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Criminal,
California Supreme Court

Aug. 29, 2025

State Supreme Court overturns death sentence in gang case

The high court on Thursday reversed the death penalty for Jason Alejandro Aguirre, citing a 2021 law requiring stricter proof of gang activity, but left his murder and attempted murder convictions intact.

Citing a 2021 law, the state Supreme Court on Thursday overturned the death sentence of a man convicted of murder and attempted murder, while leaving the convictions in place.

Chief Justice Patricia Guerrero wrote for the majority that under AB 333, the case, tried in Orange County Superior Court in 2009, was not decided under the heightened standard for proving a pattern of gang activity, a point she said was conceded by state prosecutors.

"Our review of the reco...

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