Criminal,
California Supreme Court
Sep. 5, 2025
State Supreme Court reverses death sentence in gang case under AB 333
The justices cited tightened proof standards for gang allegations. The unanimous ruling marks the third time in 10 days the high court has invoked the statute to undo gang-related sentences.
The state Supreme Court, citing a landmark 2016 decision as well as a 2021 law, on Thursday reversed the death penalty in a 21-year-old case, remanding a convicted murderer's case to a trial court.
This is the third time during the past 10 days that the justices have cited AB 333 to vacate sentences, sending Refugio Ruben Cardenas' case back to the Tulare County Superior Court to give prosecutors an opportunity to retry the gang allegations against him under the new statut...
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