Prosecutor Dawn Bladet

Richard Hirshfield is a serial sexual predator.

He has victimized children and adults throughout his lifetime. Richard Joseph Hirshfield. I just think he is a vile human being, and he is the worst of the worst.

He was able to convince people in the corrections field that he was not a danger.

There's a lot of work that goes on after the cold hit. Some people think you hear the DNA match, we have the suspect, that's the end of the story. This person came out of the blue. Did they have any connection to Sacramento? Did they know anyone in Davis?

Yes, I think Sabrina was selected because of her looks. She was very attractive, and I don't think it was a coincidence that he happened upon her.

That's true.

When the death penalty is on the table, it typically takes longer. Obviously, the stakes are higher. The sheer volume of materials was overwhelming and daunting.

Sabrina was also encompassed, her face in duct tape. These were not bodies on a slab. These were real people. It covered her eyes, her nose, and her mouth.

You cannot make somebody's DNA appear on evidence.

That just makes no sense whatsoever, that someone who is a sexual predator happened upon a van that just was used in a double homicide and somehow deposited his semen.

That tells you that they were there at the same time.

Over defense objections... The people call Lana Hirshfield.

When he came home, can you describe how he was acting?

But I've been living with this horror for 20 years. I was there. My DNA is there.

Do you recognize the man in that photo? Yes, I do. And who is that? Richard Joseph Hirschfield.

How many beers did you have?

Do you recall testifying previously in 1992 that you had about seven in the motel room and another nine in the bar? I don't recall that. If you had testified to that, would you have been testifying truthfully?

Ray Gonzalez is not an uncommon type of witness that we see. He's gotten cash for snitching on various people since he was a teenager.

I struggled because these crimes are so incomprehensible. They are so horrific that none of these words really capture the kind of evil that happened that night.

That DNA on that blanket is sex. Semen is sex. This is a sexual crime.

So now what do they suggest to you? He's the random masturbator. Just happens to have the urge to relieve himself on an item inside that van.

The people call Dr. Richard Riggins.

Okay, you're not saying that he can't exercise free will?

Not saying that he's not capable of making decisions about what is right and what is wrong? I'm not saying that. And you're not even saying that he's mentally ill, correct? I'm not saying that.

He chose death over life for John and Sabrina. He chose murder over mercy for his victims that day.

More than once, yeah. And I felt gratitude that I was able to come through for them.