Stanislaus County District Attorney's office has confirmed that 59-year-old Modesto resident, Steven Louis Richards, was denied parole following a recent hearing at the California Men's Colony in San Luis Obispo. According to the official social media post of the District Attorney, Deputy District Attorney James H. Langston argued against Richards' release, citing a persistent threat to public safety.
In serving a lengthy 85 years-to-life sentence under California's Three Strikes Law for his prior serious and violent felony convictions, Richards was convicted in 2004 for multiple burglary offenses and forgery. Despite being imprisoned, he has committed multiple violent acts, including as many as 11 instances of fighting, battery, and assaulting a prison guard, spanning from 2008 to 2021, along with other offenses attributed to his involvement with a prison gang.
Richards was found guilty by a jury of charges that included First Degree Burglary, Attempted First Degree Burglary, Second Degree Burglary, and Forgery subsequent to his attempt at breaking and entering into residential properties in 2004. The severity and pattern of his criminal behavior have left an enduring mark on the community's sense of safety and the legal system's response to repeated offenses.
The Board of Parole, having listened to the arguments from DDA Langston, determined that Richards will not be granted release and set the possibility for a subsequent parole hearing in three years' time, which is set for 2028. Any further information regarding this decision can be sought from the Stanislaus County DA's office by contacting the provided email at [email protected] for media inquiries.
