Man Who Committed Multiple Rapes and Manslaughter Denied Parole

Fifty-two-year-old California prison inmate Josafat Panduro Presencion was denied parole by the state board of parole yesterday following a hearing at the California Institute for Men in Chino, CA. 

Presencion is currently serving an eighty-two year sentence for the rape and killing of a woman in Sonoma County in May 1988 and the kidnap and rape of a woman in Marin County in August 1988. Presencion was sentenced in August 2015 to serve twenty-seven years for charges of forced oral copulation, rape, and manslaughter relating to the killing of Wynetta Davis outside the city of limits of Petaluma in 1988. At the time of sentencing, Presencion was already a sentenced prisoner serving a fifty-five year sentence for a rape and sexual assault of a San Rafael woman that occurred in Marin County on August 27, 1988, three months after Davis’ body was found.

District Attorney Ravitch stated, “These were heinous acts of violence committed by this inmate. A DNA hit brought him to justice after many years. Without any doubt he would pose a danger to this community should he be released. Therefore, we argued vigorously to deny his parole and we are pleased that the board concurred with our assessment. ”

Davis’ body was found on May 13, 1988 by a ranch worker in the rural farm area west of Petaluma. She was naked and face down in a water trough. She had been missing from her home in Vallejo since May 11. The victim’s sister and niece reported that the victim said she was going to the corner store and never returned.

Investigators were unable to develop any leads, and in March 1989 the investigation was suspended due to no further investigative leads being developed in the case.

In May 2010, the Sonoma County Sheriff’s Office sent evidence to the Department of Justice lab for DNA testing which resulted in DNA hits for both Presencion and co-defendant Fausto Chavez. Both suspects were interviewed and eventually charged with the murder of Wynetta Davis. Chavez testified against Presencion at a preliminary hearing and described Presencion drowning the victim in the water trough.

Sonoma County Deputy District Attorney Jason Riehl appeared and argued that Presencion should remain confined. Following the hearing, the parole board determined that Presencion still posed an unreasonable risk of danger to society if released from prison, and denied his request. Although the board issued a 10-year denial (meaning that he has the right to another hearing in 10 years) as a result of recently passed legislation mandating parole hearings for “elderly inmates” Presencion will be eligible for parole consideration again when he turns 60 years old in December 2025.