California’s Youthful Offender Law Fails Again

A 55-year-old California man, Darryl Lamar Collins, has been sentenced to life in prison for killing his girlfriend, Fatima Johnson, less than a year after being paroled for a double murder. It’s a ridiculous outcome that’s raised serious questions about the state’s youthful offender law.

Collins’ history is gruesome. He was convicted of two separate murders in 1995 and sentenced to 50 years to life. But thanks to a 2017 law that raised the cutoff for youthful offender parole from 23 to 25, he was released after serving just 25 years. At the time of the murders, Collins was 24 – barely a year under the new cutoff.

A Pattern of Violence

Collins’ crime spree is a stark reminder of the law’s failures. On September 17, 1995, he carjacked and killed 28-year-old Derrick Reese. Eleven days later, he fatally shot 44-year-old Thomas Weiss during a diner robbery. And just last year, he killed his girlfriend, binding her wrists and ankles with shoelaces and duct tape before stealing her phone, jewelry, and car.

It’s a brutal pattern of violence that’s left authorities and lawmakers scrambling to explain how Collins was allowed back on the streets. Los Angeles County District Attorney Nathan Hochman called Collins a ‘sociopath’ and said his sentence is about protection, not just punishment.

Outrage and Calls for Reform

The case has sparked outrage, with U.S. Rep. Kevin Kiley calling for a review of the state’s early release laws and the California Parole Board’s decisions. ‘California’s reckless laws and runaway Parole Board are getting our citizens killed,’ Kiley said. It’s a sentiment that’s hard to argue with, given Collins’ horrific track record.