Prosecutor Dawn Bladet
Appearances
48 Hours
A Tragic Journey
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.
48 Hours
A Tragic Journey
He was able to convince people in the corrections field that he was not a danger.
48 Hours
A Tragic Journey
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?
48 Hours
A Tragic Journey
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.
48 Hours
A Tragic Journey
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.
48 Hours
A Tragic Journey
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.
48 Hours
A Tragic Journey
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.
48 Hours
A Tragic Journey
But I've been living with this horror for 20 years. I was there. My DNA is there.
48 Hours
A Tragic Journey
Do you recognize the man in that photo? Yes, I do. And who is that? Richard Joseph Hirschfield.
48 Hours
A Tragic Journey
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?
48 Hours
A Tragic Journey
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.
48 Hours
A Tragic Journey
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.
48 Hours
A Tragic Journey
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.
48 Hours
A Tragic Journey
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.
48 Hours
A Tragic Journey
He chose death over life for John and Sabrina. He chose murder over mercy for his victims that day.
48 Hours
A Tragic Journey
More than once, yeah. And I felt gratitude that I was able to come through for them.