Criminal Justice Legal Foundation

08/20/2026

The Governor's office says our lawsuit is about "political rhetoric," not public safety.

𝗠𝗘𝗘𝗧 𝗙𝗔𝗧𝗛𝗘𝗥 𝗘𝗥𝗜𝗖 𝗙𝗥𝗘𝗘𝗗
𝘉𝘦𝘭𝘰𝘷𝘦𝘥 𝘗𝘳𝘪𝘦𝘴𝘵. 𝘛𝘦𝘢𝘤𝘩𝘦𝘳. 𝘍𝘳𝘪𝘦𝘯𝘥.

On New Year’s Day 2014, Father Freed was brutally murdered inside the rectory of St. Bernard Catholic Church. His killer, Gary Lee Bullock, was convicted of first-degree murder and torture and sentenced to life without the possibility of parole, plus a consecutive life term for torture.

Father Freed devoted his life to his faith, his parishioners, his students, and his community. His loss was felt far beyond the walls of his church.

Father Freed’s case is among those impacted by proposed regulations that could make offenders serving sentences like his killer’s eligible for consideration for release.

Father Eric Freed is not political rhetoric. He was a victim. His life mattered. His sentence matters.

08/18/2026

The Governor's office says our lawsuit is about "political rhetoric," not public safety.

𝗛𝗼𝘄 𝗠𝗮𝗻𝘆 𝗠𝗼𝗿𝗲 𝗖𝗵𝗶𝗹𝗱𝗿𝗲𝗻 𝗠𝘂𝘀𝘁 𝗪𝗲 𝗙𝗮𝗶𝗹? 💔💔

𝐌𝐞𝐞𝐭 𝗡𝗢𝗔𝗛 𝗖𝗨𝗔𝗧𝗥𝗢
𝗙𝗼𝗿𝗲𝘃𝗲𝗿 𝟰 𝘆𝗲𝗮𝗿𝘀 𝗼𝗹𝗱.

Noah Cuatro was only four years old. He deserved a childhood filled with love, safety, laughter and the chance to grow up.

Instead, Noah endured unimaginable abuse before his young life was taken in 2019.

His father was sentenced to 32 years to life and his mother to 22 years to life for his murder and torture.

But Noah is so much more than the terrible circumstances of his death.
He was a little boy. He had a name. He had a smile. His life mattered. And he deserves to be remembered.

Today, we remember Noah Cuatro.

08/18/2026

𝐒𝐓𝐎𝐏 𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐌𝐀𝐃𝐍𝐄𝐒𝐒
𝟏𝟎𝟐 𝐘𝐄𝐀𝐑𝐒. 𝐀𝐍𝐃 𝐇𝐄 𝐖𝐀𝐋𝐊𝐄𝐃 𝐅𝐑𝐄𝐄.

Michael Douglas Brambles was convicted on 26 counts, including 18 armed robberies and multiple sexual assaults, and sentenced to 102 years in prison.

Yet in 2020, California’s 𝐞𝐥𝐝𝐞𝐫𝐥𝐲 𝐩𝐚𝐫𝐨𝐥𝐞 𝐥𝐚𝐰𝐬 allowed him to be released after serving only a fraction of that sentence.

Now, a decades-old cold case has brought him back into court on allegations of kidnapping to commit robbery while personally using a firearm.

Perhaps the most disturbing part? The victim had agreed years ago not to pursue her case because she believed his 102-year sentence meant he would spend the rest of his life behind bars.

She later learned he had been free for six years.

This is exactly why sentences matter. Victims rely on them. Families rely on them. The public relies on them.

A 102-year sentence should mean something.

𝗩𝗶𝗰𝘁𝗶𝗺𝘀 𝗱𝗲𝘀𝗲𝗿𝘃𝗲 𝗷𝘂𝘀𝘁𝗶𝗰𝗲 — 𝗻𝗼𝘁 𝘀𝘂𝗿𝗽𝗿𝗶𝘀𝗲𝘀 𝗱𝗲𝗰𝗮𝗱𝗲𝘀 𝗹𝗮𝘁𝗲𝗿 𝗯𝗲𝗰𝗮𝘂𝘀𝗲 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗿𝘂𝗹𝗲𝘀 𝗰𝗵𝗮𝗻𝗴𝗲𝗱.

Former Los Angeles vice detective Michael Douglas Brambles, paroled in 2020 under California's elderly inmates law, faces new kidnapping charges.

08/14/2026

The Governor's office says our lawsuit is about "political rhetoric," not public safety.

𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗩𝗮𝗹𝗹𝗲𝘆 𝗞𝗶𝗹𝗹𝗲𝗿 𝗩𝗶𝗰𝘁𝗶𝗺𝘀 —

𝗠𝗲𝗲𝘁 𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗺, 𝗮𝗹𝗹 𝗙𝗶𝘃𝗲: 𝗦𝗲𝗿𝗴𝗶𝗼 𝗦𝗮𝗻𝗰𝗵𝗲𝘇, 𝗚𝗶𝗹𝗱𝗮𝗿𝗱𝗼 𝗠𝗼𝗿𝗮𝗹𝗲𝘀, 𝗠𝗮𝗿𝗶𝗮𝗻𝗮 𝗙𝗿𝗮𝗻𝗰𝗼, 𝗠𝗶𝗰𝗵𝗮𝗲𝗹 𝗣𝗹𝗮𝗻𝗻𝗲𝗹𝗹𝘀 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗚𝗹𝗼𝗿𝗶𝗮 𝗧𝗼𝘃𝗮𝗿.

𝗦𝗲𝗿𝗴𝗶𝗼 𝗦𝗮𝗻𝗰𝗵𝗲𝘇, 𝟯𝟱. 𝗠𝗮𝗿𝗰𝗵 𝟭𝟰, 𝟮𝟬𝟭𝟰. He was driving home from work in Sylmar when a stranger shot him. His body was found in his car on an off-ramp of the 210 Freeway. Nobody knew yet that his death was the beginning of anything.

𝗚𝗶𝗹𝗱𝗮𝗿𝗱𝗼 𝗠𝗼𝗿𝗮𝗹𝗲𝘀, 𝟰𝟴.August 21. He came here from Mexico as a teenager and spent his life providing — for his parents, his brother and sister, his nieces and nephews. He was stopped at a light in Pacoima on his way to work when a stranger pulled up and fired through the back of his truck. The detective who worked the scene says what he can't forget is the lunch Gildardo had packed that morning, still sitting on the front seat.

𝗠𝗮𝗿𝗶𝗮𝗻𝗮 𝗙𝗿𝗮𝗻𝗰𝗼, 𝟮𝟯. August 24, before sunrise. She was in the car with her mother and father and her two siblings, on the way to morning mass. A man pulled alongside them, told her in Spanish that he was going to kill her, and shot her in the head. Her parents were both wounded. They survived. She didn't.

𝗠𝗶𝗰𝗵𝗮𝗲𝗹 𝗣𝗹𝗮𝗻𝗲𝗹𝗹𝘀, 𝟮𝟵. That same morning. He was standing in a parking lot at the Sylmar Recreation Center. There is no public photograph of him. We couldn't find one. His family knows his face.

𝗚𝗹𝗼𝗿𝗶𝗮 𝗧𝗼𝘃𝗮𝗿, 𝟱𝟵. That same morning. She was sitting in her car in Pacoima, waiting to pick up a friend and take her to church. A stranger pulled up beside her and shot her in the head. She died there, in her own neighborhood. She was the last person he shot before he was stopped.

Three of them died on one August morning. Two were on their way to church.

Alexander Hernandez murdered these five people and tried to kill eleven more. Prosecutors called him a thrill killer. He chose strangers — people who had never done a thing to him. A jury sent him away on five consecutive terms of life without the possibility of parole, plus 483 years to life.

Under California's proposed regulations, he could become eligible for release.

That is not rhetoric. That is Sergio, Gildardo, Mariana, Michael, and Gloria. Say their Names.

08/13/2026

🎙️ 𝗣𝗔𝗥𝗧𝗡𝗘𝗥𝗦 𝗜𝗡 𝗧𝗥𝗨𝗘 𝗖𝗥𝗜𝗠𝗘 𝗣𝗢𝗗𝗖𝗔𝗦𝗧 -𝔼ℙ𝕀𝕊𝕆𝔻𝔼 - 𝙎𝙀𝙍𝙄𝘼𝙇 𝙆𝙄𝙇𝙇𝙀𝙍 𝙒𝙃𝙄𝙎𝙋𝙀𝙍𝙀𝙍

In this explosive episode of Partners in True Crime, Rob and Cindy Dorfmann and Laura Brand welcome two of California's most outspoken voices on public safety—CJLF President & CEO Anne Marie Schubert and victims' rights attorney Nina Salerno

Anne Marie brings more than three decades of experience as a prosecutor and public safety leader — and an unwavering commitment to ensuring that victims and their families have a voice.

Listen to the full conversation here:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VlRqc8NWlm8

Please listen, share, and help us continue the conversation.

In this explosive episode of Partners in True Crime, Rob and Cindy ...

08/12/2026

🚨 𝗖𝗝𝗟𝗙 𝗢𝗡 𝗡𝗘𝗪𝗦𝗡𝗔𝗧𝗜𝗢𝗡:
President & CEO, Anne Schubert with Sheriff Jim Cooper

Watch this important NewsNation interview discussing what the policy means, how it could affect victims and their families, and why CJLF is challenging these regulations.

California’s new policy could open the door for some of the state’s most notorious convicted killers to seek early release.

Victims deserve to be heard. Sentences should mean what they say.

📺 Watch here:
https://tinyurl.com/2s3vvutv

08/11/2026

𝐂𝐉𝐋𝐅 𝐢𝐬 𝐭𝐚𝐤𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐚𝐜𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧.

Our latest lawsuit challenges California policies that could open the door to reduced sentences for some of the state’s most dangerous offenders — while victims and their families are left to fight to be heard.

We’re proud to see this important issue receiving national attention.

Read the Fox News coverage and learn why CJLF continues to stand up for victims, public safety, and the rule of law.

A California parole board policy could open reduced sentencing or clemency paths for serial killers and mass shooters serving life without parole.

08/06/2026

The Governor's office says our lawsuit is about "political rhetoric," not public safety.

𝐌𝐞𝐞𝐭 𝐋𝐚𝐜𝐢 — 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐡𝐞𝐫 𝐮𝐧𝐛𝐨𝐫𝐧 𝐬𝐨𝐧, 𝐂𝐨𝐧𝐧𝐞𝐫.

Laci Peterson was 27, eight months pregnant, and days from meeting her son when she vanished from her Modesto home on Christmas Eve, 2002. Friends and family remember her as warm, funny, and endlessly social — a substitute teacher who was already decorating a nursery and picking out a name for the baby she called her early Christmas present.

Her husband, Scott Peterson, murdered them both. He was sentenced to death; California's Supreme Court later overturned that sentence on juror-selection grounds, but his convictions for the murders of Laci and Conner stood. He was resentenced to Life Without the Possibility of Parole.

More than two decades later, Laci's family shouldn't have to wonder whether "life without parole" still means what it says. Under California's new parole and resentencing regulations, sentences like his can come up for review years before anyone was promised.
LWOP has to mean LWOP.

08/04/2026

The Governor's office says our lawsuit is about "political rhetoric," not public safety.

𝐌𝐞𝐞𝐭 𝐑𝐞𝐛𝐞𝐤𝐚𝐡 𝐁𝐮𝐭𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐟𝐢𝐞𝐥𝐝.

Rebekah Butterfield was 21 years old, living in Orange County, when she was murdered in December 2006 — by her own father.

For nearly two years, no one knew. Her mother, living on the other side of the country, kept looking for her. In June 2008 she filed a missing person's report, still hoping her daughter would be found alive. She was searching for a daughter who was already gone.

The truth came out by accident. Clarence Butterfield, living in his motor home, until a traffic stop in September 2008 revealed he was wanted in another state. The RV was towed, and workers cleaning it out found Rebekah's body.

At sentencing, Rebekah's mother told the court that her daughter was "an exceptionally good and loving person" — tortured and killed by the person she loved most in the world. Her mother, her brother, and her uncle all stood before the court to speak for her.

A jury convicted Clarence Butterfield of special-circumstances murder involving torture and mayhem. He was sentenced to Life Without the Possibility of Parole. Not life with a chance. Not life if he behaves. Life without parole — because a jury and a judge decided that what he did to his daughter put him beyond any claim to freedom.

He is now in his seventies. Under California's proposed regulations, his age alone could put him back in front of a parole board.

Rebekah does not get older. She is 21 forever.

That is not rhetoric. That is a promise the State of California made to Rebekah's mother, and is now preparing to break.

https://cjlf.org/protect-victims

https://tinyurl.com/4avhyewr

07/30/2026

The Governor's office says our lawsuit is about "political rhetoric," not public safety.

𝐌𝐞𝐞𝐭 𝐋𝐨𝐫𝐢 𝐆𝐢𝐥𝐛𝐞𝐫𝐭-𝐊𝐚𝐲𝐞.

She was 60 years old. On April 27, 2019 — the last day of Passover — she went to services at Chabad of Poway to say the memorial prayer for her mother. Her husband, a physician, was beside her.

A gunman walked in with a rifle and opened fire on 54 worshippers. Lori was killed. Her husband dropped to the floor to start CPR on a victim and realized it was his wife. The rabbi was shot in both hands. An 8-year-old girl and her uncle were wounded.

Friends who had known Lori since second grade remember a woman who never sent one birthday card when she could send four, and who was first at the door with food whenever anyone was sick. Her page was a running list of fundraisers for people in need. The last one she posted was raising money for a charity that serves critically ill children. After she was killed, strangers filled it with condolences.

Her killer admitted he chose that synagogue because he hated Jews. He was sentenced to Life Without the Possibility of Parole — once in state court, once in federal court. Prosecutors set aside the death penalty to secure that certainty for these victims.

California's proposed early-release regulations put that certainty back in doubt.

That is not rhetoric. That is a promise the State made to a widower, his 22-year-old daughter, a wounded rabbi, and a child — and the State does not get to renegotiate it years after the fact.

Join the Coalition and Support CJLF: https://cjlf.org/protect-victims