Crime & Safety
Under CA Law, Convicted Napa Murderer Gets Youth Offender Parole
California's SB 261 provides a parole hearing for inmates who were younger than 23 years old when they committed a crime.
NAPA, CA — A inmate who was sentenced to 42 years in prison for committing a second-degree murder in 1998 when he was 18 was granted parole after a hearing last week, according to the Napa County District Attorney's Office. Jacob Hutchins, now 39, was granted "youth offender" parole under Senate Bill 261 that provides a parole hearing for inmates who were under 23 years old when they committed a crime. The intention of the bill, which became effective on Jan. 1, 2016, is to reduce the state's prison population.
Hutchins was convicted of the shooting murder on May 16, 1998, of Michael Arreguin, 18, as well as charges for shooting from a vehicle and firearm and gang enhancements. A state appeals court, however, struck a two-year sentence for the gang enhancement in 2001.
Gov. Jerry Brown commuted Hutchins' sentence to 20 years to life on Nov. 21. Brown said Hutchins distinguished himself by his exemplary conduct and rehabilitation in prison.
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At Hutchins' first parole hearing last Thursday at Chuckawalla Valley State Prison in Blythe, Deputy District Attorney Lance Hafenstein objected to Hutchins' release based on the callousness of the murder and his gang associations, Napa County District Attorney Allison Haley said.
The Board of Parole found Hutchins suitable for parole because he was not an unreasonable risk of danger to society if released, and his age diminished culpability at the time of the crime, Haley said.
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Hafenstein said Hutchins is still a risk to society.
"In our opinion, the Parole Board's decision is an affront to the memory of Michael Arreguin and his family," Hafenstein said. "The family of Michael Arreguin left a Napa courtroom over 20 years ago believing that the man responsible for their loved one's death would not be eligible for parole for 42 years," Haley said.
"Now they suffer from both the loss of Michael and a profound betrayal by a system that simply did not honor its word," Haley said.
The Board of Parole Hearings' decision can be reviewed by the governor, prosecutors said.
— Bay City News Service
