I know I say this -- or something like this -- a lot. But it still seems to me like it's a total waste.
The murder here was in 1978. Nearly a half-century ago. Admittedly, it took a while (almost exclusively, DNA evidence) to figure out who committed it, so the conviction and death sentence was only entered in 2003.
It's now 2026. Today's California Supreme Court opinion is 167 pages long. That doesn't even count the dissents; if you add all that in, you're looking at over 200 pages.
We're only at the direct appeal stage. There's still state habeas. Then federal habeas. Then the fact that California doesn't actually impose the death penalty anyway.
The defendant, Larry Hazlett, is 78 years old.
