'Criminal Justice Reform Needed,' Victims,' Families Say At Rally

LOS ALAMITOS, CA — The parents of Orange County murder victims joined prosecutors and crime victims Monday calling for criminal justice reform during a rally for victims of violent crime. The crowd gathered at the annual victim's rights rally sponsored by the Orange County District Attorney's Office.

Steve Herr, the father of Sam Herr, whose killer,Daniel Wozniak, was sentenced to death, said he felt relief after jurors reached verdicts 6 1/2 years after his son's murder. That relief was shortlived after Gov. Gavin Newsom halted the death penalty in California.

At the time of that decision, Newsom "was not pursuing the will of the people," Herr said. "He was defecating on the rights of victims. What Gov. Newsom told victims and their families was 'screw you."'

Without naming former state and federal prosecutor Peter Hardin, who is running to unseat Spitzer, Herr also took swipes at the Democratic candidate who said he opposes the death penalty because he believes it is impractical, puts victims through years of appeals and won't be carried out anyway.

Herr objected to Hardin, saying he opposed the death penalty in part to spare victims more pain.
"He has for all intents and purposes spat on victims and their families," Herr said.

Mother Connie Vargo, whose 6-year-old son, Jeffrey Vargo of Anaheim Hills, died at the hands of Kenneth Rasmuson in July 1981, said that she "wasn't here to talk about politics, I'm here to talk about victims' rights." Still, she criticized Los Angeles County District Attorney George Gascon and Gov. Gavin Newsom for their opposition to the death penalty.

Vargo recalled how Gascon's office was moving to remove special circumstances allegations in the case against Rasmuson that would have allowed the defendant to not only avoid the ultimate punishment but life without the possibility of parole if convicted at trial. She praised Orange County District Attorney Todd Spitzer for stepping in and attempting to wrest the case away from Gascon's office.

"We were so moved by that," Vargo said. "Thank you from the bottom of my heart."

Vargo credited Spitzer's intervention with Rasmuson pleading guilty to killing her son and another 6-year-old boy, Miguel Antero, saying the resolution of the case is "a huge burden lifted from me."

Vargo said if Gascon's office had prosecuted the case, then Rasmuson, 59, would have been eligible for release from prison in "less than 20 years." He is scheduled to be sentenced on April 27 to life in prison without the possibility of parole.

"There's no doubt in my mind if he could get out, he would do it again," she said.

Vargo also objected to the governor placing a moratorium on the death penalty, saying, "Don't we get to vote on these things?"

Los Angeles County Deputy District Attorney Jonathan Hatami, who has clashed publicly with Gascon, also addressed the group. Noting that at one point during the morning gathering,, he had been mistakenly referred to as an Orange County deputy district attorney, Hatami said, "I love Orange County, and your DA Spitzer is the best, but I am a proud L.A. County prosecutor. There may be one who wants me to go, but I'm not leaving voluntarily."

Orange County Sheriff Don Barnes, who could not attend the rally, made a pre-recorded video criticizing efforts to reduce overcrowded prisons. Barnes said he favors programs that help ex-cons return to society upon their release, but he said the criminal justice reform laws "enable bad behavior."

Patricia Wenskunas, the founder and CEO of Crime Survivors, said in the 19 years since she herself was a crime victim, "we're still losing the battle" for victims' rights. Though Wenskunas said she was "very excited" that the county has approved a crime victims monument to be placed in a courtyard between the offices of prosecutors and sheriff's employees, justice matters more to the families of victims of violent crimes than a monument.

"Victims have a right to justice," she said. "They have a right to be heard... It's worse than ever."

City News Service, Patch Editor Ashley Ludwig contributed to this report.