Sacramento County District Attorney Jan Scully on Tuesday announced her opposition to a bill pending in the legislature that would allow murderers aged 16 to 18, who have been convicted of first degree murder with special circumstances and sentenced to life without parole, the chance of having their sentence modified to permit parole.

Scully said, “The penalty of life without parole is reserved for the worst crimes, by the worst criminals. By allowing the defendant a chance at parole, this bill would re-victimize the murder victim’s family, forcing them to re-live the events through court hearings and the parole process.”


Under current law, a sentencing judge already has discretion to impose a sentence of life with the possibility of parole, even when a jury has found special circumstances to be true. District Attorney Scully said that this, combined with prosecutorial discretion, provide sufficient safeguards against overly harsh sentences.

Scully cited two recent cases to support her position: Jimmy Siackasorn, convicted of the murder of Sheriff’s Detective Vu Nguyen; and Frank Abella, who at age 17 years, 11 months committed the robbery, torture and murder of disabled victim William Deer.

Scully has written to every member of the State Assembly, to voice her opposition to the bill (SB 399).