Murderer of Laguna Niguel Man Called Risk, Denied Parole

Patrick J. Fogarty, convicted of murdering a Laguna Niguel man in 1981, has been denied parole, a spokeswoman for the Board of Prison Terms said Thursday.

Fogarty, 41, sentenced to 15 years to life for the second-degree murder of a man who had occasionally dated his estranged wife, was deemed Wednesday to be not suitable for parole, said June Crow, spokeswoman for the board in Sacramento.

A report issued Thursday morning by the Board of Prison Terms said Fogarty killed Donald F. Cook in a “heinous and atrocious manner” and that Fogarty would pose a danger to society if released from prison.

Fogarty is incarcerated at the California Men’s Colony in San Luis Obispo.

In the report, the parole board said Fogarty has not participated sufficiently in self-help programs. In addition, two psychiatric reports said Fogarty has an unfavorable personality trait that shows lack of remorse. The reports indicate he still harbors resentment about his ex-wife, Andrea Fogarty. The couple divorced after the murder of Cook.

Sheriff Brad Gates made special appeals to keep Fogarty imprisoned.

“I firmly support Mr. Fogarty’s continued incarceration without any possibility of parole,” Gates wrote in a letter to the parole board. “I have no doubt in my mind that Fogarty is a very dangerous individual. Because of his bitterness and hostility, Fogarty will probably seek out and kill his ex-wife and his friends for testifying against him once he’s released on parole.”

Chief Deputy Dist. Atty. James Enright said that, during his trial, Fogarty was consumed by uncontrollable jealousy and had made threats against one of the men his estranged wife dated before she met Cook.

Cook was stabbed and his throat was slashed.