Jury Unable to Decide if 1988 Rapist-Killer Should Get Death

There was still no verdict on the death penalty sentence for Jason Michael Balcom who was convicted in March of murdering and sexually assaulting a pregnant woman in Costa Mesa back in 1988. The DA is pushing for the death penalty on the count of the violent nature of the crime. She had been gagged and bound and stabbed in the chest. Deputy District Attorney Matt Murphy explains that Balcom deserve the death penalty because of his previous sexual assault cases. Also based on the tragedy the family had to endure. The defense attorney for Balcom, Dolores Yost argues for life without parole citing his upbringing in shaping his life. This mother was mentally ill, “needy, manipulative and self-absorbed” and her suicide on train tracks providing a troubling childhood for Balcom. The penalty retrial was scheduled to begin on May 14, 2012.