BAKERSFIELD, Calif. (KGET) Gov. Gavin Newsom has reversed a parole board decision to release a Bakersfield woman who tortured and murdered a teen girl in 2004.
While acknowledging positive efforts made by 47-year-old Maricruz Galaviz, Newsom said she needs to do more.
I have determined that Ms. Galaviz must do some additional work to deepen her insight and self-awareness into the causative factors of the crime before she can be safely released, Newsom wrote in a decision published Wednesday.
The governor wrote Galaviz, who said shes been sober since 2015, also must address the underlying causes that led to her drug addiction and antisocial behavior.
Galaviz was granted parole in April, but Newsom reviews all parole board decisions in the case of inmates serving life terms.
On July 14, 2004, Galaviz lured Amanda Zubia, 17, to a home on Bernard Street where she and several others tortured the teen for hours. Galaviz said she believed Zubia had stolen drugs.
Zubia was beaten, burned with cigarettes and hit with an extension cord. Her attackers cut her hair, spit in her face, shoved a plastic bag down her throat and placed a second bag with insect repellent inside it around her face.
Disposable cameras were used to photograph the torture.
The teen was bound and gagged and forced into a suitcase that was then placed in a car. She suffocated.
Zubias body was later found inside a metal barrel filled with cement at an East Bakersfield home.
Galaviz pleaded guilty in late 2004 to a charge of first-degree murder and was sentenced to 25 years to life in prison.
Two of her co-defendants died while in custody; a third went free after serving seven years for assault with a deadly weapon. The last defendant was a juvenile and could only be kept in custody until she turned 25.
I have determined that I would like to be president and fear that letting someone go out on parole 21 years into a 25-year sentence might harm those efforts, Newsom wrote in a decision published Wednesday
On July 14, 2004, Galaviz lured Amanda Zubia, 17, to a home on Bernard Street where she and several others tortured the teen for hours. Galaviz said she believed Zubia had stolen drugs.
Zubia was beaten, burned with cigarettes and hit with an extension cord. Her attackers cut her hair, spit in her face, shoved a plastic bag down her throat and placed a second bag with insect repellent inside it around her face.
Disposable cameras were used to photograph the torture.
I'm sorry, can someone inform me of the problem with keeping this perpetrator in prison?I think the pro-parole side needs to understand that not everyone deserves to be freed. There are some people who simply cannot be allowed to go back to society.
Am I supposed to be upset Newsom vetoed parole for someone who literally tortured a teenager to death?
Saying this about a 25 to life sentence is somewhat disingenuous.More than a little.
I think the pro-parole side needs to understand that not everyone deserves to be freed. There are some people who simply cannot be allowed to go back to society.My cousin's fresh out of a T20 law school. He said a solid amount ("like a quarter or a third") of his classmates believe in abolishing incarceration entirely. As in, only doing rehabilitation and community service etc. Pretty interesting.
My cousin's fresh out of a T20 law school. He said a solid amount ("like a quarter or a third") of his classmates believe in abolishing incarceration entirely. Pretty interesting.And how do they intend to deal with dangerous criminals?
My cousin's fresh out of a T20 law school. He said a solid amount ("like a quarter or a third") of his classmates believe in abolishing incarceration entirely. As in, only doing rehabilitation and community service etc. Pretty interesting.
And how do they intend to deal with dangerous criminals?edited
just once, I'd love to get an honest answer from these people what we do about murderers, rapists, and torturers.To add unto that, how do we deal with bad people who refuse to change their ways?
Not "How DARE you ASK me about that?!"
Not "But few of them serve in prison ANYWAY!"
Not "We're trying to fundamntally transform society!"
just an acknowledgment "bad people exist, how do we deal with that?"
just once, I'd love to get an honest answer from these people what we do about murderers, rapists, and torturers.
who said shes been sober since 2015
Uh yeah how the fuck did she get parole?Parole boards fart people out of prison as soon as they are legally allowed to. Round here people go up for 7 year sentences and are out stealing more cars in 3 months. There is very little truth in sentencing, except in cases where a particular crime makes someone ineligible for parole.
Apparently they consider the question wholly disingenuous and would just dogpile you for being a chud in their eyes, kinda like what happens if you misstep on here hehI've interacted with a lot of people like that on Bluesky. They don't want to answer that question because it would potentially undermine a lot of things that they stand for.
just once, I'd love to get an honest answer from these people what we do about murderers, rapists, and torturers.Bad people don't exist. People who do bad things exist.
Not "How DARE you ASK me about that?!"
Not "But few of them serve in prison ANYWAY!"
Not "We're trying to fundamntally transform society!"
just an acknowledgment "bad people exist, how do we deal with that?"
So this woman has been in prison since 2004 and managed to maintain an active drug and/or alcohol addiction for nearly 11 years?
Yeah, I like the idea of being able to rehabilitate everyone but just the idea. Realistically it isn't feasible as some people cannot be rehabilitated and the nature of some crimes don't warrant giving that person a chance to do it again.
Bad people don't exist. People who do bad things exist.
My cousin's fresh out of a T20 law school. He said a solid amount ("like a quarter or a third") of his classmates believe in abolishing incarceration entirely. As in, only doing rehabilitation and community service etc. Pretty interesting.i'm very much of the opinion our legal system is busted, that we've got to many people serving long sentences for some very dumb shit. but the idea that abolishing incarceration is even a thing is mind numbingly stupid. there are plenty of people that absolutely need to be separated from the rest of society for their actions.
So this woman has been in prison since 2004 and managed to maintain an active drug and/or alcohol addiction for nearly 11 years?That's not uncommon at all. Prisons are rife with contraband, whether that's smuggled in via visitors, brought in by corrupt guards, or even homebrewed. You're not going to find a dry/clean prison yard anywhere in the US.
Bad people don't exist. People who do bad things exist.That's splitting a fine hair. If a person does bad things, keeps doing bad things, won't stop doing bad things, and is all around just making society a worse place to be and victimizing Innocents, then they don't need to be part of society. Call them whatever you want.
One of my cases at work involved a pair of affluent individuals who pimped out children.They did very bad things.
They're bad people.
One of the prison abolition advocate leaders came up with "Empathy Ceremonies" and you cannot tell me some of these people weren't invented by private prison owners to discredit the movement.Do these prison abolitionists not have empathy for actual victims of horrendous crimes? It's one thing to empathize with prisoners who've been incarcerated unjustly, but I believe they need to purposely exclude those who've committed unforgiveable crimes.
I will say I am anti-death penalty. Mostly because I am of the opinion that one wrongful execution is one too many no matter how many deserving get put to death in response. Unless we can eliminate wrongful execution entirely I'll always be anti-death penalty. But some people do, absolutely, deserve to rot in prison.
My cousin's fresh out of a T20 law school. He said a solid amount ("like a quarter or a third") of his classmates believe in abolishing incarceration entirely. As in, only doing rehabilitation and community service etc. Pretty interesting.
On the one hand, I dislike politicians sticking their thumbs on the scales of justice. The entire reason why we have parole boards in the first place is so that they can take a cold, dispassionate look at the incarcerated and make the decision, free from political considerations or other outside factors, as to whether or not they deserve parole.That's pretty much my exact view on the subject.
On the other hand, given the extremely heinous nature of the crime, I can't say I'm all that bothered about this woman having to stay in prison.
If you this kind of shit you should never be let out of prison.
Bad people don't exist. People who do bad things exist.
Bad people don't exist. People who do bad things exist.
My cousin's fresh out of a T20 law school. He said a solid amount ("like a quarter or a third") of his classmates believe in abolishing incarceration entirely. As in, only doing rehabilitation and community service etc. Pretty interesting.
One of my cases at work involved a pair of affluent individuals who pimped out children.
They're bad people.
Ehhh. Some people have disorders you can't really treat and are psychopaths. Like they just don't value human life at all and are strictly amoral.
Psychopaths with Anti-social personality disorder aren't just going to go to therapy and just change their minds.