Open unsolved homicide: review and reinvestigation.

Assembly Member Gipson's California Homicide Victims' Families' Rights Act establishes procedures for law enforcement agencies to review and potentially reinvestigate open unsolved homicide cases upon request from victims' immediate family members. The legislation creates a formal process for family members or their legal representatives to petition for case reviews of homicides committed after January 1, 1990, where all investigative leads have been exhausted and no suspects have been identified.

Under the new provisions, law enforcement agencies must examine case files within 120 days of receiving a written application to determine if reinvestigation could yield new investigative leads. This review encompasses analysis of previous investigative steps, assessment of witness interviews, examination of physical evidence, and updates to bring case files to current investigative standards. Agencies may receive a 60-day extension if multiple case reviews make the original timeline impracticable.

The bill requires agencies to coordinate when multiple departments are involved, limiting reviews to one case at a time per homicide. Agencies must provide periodic updates to applicants and deliver written decisions about whether to conduct reinvestigations. If a review concludes without leading to reinvestigation, or if reinvestigation fails to identify a suspect, subsequent reviews cannot occur for five years unless materially significant new evidence emerges. The legislation includes provisions protecting sensitive information that could compromise safety, ongoing investigations, court orders, or privacy obligations.