Prosecutors have reduced charges against two men in the death of two-year-old Jasper Wu in Oakland, California.
The decision means the defendants if convicted, will not be eligible to be sentenced to life without the possibility of parole or the death penalty which is currently on hold in the state, reports KTVU.
Alameda County District Attorney Pamela Price dropped special circumstances against defendants Ivory Bivens, 24, and Trevor Green, 22.
The men still face the possibility of a life sentence.
“We will continue to hold these men accountable for these serious charges that will likely land them behind bars for the rest of their lives,” said Alameda County District Attorney Pamela Price to ABC7 News.
NBC Bay Area reports that Jasper’s family considers the changes significant.
“It is important to the family to seek the maximum so-called sentencing as possible,” he said. “We are not only talking about how many years, it’s about what message are we willing to send to the people that are committing the crimes against innocent families.”
According to SFist, Price received backlash after indicating in April she could drop murder charges. The decision not to pursue enhancement charges, in reality, changes little about the possible sentence. Bivens still faces 265 years to life and Green could be sentenced to 175 years behind bars.
Jasper died after being hit in the cross fire during a freeway shooting between two rival gangs.
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