Jesus Cecena, who was sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole for shooting Officer Archie Buggs four times during a November 1978 vehicle stop, has been recommended for parole.
Cecena was 17-years-old during the time of the shooting. His term was later modified to give the possibility of parole, due to a change in law making him eligible for Youth Offender Parole.
Under state law, the grant will now be under the required legal review for a maximum of 120 days, after which time it will go before Governor Jerry Brown for review.
In 2016, Gov. Brown reversed the 2015 recommendation of a state parole board that called for the release of Cecena. At that time, Gov. Brown acknowledged Cecena was a minor during the time of the crime and has worked to improve himself while in prison, but the seriousness of the crime and Cecena's minimizing of it forced him to reject the decision. Gov. Brown rejected a previous parole recommendation in 2014 as well.
Cecena has been denied parole 14 times. In 2014, 10News reported that his unstable social history continued during his incarceration, where authorities said he received more than 10 violation reports for misconduct while in prison.
In 2016, Brian Marvel of the San Diego Police Officer's Association released a statement thanking the governor for rejecting the parole board's decision and blasting the state's parole board:
"'Sadly, the California Department of Corrections Board of Parole Hearings is more concerned with emptying prisons. The magnitude of the crime, and the devastation it inflicted on Officer Buggs’ family appear to be just footnotes in a move designed to free up a prison bed. The murdering of a law enforcement officer is not just the killing of an individual, they are attacks on the very foundation of society. 'We hope in 2016 the California legislature and the Attorney General will address this serious flaw in the parole hearing process where individuals who execute peace officers can be granted parole twice in under two years.'"
(Photo credit 10News)