Killer Loses Appeal of Pending Execution

The 9th Circuit Court of Appeals on Tuesday upheld the planned execution of Larry David Davis, who was sentenced to death in 1990 after he was convicted of raping and murdering a 20-year-old Ventura County woman.

The federal appeals court said Davis should be put to death for the 1988 killing of Dawn Holman, who was raped and strangled by Davis after she agreed to give him a ride home from an Oxnard grocery store. The medical examiner later speculated that she may have been sexually assaulted after her death.

Retired prosecutor Pete Kossoris, who tried the Davis case, said he was pleased by the court’s decision. Kossoris said that one of Davis’ cellmates in jail recounted to authorities how he once bragged, “You gotta get ‘em before the body gets cold.”

Throughout his trial, Davis maintained his innocence. He later challenged his conviction on a number of grounds, including claims that he had inadequate counsel during the penalty phase of his trial and that there was insufficient evidence of premeditation and deliberation to support a first-degree murder conviction.

Despite the court’s ruling, Kossoris said that because of possible further legal reviews and appeals, it could be at least two more years before Davis, now 43 and an inmate at San Quentin State Prison, is executed.