District Attorney responds to convicted killer’s release
Alberto Tamez Jr.
District Attorney says office opposed parole at every stage
– San Luis Obispo County District Attorney Dan Dow issued a statement Tuesday regarding the release of convicted murderer Alberto Tamez Jr., who was granted parole after serving more than 50 years in prison for the 1974 killing of Genevieve Adaline Moreno in Nipomo.
According to the district attorney’s office, Tamez was granted parole by the California Board of Parole Hearings on Dec. 30, 2025. The governor took no action to reverse the decision, which was communicated to the board on April 24. Tamez is now eligible for release from the California Men’s Colony in San Luis Obispo.
The district attorney’s office said Moreno was working at Old Blues Bar on West Tefft Street in Nipomo during the late-night hours of June 17 into the early morning hours of June 18, 1974. Her husband, Richard Moreno, went to pick her up after work and found the bar empty, the cash register open, and Moreno missing. He contacted the San Luis Obispo County Sheriff’s Office.
Authorities said Moreno’s body was discovered at approximately 5:35 a.m. on June 18 in a field about a quarter mile from the bar beneath eucalyptus trees. The district attorney’s office said she had been robbed, kidnapped, beaten, sexually assaulted, and strangled.
According to the statement, law enforcement identified Tamez as the sole suspect the same morning. Investigators observed bloodstains on his clothing and debris consistent with the crime scene. The district attorney’s office said Tamez later admitted to striking Moreno, robbing the bar, dragging her to the grove, and continuing to assault her before leaving her unconscious.
Tamez was charged on June 20, 1974, with first-degree murder, robbery, kidnapping, and rape by force and violence. He pleaded no contest to first-degree murder on Sept. 3, 1974, and was sentenced Sept. 23, 1974, to life in prison with the possibility of parole.
In April 2023, Tamez filed a petition seeking to vacate his murder conviction and be resentenced under changes to California murder laws. The district attorney’s office filed opposition to the petition in April 2024, arguing Tamez acted alone and was not eligible for relief. The petition was withdrawn July 9, 2025.
Dow criticized the parole decision in a public statement.
“To all who knew and loved Genevieve Adaline Moreno — I want you to know that this office has stood by her memory and will continue to do so,” Dow said. “What happened to Genevieve was a horrific, senseless act of violence. She was an innocent woman doing her job, and she was robbed of her life, her dignity, and her future by a man who showed her no mercy. No amount of time erases that truth.”
Dow also said his office opposed Tamez’s release throughout the legal proceedings.
“As your District Attorney, I will continue to use every lawful tool available to ensure that violent offenders are held fully accountable for the harm they inflict on our community’s most vulnerable,” Dow said. “Justice for Genevieve Moreno demanded that Alberto Tamez, Jr. remain incarcerated. We fought for that outcome. We are deeply disappointed that the Board of Parole Hearings granted parole, and that the Governor chose to take no action to reverse that decision.”
