Prosecutors from Placer, San Joaquin and Sacramento counties are sounding the alarm ahead of a high-stakes parole hearing on Wednesday, urging residents to speak up as the California Board of Parole Hearings reconsiders its earlier decision to grant parole to James Dennis Lynch. Lynch was convicted in 1996 of murdering, raping and torturing a 75-year-old woman, and prosecutors say the sheer brutality of the case makes public comment crucial. The en banc review is scheduled to start at 9 a.m. in Sacramento and will give victims, neighbors and county officials a chance to address commissioners before they revisit the prior vote.
Earlier this year, the parole board voted to grant Lynch parole at a Jan. 15 hearing, a decision recorded in the Board’s published results. According to the California Board of Parole Hearings, Lynch appears on the Jan. 12–16 results list with CDC# K52257 and the outcome marked “Grant.”…