In Alameda County, California, prosecutors announced that they will not seek the death penalty against Richard Dean Wilson because it is unlikely that a jury would return a death sentence. State authories say the decision to seek a life sentence for Wilson avoids a costly death penalty case and saves taxpayer dollars from financing a lengthy trial with an uncertain outcome. Wilson pleaded no contest to the murder of Angela Marie Bledsoe. Prosecutor Jim Anderson noted, “This was the best penalty phase mitigation I have ever seen. We thought…the likelihood of getting a death vote on this guy was small. The best we would have ever gotten was hung jury after hung jury.” (Tri-Valley Herald, July 30, 2004) See Costs and Life Without Parole.