David Pahler has been to 11 California parole hearings regarding the gruesome murder of his daughter, Elyse Pahler, in 1995. Now, he's hoping there are changes to the California parole hearing suitability checklist.
Royce Casey was one of three people convicted of Pahler’s murder. he's had multiple parole hearings in recent years.
David Pahler has been to every one of Casey's parole board hearings, but says he may have attended his final one earlier this month.
“I’m not going to parole hearings anymore,” Pahler said after attending the March 11 hearing for Casey. “I know exactly how this is going to turn out."
Currently, California parole hearings focus on the nature of the offense, the inmate’s behavior in prison and what their plans are should they get out. San Luis Obispo County District Attorney Dan Dow says the hearings don’t consider the victims enough.
“The parole board commissioners are looking at their rehabilitation in prison. They're really not looking at the seriousness of the underlying conduct," Dow said of the current parole hearing process in California.
So Pahler, fed up with the current process, has four key points he’d like instituted as a part of the suitability checklist for parole:
- Require the criminal to promise to tell the truth
- Must show remorse for their crimes
- A picture of the victim must be present in the room
- Victim closure, something Pahler says he never got
“I've been looking for closure for 30 years, no answers on anything," Pahler explained. "So we're going to change that.”
Pahler’s proposals are a first step to what he believes will help victims of violent crimes and their families as well as reduce recidivism, two components that Dow’s office is getting behind.
“I am hopeful that the parole commissioners will put more of an emphasis on has this person really served enough time to repay their debt to this victim's family and to the community?" Dow said.
According to Dow, there are two ways of enacting change for the California parole hearing suitability checklist: Through state legislation or regulatory changes within the State Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation.
“Crime is not going to go away unless we do something about it and there are things that we can do," Pahler said.
Dow says the next steps would be to find a legislator in favor of Pahler’s proposed changes and try to enact them into California law.
The parole board found Casey, 46, suitable for parole earlier this year but it wasn't the first time. The board came to the same decision in 2023 and 2023, but both of those times, the decisions were reversed by the governor.
CDCR records show that in 2023, Fiorella was denied parole for at least three years. Delashumutt was reportedly found suitable for parole this January.
All three men are still in state prison.
