Update: Governor again reverses decision to parole convicted murderer
Update posted March 14, 2024:
Murder victim Elyse Pahler at 15-years-old. Photo from Wikipedia.
Royce Elliott Casey, along with two accomplices, murdered 15-year-old Arroyo Grande High School student Elyse Pahler
– District Attorney Dan Dow announced today that he is “very pleased” with Governor Gavin Newsom’s decision to once again reverse the Board of Parole Hearings’ Oct. 11, 2023 decision to grant Royce Elliott Casey parole. Casey was convicted in 1997 based on his plea to first-degree murder along with his two accomplices 16-year-old Jacob Delashmutt, and 15-year-old Joseph Fiorella.
Together, they brutally murdered 15-year-old Arroyo Grande High School Freshman Elyse M. Pahler in what the DA calls, “one of the most heinous pre-meditated murders committed in the history of San Luis Obispo County.” The governor’s office sent a letter to the district attorney’s office on March 11 notifying them of the governor’s decision.
“I am grateful for and want to thank Governor Newsom for carefully evaluating the facts and circumstances of Elyse M. Pahler’s horrific murder committed by Royce Casey and his two accomplices and reviewing Royce’s present-day mental state,” said Dow, “I am pleased with the governor’s conclusion that agreed with my office’s evaluation that Casey continues to pose an unreasonable danger to society if he were to be released from prison at this time.”
On Dec. 19, Assistant District Attorney Eric J. Dobroth wrote a letter to Newsom urging him to use his authority to reverse the decision to allow Casey to be released on parole. In Assistant DA Dobroth’s letter, he argued that Casey remains a threat to public safety, as he, “still has not developed insight into the grave character defects that allowed him to participate in such a hideous crime,” and asked that the Governor, “consider established case law which holds that the presence or absence of insight is a significant factor in determining whether there is a rational nexus between the inmate’s dangerous past behavior and the threat he currently poses to public safety.”
In Governor Newsom’s letter concluding that Mr. Casey poses an unreasonable danger to society at this time and should not be released, Governor Newsom explained in part:
“Mr. Casey must better understand the internal processes that led him to commit the crime and hone the skills he will need to manage them beyond the controlled environment of prison. Mr. Casey will almost certainly encounter significant stressors while navigating his reentry into the community if he is allowed to parole, particularly given the stigma and notoriety of his case. I encourage him to continue to develop his parole plans, and in particular his relapse prevention plans and the strength of his social supports, which will be critical to his success on parole. I have considered the evidence in the record that is relevant to whether Mr. Casey is currently dangerous. When considered as a whole, I find the evidence shows that he currently poses an unreasonable danger to society if released from prison at this time. Therefore, I reverse the decision to parole Mr. Casey.”
The DA’s office regularly appears with a deputy district attorney at the Board of Parole hearings scheduled parole hearings to represent the interests of victims and the people of the State of California.
Original story posted July 13, 2021:
Governor reverses decision to parole convicted murderer
– District Attorney Dan Dow announced yesterday that he is “very pleased” with Governor Gavin Newsom’s decision to reverse the Board of Parole Hearings’ March 17, 2021 decision to grant Royce Elliott Casey parole. Casey was convicted in 1997 based on his plea to first-degree murder along with his two accomplices 16-year-old Jacob Delashmutt, and 15-year-old Joseph Fiorella. Together, they brutally murdered 15-year-old Arroyo Grande High School Freshman Elyse M. Pahler in what the DA calls, “one of the most heinous pre-meditated murders committed in the history of San Luis Obispo County.” The Governor’s Office sent a letter to District Attorney Dow by email on Sunday Morning, July 11, 2021, notifying DA Dow of the Governor’s decision.
“I am grateful for and want to thank Governor Newsom for carefully evaluating the facts and circumstances of Elyse M. Pahler’s horrific murder committed by Royce Casey and his three accomplices and reviewing Royce’s present-day mental state. I am pleased with the Governor’s conclusion that agreed with my office’s evaluation that Casey continues to pose an unreasonable danger to society if he were to be released from prison at this time,” said District Attorney Dan Dow.
On June 1, 2021, Dow wrote a letter to Governor Newsom urging him to use his authority to reverse the Board of Parole Hearings’ decision to allow Casey to be released on parole. In Dow’s letter, he argued that Casey remains a threat to public safety, as he “has never adequately explained why he participated in such a sadistic and heinous crime. In prior hearings, he did admit that while young Elyse was on the ground, after being strangled and stabbed, she cried out for her mother and for Jesus. When Royce Casey heard that, he stomped on her neck and head… We maintain that Casey still has not developed insight into the character defects that allowed him to participate in such a hideous crime.”
In Governor Newsom’s letter concluding that Mr. Casey poses an unreasonable danger to society at this time and should not be released, Governor Newsom explained in part:
“I have carefully examined the record for evidence that Mr. Casey’s insight and self-awareness have developed sufficiently to minimize his risk factors, including associating with negative peers, being swayed by violent and antisocial ideologies, and rationalizing brutal conduct for self-serving purposes. Mr. Casey’s discussion of the causative factors for his involvement in the crime are concerningly lacking. At his parole hearing, Mr. Casey discussed his fear of judgment and need to be accepted saying, ‘I’ve tried to please people to protect myself from perceptions of when I was a little kid and being hurt and not having the ability to communicate or to express or to ask…for help from people that can help me.’ I have determined that Mr. Casey must do additional work to deepen his insight into the causative factors of his crime and coping skills before he can be safely released on parole.”
The DA’s office regularly appears with a deputy district attorney at the Board of Parole hearings scheduled parole hearings to represent the interests of victims and the people of the State of California.
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