Slaying Victim’s Mother Calls End to Recall of Judge

The mother of a 17-year-old boy slain when he was assaulted with a paint-roller rod said Saturday she was halting her recall drive against a judge who sentenced two teenagers convicted in the killing to a punishment she considered too lenient.

Kathy Woods of San Clemente had initiated a campaign in July to remove Superior Court Judge Everett W. Dickey, who sentenced the teens to the California Youth Authority instead of state prison.

The judge could not be reached for comment Saturday. He has previously declined to comment on the recall effort.

Woods said “outside forces and pressure . . . of a political nature” prompted her decision. She declined to cite specifics but said several elected officials had been contacted by opponents of the recall and “given misinformation” about its purpose.

She asked supporters involved in the recall to stop their efforts.

Woods’ son Steve was killed in a confrontation between two groups of youths at a San Clemente beach parking lot on Oct. 15, 1993. He was riding in the passenger seat of a friend’s vehicle when the rod pierced his skull in a clash with a group of teens police identified as gang members and their associates.

Six suspects were arrested and charged with murder. Hector Penuelas and Julio Perez Bonilla, were juveniles at the time but were tried as adults and convicted of second-degree murder. Dickey sentenced them to the California Youth Authority instead of lengthy terms in state prison.

A third man, who was an adult when the crime was committed, was convicted and sentenced by another judge to 26 years to life in prison. The other defendants await trial or sentencing.