Violent Third Strike Offender Denied Parole

CDCR Inmate Louis Manuel Moreno, 66 years old of Lakeport, California, was denied parole today by the California State Board of Parole Hearings following a morning hearing held at the Solano State Prison in Solano County. The Parole Board found that Moreno was unsuitable for parole as he continues to pose an unreasonable risk to public safety.

District Attorney Rodriguez stated, "We know from experience that today's decision by the Board of Parole Hearings was based on a thorough review of Mr. Moreno's past criminal history, his current status while incarcerated, and an appropriate risk analysis. I appreciate the Commissioners' decision as it means that Mr. Moreno will not be released back to Sonoma County, which would be the immediate result if their decision was different.”

Moreno was a prolific and violent offender in the North-Bay area in the 1980s and 1990s. Moreno was convicted in 1980 in Lake County for entering a sleeping woman’s hotel room and raping her at knife point while her son was present. Moreno was again convicted in Lake County in 1985 of two counts of felony assault and inflicting great bodily injury. Moreno was sentenced to 13 years in prison and was granted parole in 1994. Moreno was then convicted in 1994 in Sonoma County of felony assault and inflicting great bodily injury after he beat a man and broke his eye socket. Moreno served five years in prison for that offense.

In 1997, a Sonoma County jury convicted Moreno of two counts of assault with a deadly weapon for attacking and stabbing his then girlfriend with a knife as well as a minor who attempted to prevent Moreno’s attack. At the time of the assault, Moreno had been continuously imprisoned for all but six months since his initial incarceration for rape in 1980. Following Moreno’s 1997 assault convictions, Moreno was sentenced as a “third strike” offender to an indeterminate life sentence in state prison. At the conclusion of today’s hearing at which the Board of Parole Hearings assessed Moreno’s current suitability for release from prison, after finding Moreno continues to pose an unreasonable risk to public safety, Moreno was denied parole for 5 years.

The Sonoma County District Attorney’s Office was represented at the hearing by Deputy District Attorney Robert Rasp, and opposed Moreno’s release.