he has granted more than two dozen new pardons and commutations to California inmates — including commuting the sentence of a Tulare County convicted murderer whose clemency was rejected by former Gov. Jerry Brown after high-profile objections from law enforcement and community members.

Among those receiving the five pardons and 21 commutations Friday are two California inmates who face the possibility of deportation, which his office called “an unjust collateral consequence that would harm their families and communities." At least three of the inmates are represented by the California Innocence Project and have contended they were wrongfully convicted.


The governor’s office said that all of the actions announced Friday “were in progress before the Covid-19 crisis,’’ and that the pandemic did not influence Newsom’s decisions. But his office said it conducted an additional analysis "to make sure that anyone being released had appropriate plans and services in place.”

Many of the inmates are serving sentences for murder or homicide convictions, and the list of actions by Newsom includes one prisoner whose previous clemency petition to Brown so infuriated the Tulare County district attorney that he launched a public campaign against his release.

Richard Flowers, 64, was sentenced to life without the possibility of parole 26 years ago after he was convicted of stabbing an elderly Tulare woman to death in her home and stealing her jewelry and car when he was 38, according to a 2018 news release from the District Attorney Tim Ward.

In his letter to Brown’s office, Ward wrote that the crime against 78-year-old Mary Garcia was deeply troubling. He noted that Flowers, married with four children at the time, was “willing and able to sneak into her house in the middle of the night, knowing that she would be very, very afraid … and knowing that she was alone and vulnerable.”

The clock ran out on his clemency petition to Brown, but the commutation from Newsom makes him eligible for a parole suitability hearing. The California Supreme Court and the Board of Parole Hearings recommended his application, a step required for an inmate with more than one felony conviction, according to Newsom’s office.

Newsom’s order released today notes Flowers “was 38 years old at the time of the crime and he is now 64,’’ and that the inmate has “resided on an honor yard and has been commended by his work supervisors,’’ and has “good prospects for community re-entry.”

Tulare County Supervisor Kuyler Crocker called Newsom’s decision “really unfortunate” and said he was “fully supportive” of Ward’s past objections to Flowers being released from his life sentence.

“I’m a firm believer in second chances ... but what we’re looking at here is the victim’s family; for them it is just heart-wrenching,’’ he said. “It makes people second guess our justice system.”

Crocker said he is also deeply concerned about where Flowers will settle and “the safety of the citizens” he may live near.

Among the inmates eligible for release or a parole suitability hearing are:

— Steven Bradley (Kern County), 56: Bradley served 32 years of a life sentence without the possibility of parole for killing a gas station attendant during a robbery when he was 24. He has been “commended by prison staff for his positive behavior and work ethic” and the commutation makes him eligible for a parole suitability hearing.

— Rosemary Dyer (Los Angeles County), 67: She served 33 years of a life sentence without the possibility of parole for the fatal shooting of her husband when she was 33. Dyer, who has cancer, has received commendations from numerous officers for her commitment to rehabilitation. This commutation makes her eligible for release.

— Samuel Eldredge (Humboldt County), 61: Eldredge served 25 years of a life sentence without the possibility of parole for shooting and killing the roommate of his crime partner when he was 35. His commutation makes him eligible for a parole hearing.

— James Harris (Los Angeles County), 56: Harris was sentenced more than 30 years ago to life without the possibility of parole for the kidnapping and murder of two victims. Harris was 25 at the time of the crime, which was related to drug sales. The Board of Parole Hearings and the California Supreme Court have recommended his application for a commutation as required by law for those with more than one felony conviction. The commutation makes him eligible for a parole suitability hearing.

— David Jassy (Los Angeles County), 45: Jassy served 11 years on a 15 years-to-life term for killing a man during a fight when he was 34. Jassy has an immigration hold for deportation to Sweden. Jassy creates music and sound for the popular Radiotopia podcast "Ear Hustle,'' which originated in San Quentin prison as a means of telling inmates' stories. The podcast's co-founder, Earlonne Woods, was granted a commutation last year by Jerry Brown after serving 21 years of a 31-years-to-life sentence. The governor’s office said that both the Swedish embassy and the state corrections department urged the action, citing Jassy's self-development efforts in prison and "good prospects for release." The commutation makes him eligible for release.

— Suzanne Johnson (San Diego County), 75: Johnson has served 22 years on a 25-years-to-life term, convicted of a fatal assault on a baby in her care while she was a home daycare provider. She has maintained her innocence and is a client of the California Innocence Project. The commutation makes her eligible for release.

— Rodney McNeal (San Bernardino County), 50: McNeal is serving a 30-years-to-life term, convicted of stabbing his pregnant wife to death 23 years ago. McNeal, a former county probation officer, has maintained his innocence. He is a client of the California Innocence Project. His commutation makes him eligible for a parole suitability hearing.

— Joann Parks (Los Angeles County): Parks was convicted of setting a fire in her home in 1989 that killed her three young children. She has served 27 years of a life sentence without the possibility of parole. Parks maintains her innocence and is a client of the California Innocence Project. Her story was the subject of a 2019 book by Edward Humes, “Burned: A Story of Murder and the Crime That Wasn’t." The commutation makes her eligible for a parole suitability hearing.

— Ramon Rodriguez (Los Angeles County), 49: Rodriguez is serving a life sentence without the possibility of parole for a murder his crime partner paid him to commit in 1997, when he was 27. His commutation makes him eligible for a parole suitability hearing.