Louis Manuel Moreno, a 66-year-old inmate dubbed a "violent third strike offender," received a firm "no" on his parole bid today, the Sonoma County District Attorney's Office announced. Moreno was denied by the California State Board of Parole Hearings at Solano State Prison after authorities flagged him as a persistent public safety threat.
With a rap sheet stretching back to the dark days of the '80s and '90s in Lakeport, California, Moreno's crimes range from a chilling hotel room rape to brutal assaults that left victims battered and scarred, his criminal pedigree made all the more sinister because many of these attacks unfolded during fleeting breaks from prison walls. District Attorney Rodriguez underscored this history, affirming "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," assenting to the board's conclusion that Moreno's return to the streets of Sonoma County wasn't worth the gamble.
Moreno's string of violent escapades started in 1980 with a knife-point rape, followed by multiple felony assault convictions, dwelling on his eventual 'third strike' in 1997, which nabbed him a life sentence. The Sonoma County District's Deputy Robert Rasp championed the opposition to Moreno's release at the latest hearing, where Moreno's suitability for rejoining society was examinined, only to find his history too heavy, his rehabilitation in question, leaving Liberty's door firmly shut for at least five more years.
