Murder Victim's Mother Fights New Law

RICHMOND, CA — The mother of a young woman who was fatally shot in Richmond in 2017 has been organizing protests outside of Contra Costa County courthouses this week, calling on District Attorney Diana Becton to change her position on a new state law preventing some juvenile offenders from being tried as adults.

Alexandrea "Allie" Sweitzer, 20, was killed on May 18, 2017, in Booker T. Anderson Jr. Park. Her alleged shooter, Vincent Lising-Campos, was 15 at the time.

California's Senate Bill 1391, which went into effect Jan. 1, repeals the authority of a district attorney to make a motion to transfer a minor from juvenile to adult court if the alleged offense occurred when the minor was 14 or 15, as in Lising-Campos' case.

Melanie Schwartz, Sweitzer's mother, wants to make sure that doesn't happen, and she's pressuring Becton to join her cause. On Tuesday, outside the A.F. Bray Courthouse in Martinez, and then again Thursday morning outside the Contra Costa County Superior Court in Walnut Creek, Schwartz has led a group of demonstrators armed with pictures of Sweitzer and picket signs calling out Becton for her position on SB 1391.

Schwartz believes the law is unconstitutional. She wants the prosecutors assigned to her daughter's case to file an appeal, which might ultimately allow Lising-Campos to be tried as an adult and face a more significant sentence if convicted.But Becton issued a written statement Tuesday evening indicating that she's issued an office-wide policy directing her staff not to challenge the constitutionality of SB 1391.

"As it stands, S.B. 1391 is the law of the land," Becton said. "The decision certainly does not excuse or condone the actions of those who find themselves charged with a crime," Becton said. "However, as we all work through the evolution of our criminal justice system we must collectively continue to ensure public safety while balancing accountability, fundamental fairness under the law, and the rights of victims."

Schwartz, however, believes the prosecutors assigned to her daughter's case want to file an appeal. She wants Becton to let them. "If the court says no, we're OK with that," Schwartz said. "I
don't think her office should be tying the hands of the attorney assigned to fight for us."

Lising-Campos admitted to the charges against him Thursday during a juvenile court hearing in Walnut Creek, according to a spokesman for the district attorney's office. He's scheduled to return to court for another hearing on Feb. 14.

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— Bay City News; Image via Shutterstock