A convicted murderer from Nipomo could soon be let out of prison and the victim's family is speaking out.
Fifteen-year-old Dystiny Myers of Santa Maria was brutally murdered in September of 2010.
Jason Greenwell and four others - Ty Michael Hill, Frank Jacob York, Rhonda Wisto, and Cody Miller - bound and beat Myers in Nipomo and then buried her in a shallow grave near Santa Margarita Lake. Before they took off, they set a fire. Myers' bound and partially burned body was later discovered in the grave.
Just last week, Greenwell was granted parole suitability and the victim's mother and grandmother agreed to sit down with KSBY.
"She just loved life in general and it's so hard because these are pretty much the last pictures we have," said her grandma, Kathleen Clark, during an interview with KSBY on Tuesday.
On September 26, 2010, the life of Dystiny Myers was taken about a month after her 15th birthday.
"She liked going to snow camp, she liked going to church, she liked to sing, she liked to run," Clark said. "People just gravitated toward her. They did."
Since losing Dystiny, things have never been the same for her grandma or mom.
"Every night when I go to bed and every morning when I wake up there's a hole inside of my heart and it hurts because I know that I can't see her. I can't hold her. I can't hear her laugh," Clark explained.
"I will never see her get married," said her mom, Aileen Lucas. "Never have a grandbaby by her. I will never be able to have anything by her. Nothing because she's gone forever."
Hill, York, and Wisto are serving life sentences without the possibility of parole. Miller took his own life in prison. But Jason Greenwell might get another shot at life outside his California Institution for Men prison cell in Chino.
He was granted parole suitability last week at his first parole hearing since his conviction.
"I think the main thing that I feel is sadness," Clark said.
In 2013, Greenwell pleaded guilty to second-degree murder and was sentenced to 15 years to life in state prison. He was able to be granted parole after only serving 11 years because of Prop 57 which passed in 2016. It allows convicted murderers and other violent criminals to reduce up to a third of their sentence.
The victim's family, however, is desperately hoping that he's not given the final okay to walk free.
"That he rots in there, you know? For as long as he can possibly stay in there," Lucas said.
"We have to speak for her because she can't anymore," Clark added.
Over the next five months, the parole board's legal office will review the case. After that, the governor's office will have another month to ultimately decide if he's paroled. So by next year sometime, Greenwell could potentially be back in society.
"These people brutally, brutally murdered her which is totally completely wrong and I'm asking you as a grandma to please help us to make sure that Dystiny has justice," Clark said. "I miss her terribly and I would do anything to have her come back."
The victim's family says that during the parole hearing, Greenwell showed no signs of remorse, confirming another reason why they believe he should not be released from prison.
San Luis Obispo County District Attorney Dan Dow has also announced he's seeking reversal of the parole board's decision by directly contacting Governor Gavin Newsom.
KSBY News will continue to follow this story and report on the latest developments.
