Johnny Spain Again Is Denied Parole
A man convicted of killing two guards during a 1971 San Quentin prison uprising failed to win parole Friday on an earlier murder sentence, squelching his hopes for release next week after 20 years behind bars.
The state Board of Prison Terms denied parole for Johnny Spain, who was sentenced to life in prison for a Los Angeles murder and robbery in 1966 when he was 17.
The parole might have cleared the way for his release on bail in light of the Sept. 22 reversal of his murder conviction in the San Quentin uprising that left militant leader George Jackson, two other prisoners and three guards dead.
In that case, U.S. District Judge Thelton Henderson of San Francisco granted Spain a new trial, saying his rights were violated because he was required to wear 25 pounds of shackles during five years of proceedings. But Henderson suspended the order to wait for the outcome of the state’s appeal.
The parole hearing chairman, Edward Tong, said the three-member panel concluded after about 90 minutes of testimony and an hour of deliberation that Spain “would pose an unreasonable risk” to society.
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