Death Sentences Lowered to Life Without Parole for Two Men at DA’s Request
LOS ANGELES—Two convicted murderers who were sentenced to death, including a Hollywood man who was convicted of using a bottle of cyanide-laced gin to poison his neighbor, have been re-sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole at the request of the Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office, according to court papers released Aug. 16.
In a written ruling, Superior Court Judge William Ryan vacated the death sentences of James N. Blair and Anderson Hawthorne Jr. and ordered the two to spend the rest of their lives behind bars.
The judge noted that the prosecution and the defense had filed a joint petition to vacate the death sentence of Blair, whom the defense alleges has Alzheimer’s-related dementia and cannot comprehend why he is in prison or that he is on death row….