Judge denies petition to recall death sentence of man who killed 12-year-old Polly Klaas

By OLGA R. RODRIGUEZ
Associated Press

SAN JOSE, Calif. (AP) — A California judge has denied a petition to recall the death sentence of a man convicted in the 1993 kidnapping and killing of 12-year-old Polly Klaas in a case that shocked the nation. Jurors in 1996 found Richard Allen Davis guilty of first-degree murder and he was sentenced to death. Davis’ attorneys argued that his death sentence should be recalled because of recent laws that have changed how California approaches sentencing. But the Sonoma County District Attorney’s Office said that Davis’ attorneys’ arguments were “nonsensical.” Klaas’ killing was a major driver behind California’s passage of a so-called “three strikes” law.