I'm not going to recite all of the (horrible) details of this death penalty case. Suffice it to say that when you're sentenced to death twelve times for twelve different murders, there's probably a good reason for it. I'll also add that if you're ever thinking about becoming a sex worker on the streets of Riverside or Lake Elsinore -- or anywhere else, for that matter -- read this opinion. Chilling. Needless to say, when your job inherently involves getting into cars with strange men, there's a huge danger there.
Huge.
The California Supreme Court affirms all twelve death sentences for William Suff. Who, by the way, also convicted in 1974 of beating his two-month old daughter to death in Texas.
This direct appeal took nearly twenty years to work its way through the California Supreme Court. A time period which, in my view, is inexcusable. To take but one example: Defendant's counsel received sixteen different extensions of time to file the reply brief. No way it takes that long. No way. (Don't think it was just defendant. The Attorney General requested and received over a half-dozen extensions too. And the California Supreme Court took over four years after all the briefs were in to adjudicate the thing.)
Way too long. Way.
