18 October 2024 :
October 10, 2024 - California. Susan Eubanks taken off death row
Re-sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole
Mother Who Killed 4 Children
A woman once sentenced to death for killing her 4 children in San Marcos was re-sentenced Friday to life in prison without the possibility of parole.
Susan Eubanks, now 60, was convicted and originally received the death penalty for the 1997 slayings of her sons Brandon Armstrong, 14, Austin Eubanks, 7, Brigham Eubanks, 6, and Matthew Eubanks, 4.
All 4 children were shot in the head; Eubanks shot herself in the stomach afterwards.
According to online court records, Eubanks left a note for the father of 2 of the boys, saying, “I’ve lost everyone I’ve ever loved. Now it’s time for you to do the same.”
Eubanks was convicted and sentenced to death in 1999; her sentence was later upheld by the California Supreme Court.
Since then, Eubanks’ attorney filed a new petition claiming that her original trial attorney had been ineffective, which could have led to a retrial if a court agreed.
The San Diego County District Attorney’s Office said that prosecutors opted to move forward with Friday’s re-sentencing “in the interests of justice” and “to ensure the defendant will never be released from prison.”
District Attorney Summer Stephan said in a statement that some factors prosecutors weighed for pursuing the re-sentencing included California’s moratorium on the death penalty and preventing the victims from having to undergo another trial.
The action also resolves dueling appellate petitions in state and federal court that challenge Eubanks’ original murder conviction and sentence, according to the D.A.’s Office.
“As prosecutors, we are constantly making difficult decisions based on what is in the furtherance of justice and the protection of crime victims,” said Stephan, who said the various considerations “all factored into our decision to accept this agreement which is guaranteed to keep this murderer behind bars for the rest of her life.”
