Official Statement from Alameda County District Attorney Ursula Jones Dickson
Statement from District Attorney Ursula Jones Dickson:
December 12, 2025
This moment is one of the most solemn and difficult in my career, and I know it is infinitely more so for the family and loved ones of Steven Taylor. I have met with Steven’s family multiple times, most recently this week. Their pain is not abstract; it is palpable. Their unwavering cry for justice for Steven is not just heard by this office—it is understood, and it resonates deep within the heart of this institution.
The greatest honor of my job is offering solace and helping victims and their families navigate the crushing challenges of loss. Conversely, the deepest agony is when I cannot deliver the resolution and certainty they so desperately deserve. After the most extensive and deliberate evaluation, I must share a profoundly difficult decision. As your District Attorney, I swore an oath to be fair and impartial, to follow prosecutorial ethics, and to uphold the law—and I will never play politics with justice. As tempting as it may be to seek any outcome that might ease the grief of a family, I will not put my finger on the scales of justice to engineer an unjust result.
The Alameda County District Attorney’s Office has filed a motion to dismiss the case People v. Fletcher, docket 20-CR-011755. This request, filed on December 9, 2025, to be heard today, December 12, 2025, is a conclusion founded purely on a meticulous, objective evaluation of the evidence and the applicable law.
My mission is to rebuild an office that truly embodies the spirit of Marsy’s Law—one that fiercely protects the rights of victims. But that commitment must be balanced by the ethical and legal mandates that all prosecutors swear to uphold.
This case was inherited by my administration, initially charged with manslaughter on September 2, 2020. Even the judge who heard the preliminary examination in July 2021, while finding the legal standard of probable cause was met, explicitly commented on the weakness of the evidence, stating that he did not believe a jury would find the defendant guilty beyond a reasonable doubt, which is the required standard for trial.
The unfortunate procedural history of this case cannot be ignored. On March 22, 2024, the Price Administration was recused from this prosecution because the previous District Attorney was operating outside the appropriate legal function, effectively treating this case as a political matter. These actions made it fundamentally impossible to ensure Mr. Fletcher would receive a fair trial.
Following the recall and my subsequent appointment as District Attorney, the recusal was reviewed. On September 12,2025, the recusal was withdrawn and the prosecution returned to this office.
It is an absolute truth that the loss of Steven Taylor’s life is a tragedy. However, this office cannot prove beyond a reasonable doubt that a crime was committed. Our comprehensive review of the evidence brought to light a deeply troubling and fundamental ethical violation: exculpatory evidence was withheld from the defense by prosecutors operating under the immediate previous administration. Prosecutorial ethics and established discovery laws demand that we provide all evidence that tends to show a defendant did not commit a crime. This obligation is non-negotiable. We discovered that prior prosecutors consulted with at least three separate expert witnesses.
- Two of these experts asserted that former Officer Fletcher committed a justified homicide due to the threat of imminent harm;
- The third expert, while more nuanced, also concluded that Fletcher acted reasonably when provided with all the facts.
The expert statements and reports are profoundly exculpatory and were withheld from the defense. Furthermore, the defense’s own expert reached the same conclusion: justified homicide.
The existence of this evidence cannot be disregarded. The prior prosecutors under the Price administration responsible for this ethical breach no longer work here. In a recent hearing, which was prompted by the defense’s motion to dismiss, when questioned about the handling of this exculpatory evidence, they invoked their Fifth Amendment right against self-incrimination to insulate themselves from the possibility of criminal prosecution.
The people of Alameda County deserve and expect a justice system that follows the law in every case, without exception. I understand the history. This case was charged and compromised before I arrived. But it is my solemn obligation to evaluate the facts before us now. And those facts, including the statements from civilian witnesses, expert opinions, and the ethical failures that tainted this case, are simply not sufficient to prove the charges beyond a reasonable doubt. We will not prosecute persons where the evidence is insufficient. Criminal prosecution must never be used for political expediency or personal bias.
This decision is not a reflection of a lack of compassion; it is a profound declaration of our commitment to the Rule of Law. I hope that all parties involved in this devastating matter may find a path toward healing.
Ursula Jones Dickson Alameda County District Attorney
Contact: damedia@acgov.org