Fox News: California double-murderer found suitable for parole at hearing prosecutors couldn’t attend

A California man convicted of double murder in the ’90s has been found suitable for parole during a hearing that prosecutors weren’t allowed to attend, according to a local report.

Howard Elwin Jones shot and killed 18-year-old Chris Baker and another boy at a party in 1988. Jones was convicted three years later, but he had been about to turn 18 at the time of the crime.

Jones was denied parole at hearings in 2015 and 2017, respectively, but he has been found eligible for youth offender parole.

The main difference between the earlier and most recent hearings is that L.A. District Attorney George Gascón’s reforms prevent prosecutors from the DA’s office from attending parole hearings or advocating against a parolee’s release.

“Howard Elwin Jones was granted parole suitability today by the Board of Parole Hearings at his 3rd hearing,” the California Department of Corrections told FOX 11. “Jones is eligible for youth offender parole. The proposal is not final. Grants of parole suitability are subject to a 120-day review period.”

Standard procedure prior to Gascón’s arrival was that the prosecutor’s office would send representatives to hearings, but one of Gascón’s reforms in his raft introduced on his first day in office included an end to that long-standing practice.

Complete article here.

Fox 11: Double murderer approved for parole at third hearing; prosecutors barred from attending under DA’s reform

A gang member and double murderer convicted in the shooting and killing of two teenagers at a party in Los Angeles more than thirty years ago was found to be suitable for parole by the state at a hearing on Wednesday, a hearing that prosecutors weren’t allowed to attend as part of new District Attorney George Gascón’s reforms.

Howard Elwin Jones has been imprisoned at San Quentin state prison since 1991 for the December 1988 shooting and killing of 18-year-old Chris Baker and another boy at a party in Rowland Heights.

NBC Los Angeles: LA County Sheriff Says He’ll Send Personnel to Parole Hearings in Absence of Prosecutors

The announcement came after NBC News reported that victims’ relatives were furious about the district attorney’s decision not to oppose the parole of Bruce Davis.

The Los Angeles County sheriff said Wednesday he’ll authorize staff members to stand with victims’ relatives at parole hearings to fill a void created by a new policy imposed by the county’s newly elected district attorney.

The announcement was made three days after NBC News reported that victims’ family members were furious about District Attorney George Gascon’s decision not to oppose the parole of Charles Manson follower and convicted murderer Bruce Davis.

It was part of a policy shift in which Los Angeles County prosecutors are now no longer attending parole hearings and will not oppose parole for any prisoner who has already served their mandatory minimum sentence.

Read the complete article.

NBC News: LA sheriff’s office to attend parole hearings after outrage over Manson ‘family’ case

The announcement came after NBC News reported that victims’ relatives were furious about the district attorney’s decision not to oppose the parole of Bruce Davis.

The Los Angeles County sheriff said Wednesday he’ll authorize staff members to stand with victims’ relatives at parole hearings to fill a void created by a new policy imposed by the county’s newly elected district attorney.

The announcement was made three days after NBC News reported that victims’ family members were furious about District Attorney George Gascon’s decision not to oppose the parole of Charles Manson follower and convicted murderer Bruce Davis.

It was part of a policy shift in which Los Angeles County prosecutors are now no longer attending parole hearings and will not oppose parole for any prisoner who has already served their mandatory minimum sentence.

Read the complete article.

Spectrum News 1: Judge Mulls DA Union Request to Stop DA From Enforcing Directives

LOS ANGELES (CNS) — The union representing Los Angeles County prosecutors urged a judge Tuesday to issue a preliminary injunction stopping District Attorney George Gascón from enforcing directives eliminating three-strikes allegations and some sentencing enhancements, but a lawyer for the county’s top prosecutor said that would thwart the will of voters who elected Gascón.

Los Angeles Superior Court Judge James C. Chalfant did not immediately rule, saying he was taking the issues under submission and may have a decision by the end of the week. However, he commented on the absolute nature of the language in the directives, saying Gascón would probably be on safe ground if he instead said he would “rarely” seek some sentencing enhancements instead of saying never.

Read the complete article here.

KTLA: Family of slain LAPD officer speaks out against DA’s policies

The sisters of an off-duty Los Angeles Police Department officer who was fatally shot in 2019 criticized L.A. County District Attorney George Gascón’s changes to sentencing enhancements on Tuesday while speaking outside of a hearing for two suspects charged in their brother’s death.

NBC News: Relatives of Manson ‘family’ murder victims outraged by DA’s new policy

Kay Martley said she was stunned by the Los Angeles County DA’s decision to stop opposing parole for the Manson follower convicted of killing her cousin.

Whenever the notorious killer Charles Manson or one of his convicted followers would come up for parole over the last 40 years, a Los Angeles County prosecutor joined victims’ family members at a California state prison to argue against the release.

But when Kay Martley joined a California Board of Parole Hearings video conference to consider parole for convicted Manson “family” killer Bruce Davis earlier this month, she was stunned to learn she would be making the case on behalf of her murdered relative alone.

“I had no one to speak for me,” said Martley, 81, whose cousin Gary Hinman was tortured and killed by Manson followers on July 27, 1969. “I felt like no one cares about the victim’s families anymore. We are totally forgotten.”

The absence of a prosecutor was no oversight. It was the result of a policy shift ordered by newly elected Los Angeles County District Attorney George Gascón, who campaigned on promises to reduce the number of people in prison.

The new mandate puts a halt on Los Angeles County prosecutors opposing parole for inmates sentenced to life who have already served their mandatory minimum period of incarceration.

Gascón’s directive is part of a sudden shift in how his district attorney’s office, the largest in the nation, is considering victims’ rights before, during and after criminal trials.

The move is not likely to have a direct effect on Davis’ fate, experts say. Even though the state board recommended parole — the sixth time it has done so — California Gov. Gavin Newsom is expected to deny the convicted murderer’s early release.

Read the complete article here.

Fox News: LA District Attorney angers crime victims, prosecutors with sweeping policies

“He can’t simply eliminate certain things just because he doesn’t like them or he thinks they’re bad policy,” Eric Siddall, vice president of the Association of Deputy District Attorneys for Los Angeles County, told Fox News. “He’s the chief prosecutor for Los Angeles County. He’s not the state legislature. He’s not the state voter and he’s not the judiciary.”