A man accused of killing his parents, former Santa Maria Valley residents who had moved to Texas, recently took a plea deal in his criminal court case, sending him to prison for the rest of his life.

Derrick Sherwood, 29, fatally shot his parents Michael Sherwood, 60, and Rene Sherwood, 56, in their Pleasanton, Texas home on Jan. 28, 2023. Pleasanton is approximately 36 miles south of San Antonio, Texas.

In a Texas courtroom last month, Derrick Sherwood was sentenced to life in prison after changing his plea to guilty and avoiding a trial in the double-murder case.

The couple’s younger son discovered his parents shot to death in their home and called 9-1-1, notifying law enforcement officers his brother was the last one home with his parents. Their car was missing as well as the defendant.

Derrick Sherwood was arrested after leading law enforcement officers on a high-speed vehicle pursuit, then fleeing on foot and hiding out. Law enforcement officers captured him as he hid in a creek and found the murder weapon in the vehicle he drove.

“For at least a decade, the defendant lived a life of addiction to methamphetamine. He was in and out of jail mostly in California and New Mexico, receiving only minor consequences for crimes involving drugs and theft,” District Attorney Audrey Gossett Louis of Texas said in a press release. 

His parents placed the defendant in rehab facilities numerous times desperately trying to help their son, according to the news release. 

“The defendant would repeatedly refuse treatment and go right back to using drugs once released. Because of his choices, Michael and Rene Sherwood were the only two people who remained in the defendant’s life and continued trying to help him before he murdered them,” Louis said.

Derrick Sherwood had more than a dozen arrests from 2012 to 2019 in Santa Barbara County, mostly involving misdemeanor charges, according to Superior Court records. 

His last arrest in 2019 was for being under the influence of methamphetamine and prowling in Orcutt. At the time, he claimed a Texas address. 

He missed his court date and a bench warrant was issued for his arrest.

Earlier cases involved drug-related charges, possession of burglary tools and trespassing.

The Texas plea agreement came after prosecuting attorneys extensively discussed the case with the Sherwoods’ two other sons.

In changing his plea to guilty of capital murder of multiple persons, Derrick Sherwood was sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole. 

“It also means the surviving family will not have to endure decades of appeals, because part of the plea agreement required the defendant to waive his right of appeal,” the district attorney noted.

Louis also praised “the truly excellent response and collaboration” among those involved in investigating the murders. 

During the December hearing, Derrick Sherwood made a brief statement apologizing for his actions, according to the Pleasanton Express story on the sentencing.

Before moving to Texas approximately five years before their deaths, Michael Sherwood and Rene Sherwood lived in Orcutt with their sons who attended local schools. The couple were married in 1989. 

They had lived on the Central Coast for years and were active with youth sports leagues while raising their two sons together. Michael Sherwood also had a third son from a previous relationship. 

Michael Sherwood at one time worked for Conoco Oil and reportedly worked as a truck driver in Texas. 

Rene Reeves Sherwood worked as a bus driver for local school districts, including Lompoc, plus Silverado Stages, according to court documents. 

A GoFundMe site, Remembering Michael and Rene Sherwood, raised more than $22,000 for their surviving sons, Justin and Logan, as they dealt with their loss.