Parole Denied For 'Dangerous Child Predator': Napa DA's Office

NAPA COUNTY, CA — Parole has been denied for convicted Napa child molester and child pornographer Roberto Malimban Antonio, 71, following a recent parole hearing, Napa County District Attorney Allison Haley announced Tuesday.

A hearing was held Nov. 28 before the Board of Parole Hearings via videoconference at Valley State Prison for Antonio, who is currently serving a prison sentence of 50 years to life for possession of child pornography and failure to register as a sex offender. Each charge carried special allegations of prior convictions for strike offenses.

Antonio has a lengthy history of sex crimes against minors and was convicted of lewd acts in San Francisco and Solano counties in 1986 and 1987, respectively. In 1992, Antonio allegedly kidnapped and raped a 9-year-old Napa girl and evaded law enforcement until his capture in March 2010, when advancements in DNA technology helped identify him as the person responsible for the crimes.

A forensic evaluation of Antonio’s computer at the time of his 2010 arrest yielded numerous images of child pornography. It was also discovered that Antonio was using an address that he wasn’t residing at to register as a sex offender in violation of the law.

He pleaded guilty to possession of child pornography and failure to register as a sex offender, along with two special allegations of prior strike convictions in May 2011. To spare the victim from testifying in court and with their full agreement, the Napa County District Attorney’s Office dismissed the charges of kidnap and rape against Antonio, in exchange for his stipulation to a sentence of 50 years to life in prison.

In 2016, the law changed when California voters passed Proposition 57, allowing inmates who committed "nonviolent offenses" to be eligible for parole at an earlier time.

"It does not matter that a prisoner stipulated to a life sentence," the Napa County DA's Office said. "The list of crimes that would have made an inmate ineligible for early parole did not include every type of sex crime — and forces Napa prosecutors and those around the state to relitigate these cases and contact victims who were told that they were never going to have to revisit the crimes again."

Napa County Deputy District Attorney Kecia Lind and Victim Witness Advocate Alejandra Mendieta-Bedolla were at the parole hearing and helped the victim and her mother give victim impact statements to the parole board.

"It’s never easy for a victim of rape to testify against their attacker as it often forces them to relive this horrible event in their lives and be re-traumatized by it," Lind said. "It took a lot of bravery and resolve from the survivor to provide testimony against Mr. Antonio."

During the hearing, Lind argued against Antonio’s release based on his lengthy criminal history involving multiple convictions of child molestation, his lack of insight into his crimes, the egregious nature of his crimes, and "the unreasonable danger he presents to the community should he be paroled," according to the DA's Office.

"We are pleased with the Board of Parole Hearings’ decision to deny him parole as it will protect the public from a dangerous child predator," Lind said.