Fresno prosecutors say no death penalty for alleged killer of 17-year-old Nick Kauls
The mother of shooting victim 17-year-old Nick Kauls didn’t mind that prosecutors on Thursday decided not to seek the death penalty against her son’s alleged killer, Joseph Espinoza.
Espinoza, 23, is charged with fatally shooting Kauls during a botched robbery in the Fig Garden neighborhood on June 24, 2018. He along with co-defendants Jose Figueroa and Veronica Delatorre were in court Thursday to set dates for the trial.
The slain teenager’s mother Lisa Kauls said she will have to live with the pain and suffering of losing her son for the rest of he life. The alleged killer should have to suffer as well.
“I preferred it that way from the very beginning,” said Kauls. “Because that way he can be in the prison’s general population and can suffer every day for the rest of his life.”
Senior Deputy District Attorney Deborah Miller said prosecutors weighed the defendant’s age, 22 at the time of the shooting, and his lack of criminal history as factors in deciding against the death penalty.
Espinoza is charged multiple felonies, including murder and attempted murder. He faces life in prison without parole, if found guilty. He has pleaded not guilty to all the charges.
During his preliminary hearing in September, Espinoza’s attorney Ralph Torres argued that the identity of the shooter is still in question.
Detectives, who testified during the preliminary hearing, said the deadly shooting followed a series of robberies allegedly involving Espinoza and at least one other person.
But detectives allege it was Espinoza who shot at Kauls and a friend as they tried to flee. Kauls was struck in the head and died four days later at the hospital.
Espinoza’s trial is tentatively scheduled for June 29.
This story was originally published February 20, 2020 at 2:28 PM with the headline "Fresno prosecutors say no death penalty for alleged killer of 17-year-old Nick Kauls."
