Aguilar before he was killed. Today, one of California's most notorious killers lost a bid to have his death sentence thrown out. Richard Allen Davis was convicted of kidnaping and killing 12 year old Polly Klaas back in 1993. He was sentenced to death, but Davis was trying to use a new law to get that dropped. NBC's Damian Trujillo was in the courtroom. David, during Davis's original sentencing, and was there in court again today. Richard Allen Davis is the genesis of the three strikes law. And today, the family of Polly Klaas is breathing a sigh of relief. The father of Polly Klaas hugged family and friends outside the courthouse today, as the judge ruled he would not throw out the death sentence of Richard Allen Davis, police killer. Hopefully, we'll never hear from Richard Allen Davis again. They did exactly the right thing today, Davis was convicted of kidnaping Polly Klaas from a slumber party with friends in Petaluma in 1993. He later killed her and was ultimately sentenced to death for the crime. Today, Davis tried using California's 2021 sentencing reform law to have the judge throw out the death penalty, triggering a new sentencing hearing. The judge said loud and clear that Richard Allen Davis is not going to be the unintended beneficiary of the legislature's new sentencing reforms. Under the new law, defendants can have their sentences revisited, particularly if the sentence came with enhancements. The judge ruled today that the new rule does not apply to death penalty cases. Polly's father says it should never have been a question. Why is somebody paying sympathy to this devil? I mean, it's so and totally and completely unfair to my family and to the memory of my daughter, to have to go through something like this all these years later because somebody changed the law. Legal analyst Steven Clark says the ruling could also affect the cases of other condemned inmates. Right now, California has 638 inmates facing death sentences, even though the death penalty is not being carried out under Gavin Newsom's term, it's still on the books. And so Richard Allen Davis could still get that ultimate sanction. One day. Bottom line, Richard Allen Davis will remain a condemned inmate at the age of 69. Richard Allen Davis is going to spend at least the rest of his miserable life behind bars
