Board Again Denies Parole to Mass Murderer Corona

Juan Corona, convicted of slashing to death 25 farm workers, was denied parole Thursday for the fourth time by a board that said he suffers from Alzheimer’s disease and remains fascinated by knives.

Corona, 64, has been disciplined four times since his last parole hearing in 1993, including once for carrying scissors and another time for taping an Exacto blade to his toothbrush.

A psychiatric report prepared for the hearing at Corcoran State Prison found that the former farm labor contractor still is attracted to knives and that his deteriorating mental health caused by Alzheimer’s disease makes him unsuitable to live outside prison.

Asked if he killed the victims, Corona responded: “I don’t remember anything.” He then added, “They were all bad people. That’s what I [was] told.”

Commissioner Carol Bentley opened the proceedings by reading off the names of Corona’s victims and listing the evidence presented during his two trials.

Corona, who has maintained his innocence since his arrest nearly 30 years ago, stared at the table in front of him through thick, black-rimmed glasses for most of the hearing.

A letter from his brothers and sisters asked for clemency, citing Corona’s age and failing health. They promised to take care of him should he be released.

“Obviously, his violence potential lessens with every passing year,” said Linda Buckwalter, Corona’s attorney.

Sutter County Dist. Atty. Susan E. Nolan said the brutal nature of the crimes shows that Corona should not be released “for the rest of his natural life.”

Corona, a Mexican national, is eligible for parole again in five years.

Corona was convicted twice of killing 25 men whose bodies were found buried in peach orchards in 1971 near Yuba City, 125 miles northeast of San Francisco.

At the time, the killings represented the worst mass murder in U.S. history.

No motive was ever determined for the murders, in which the heads of all but one victim were slashed or chopped open.

Corona’s first conviction in 1973 was thrown out on appeal, but he was convicted again in 1982 on 25 counts of first-degree murder and sentenced to 25 concurrent life sentences.