Court Says Board Can Review Killer’s Parole
The state parole board can reconsider its release of a convicted murderer who was paroled last year after nearly 22 years in prison, a state appeals court has said.
Chester Johnson, who was once sentenced to death for two murders in Alameda and Los Angeles counties, has been free on parole since October, a decade after the board found him suitable for release.
Both Gov. Pete Wilson and the board had made late efforts to block Johnson’s release. Wilson, acting under a recent state law, asked the board last August to review its decision on the grounds of public safety and the seriousness of Johnson’s crimes.
The board decided about a week later that it may have been wrong in approving Johnson for parole, and ordered a new hearing. But a Marin County Superior Court judge ordered Johnson’s release, ruling that Wilson’s request had missed the deadline set by the law and that the board’s decision was not supported by the case record.
Start your day right
Sign up for Essential California for news, features and recommendations from the L.A. Times and beyond in your inbox six days a week.
You may occasionally receive promotional content from the Los Angeles Times.
