San Bernardino
County
District Attorney MIKE RAMOS
“The parole board hearings are now an adversarial process in
which our prosecutors have to go in and battle with the California Board of
Parole members who are looking for ways to release
the ‘worst of the worst’ back into
our community,” District Attorney Ramos said. “I am sick and tired of the liberal agenda
being placed on the backs of victims of crime, especially those who have lost a
loved one to murder.”
In an effort to
encourage Governor Brown to reverse the Board of Parole's decision,
District Attorney
Mike Ramos released the following video: https://youtu.be/6jxp0pCnviQ
California Board of
Parole Grants Release
of KILLER Herman
Monk + 5 more MURDERS
San
Bernardino, California ____ The California Board of Parole Hearings
granted parole to 68-year-old Herman Monk, Tuesday, January 23, 2018. Monk was
convicted of killing his estranged wife in 1992. In 1993, he was sentenced to 26 years to Life-in-prison.
Prior
to the murder, Monk's estranged wife, Denise Monk, was living in Virginia with
the couple's two-and-half-year-old child. Herman Monk lured her and the child
back to California with the promise of reconciliation.
The
night Monk killed Denise, he took her to a restaurant where he plied her with
3-5 double strength cocktails. He then took her to a secluded mountain fire
road to a turnout overlooking a steep cliff in Lytle Creek.
With
their young child watching from the truck, Monk shoved Denise off the 3500-foot
cliff. The fall didn't kill her. During trial, the evidence showed that Monk
descended the cliff to Denise's resting place and bashed her head in with a
rock as she lay incapacitated.
The
ruling of the Board of Parole doesn't automatically mean Herman Monk will be
released; as the recommendation goes to California Governor Jerry Brown, who
has the power to deny his parole.
This
was Monk's fourth attempt at parole. In May 2009, members of the
District Attorney's Lifer Parole Unit secured a 5-year denial. In January
2014, the Board of Parole issued a 3-year denial, based on the fact that Monk
had received no self-help since 2009.
Two
years later, the board issued another 3-year denial based on the fact that Monk
had not taken enough domestic violence programming since the last hearing.
According
to Deputy District Attorney Connie Lasky, who is a member of the District Attorney's
Lifer Parole Unit, the Governor Brown's office will be notified of the grant of
parole, usually within 120 days.
"The governor then
has thirty days to review the grant and affirm or reverse it," said Lasky.
“I urge the governor to reverse this parole
decision,” District Attorney Ramos said. “I urge him to change the dynamics in
the assessment tools so we make sure these kinds of murderers are never allowed
to be released and harm others again.”
Ramos added that in
January 2018, alone, the Parole Board granted parole to six murderers from San
Bernardino County, including
Herman Monk:
ROBERT
SEABOCK: In
1972, the inmate and his “revolutionary”
co-defendants attempted to break a fellow militant out of the California
Institute for Men (CIM), resulting in the murder of a correctional officer.
Seabock was sentenced to life in state prison in 1974 for the murder of
24-year-old Jesus Sanchez.
CHRISTOPHER
ASAY:
In 1987, the inmate robbed and murdered an armored car driver who was picking
up money in his private vehicle. The inmate waited until the victim,
Gerald Gauthier, left the store he managed and then followed, robbed and killed
him. He was sentenced to Life without the possibility of parole in 1989.
MARK
BARROS:
In 1990, after the inmate’s girlfriend tried to break up with him, he slashed
her throat and stabbed her multiple times, killing her. Barros was sentenced to
16 years to life in 1991 for the murder of 16-year-old Stacey Gilliam.
FRANCISCO
VILLASENOR:
The inmate broke into the victim’s apartment, armed with a handgun, to steal
back drug money that he had heard the victim had stolen from him.
Villasenor shot and killed the victim during gunfight. He was sentenced to 29
years to life in 1993. Villasenor was 24 years and 8 months old when he
committed the crime.
He
was given an advanced hearing under youthful offender parole. A person who was convicted of a controlling offense that
was committed when the person was 25 years of age or younger and for which the
sentence is a life term of less than 25 years to life shall be eligible for
release on parole by the board during his or her 20th year of incarceration.
GILBERT
COLON: In
1993, the inmate shot and killed 16-year-old Anthony Jones after he and a
friend tried to break-up a fight between the inmate and his wife. Colon was
sentenced to 20 years to Life-in-prison.
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