D.A. Won’t Seek Death Penalty in S.F. Transgender Murder Case

San Francisco district attorney George Gascon says he will not pursue the death penalty for a suspect charged with the rape and murder of a local transgender woman.

Donzell Francis, 42, who last year was sentenced to 18 years in prison for the September 2007 sexual assault, beating, and robbery of a transgender prostitute, was also linked through DNA to the rape and murder of Ruby Rodriguez, who was found dead on a sidewalk in March 2007.

While Francis has been charged in the latter crime -- as well as a nonfatal attack on another transgender prostitute -- NBC Bay Area reports that he has not been charged with hate crimes in any of the cases.

According to the San Francisco Examiner, this is "the second special-circumstances murder case for which District Attorney George Gascon has declined to seek the death penalty," quoting Gascon as saying he will pursue capital punishment only in "very heinous" cases.