PAROLE DENIED FOR SERIAL RAPIST CONVICTED OF 1979 MURDER OF HUSBAND AND RAPE OF WIFE AFTER BREAKING INTO THEIR APARTMENT

PAROLE DENIED FOR SERIAL RAPIST CONVICTED OF 1979 MURDER OF HUSBAND AND RAPE OF WIFE AFTER BREAKING INTO THEIR APARTMENT
*Inmate was convicted of raping 12 additional women in this case; defendant will come up for parole in seven years

SANTA ANA – The Board of Parole Hearings (Board), California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitations, denied the parole today for a serial rapist convicted of murdering a husband and raping his wife after committing 12 other rapes starting in 1978. Alfonza Calhoun, 49, is currently being held at Correctional Training Facility in Soledad, CA. Calhoun, who was 17 years old at the time of the crimes and was prosecuted as an adult, was sentenced July 23, 1980, to 45 years to life in state prison after pleading guilty to one felony count of first degree murder and 13 felony counts of rape with threat with a sentencing enhancement for inflicting great bodily injury. Deputy District Attorney William Morrissey originally prosecuted the case.

Orange County Senior Deputy District Attorney Paul Chrisopoulos appeared at the hearing to oppose Calhoun’s parole. The OCDA maintained that Calhoun is a serious threat to public safety because he is a serial rapist who has failed to rehabilitate, as evidenced by his 25 prison rules violations, including eight major prison rules violations. Calhoun will be eligible for his next parole hearing in 2018. Before denying the inmate’s parole, the Board took into consideration the facts of the case, Calhoun’s prison violations, his lack of remorse and insight into his crimes, and his lack of self-help.

Murder and Rape of Married Couple in 1979

On the evening of June 12, 1979, then-17-year-old Calhoun climbed through the bedroom window of a Santa Ana apartment of a 67-year-old man and his wife, Jane Doe #13, who were asleep in their bed. Calhoun took off his clothes and woke the victims when he climbed onto the bed and straddled them. As the victims tried to free themselves to call for help, a naked Calhoun stabbed the husband several times, killing him. Calhoun then placed the knife under Jane Doe #13’s throat, ordered her to the floor, removed her pants, and raped her. The inmate fled the scene through a bathroom window.

Santa Ana police responded to a 911 call and investigated this case, and ultimately two previous burglaries at the same apartment complex which connected Calhoun to the murder and rape by eye-witnesses. After his arrest, Calhoun was linked to 12 other rapes.

Rape of 12 Other Female Victims

Calhoun was responsible for 12 other rapes between September 1978 and May 1979. The offenses were all similar in that the inmate forcibly entered the residences, primarily occupied by women and children, threatened, restrained and raped the women, and stole what property and money he could find before fleeing.