One of three men who brutally murdered 15-year-old Elyse Pahler in a Nipomo Mesa eucalyptus grove 26 years ago will not be released from prison after his grant of parole was denied by Gov. Gavin Newsom.
Newsom reversed the parole board decision that would have released Royce Casey, who was the oldest of the three killers and is currently incarcerated at Valley State Prison in Chowchilla.
Casey, now 43, has had a nearly 20-year record of model behavior in prison as well as a long list of accomplishments while incarcerate.
However, Newsom appeared to agree with the San Luis Obispo District Attorney’s Office, which had petitioned the governor, arguing that the violence of the crime currently outweighed other factors supporting Casey’s safe release.
“I have determined that Mr. Casey must do additional work to deepen his insight into the causative factors of his crime and coping skills before he can be safely released on parole,” Newsom wrote in his ruling July 9. “When considered as a whole, I find the evidence shows that he currently poses an unreasonable danger to society if released from prison at this time.”
Casey was 17 when he, 15-year-old Joseph Fiorella and 16-year-old Jacob Delashmutt stabbed, strangled and stomped Pahler, a Arroyo Grande High School freshman, to death in a satanic quest to play better death metal music.
Casey pleaded no contest to first-degree murder following his confession and was sentenced in 1997 to 25 years to life in prison, of which he was required to serve 21 years.
In March, a parole board panel found suitable for release and granted Casey’s parole, but the decision was ultimately at Newsom’s discretion.
In addition to Casey’s record of good behavior in prison, the parole board in making its ruling found that he’s participated in a series of rehabilitative programs, serves as a mentor, earned his GED certificate and is working on a specialized bachelor’s degree in psychology and sociology.
Casey told the board he plans to become a substance abuse counselor in the Los Angeles area if released.
Though Casey’s parole was opposed by local prosecutors, some members of Pahler’s family did not oppose his release and said they’d place their faith in the parole board.
David Pahler, Elyse’s father, told The Tribune that Casey is suitable for parole, and he does not believe he is a risk to public safety.
But San Luis Obispo County District Attorney Dan Dow called Pahler’s murder sadistic in a letter to Newsom.
Dow wrote that though Casey has been “relatively well behaved” in prison, the parole board did not follow the law by not giving enough consideration to the heinous nature of the crime.
Dow noted that Casey admitted to stomping Pahler as she lay on the ground, bleeding to death, calling out for her mother and Jesus.
“He has never adequately explained why he participated in a such a sadistic and heinous crime,” Dow wrote June 1.
The governor agreed.
In his ruling, Newsom wrote that he commends Casey for his “growth in prison” and his “significant efforts in rehabilitation,” both those factors “are outweighed by negative factors.”
He wrote that Casey has not demonstrated an understanding of what led him to plan and carry out Pahler’s murder.
“I have carefully examined the record for evidence that Mr. Casey’s insight and self-awareness have developed sufficiently to minimize his risk factors, including associating with negative peers, being swayed by violent and antisocial ideologies, and rationalizing brutal conduct for self-serving purposes,” Newsom wrote. “Mr. Casey’s discussion of the causative factors for his involvement in the crime are concerningly lacking.”
In a news release Monday, Dow said that his office was notified about the decision Sunday.
He thanked Newsom “for carefully evaluating the facts and circumstances of Elyse M. Pahler’s horrific murder committed by Royce Casey and his three accomplices and reviewing Royce’s present day mental state.”
“I am pleased with the governor’s conclusion that agreed with my office’s evaluation that Casey continues to pose an unreasonable danger to society if he were to be released from prison at this time,” Dow wrote.
It was not immediately clear when Casey will once again be up for parole.
Fiorella, 40, is currently incarcerated at High Desert State Prison in Susanville. He’s tentatively scheduled for a suitability hearing in July 2022 after waiving his right to hearings in 2019 and March 2020.
Delashmutt, 41, is housed at the Correctional Training Facility in Soledad. He was denied parole for seven years at a December 2017 suitability hearing but filed a petition this month to advance his next hearing scheduled for December 2024.
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