| For Immediate Release
August 27, 2012 |
Susan Kang Schroeder Chief of Staff Office: 714-347-8408 Cell: 714-292-2718 Farrah Emami
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OCDA TO OPPOSE PAROLE OF INMATE WHO MURDERED MOTEL EMPLOYEE
SANTA ANA – Orange County District Attorney (OCDA) Tony Rackauckas is opposing the parole of an inmate who murdered an employee of a motel where the inmate was renting a room. Robert Charles Johnson, 50, is currently being held at Kern Valley State Prison, Delano. Johnson was found guilty by a jury Oct. 29, 1982, of one felony count of murder and sentenced to 16 years to life in state prison. The case was originally prosecuted by then Deputy District Attorney Thomas Goethals. Johnson is scheduled for a parole hearing tomorrow, Tuesday, Aug. 28, 2012, at 8:30 a.m. at the prison before the Board of Parole Hearings (Board), California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitations.
Deputy District Attorney Brett Brian will appear at the hearing to oppose parole.
Murder of Elderly Motel Employee Edward Nardone
In January 1982, Johnson had been temporarily staying at the Musketeer Motel in Anaheim. At approximately midnight on Jan. 25, 1982, 20-year-old Johnson murdered 61-year-old Edward Nardone, an employee at the motel. During the murder, a patron of the motel heard loud noises from the victim’s room and called the Anaheim Police Department (APD). APD officers responded to the scene and found the victim bound and gagged in his room with nine stab wounds to his chest, wrist, shoulder, back, and neck. The victim died at the scene.
Threat to Public Safety and Failure to Accept Responsibility
The inmate has failed to recognize or accept responsibility for the murder and lacks awareness and understanding of the severity of his crime. The inmate has lied to police by giving various versions of the events and has failed to provide accurate details regarding the execution of the murder.
While incarcerated, the inmate has violated numerous prison rules. Since his last hearing, Johnson has engaged in mutual combat, battery on a non-prisoner, and willfully obstructing a police officer. Johnson has failed to follow previous Board recommendations that he obtain his GED, remain discipline free, and participate in self-help programs that would help prevent him from engaging in criminal behavior in the future. Johnson’s ongoing disobedience in a controlled environment shows that he continues to pose a significant risk of danger to society and should not be released.
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