A California man who was released early under a youthful offender law after serving time for two murders has been sentenced to life in prison for killing his girlfriend less than a year after his parole, authorities announced Friday.
Darryl Lamar Collins, 55, was convicted for the 2021 murder of Fatima Johnson, a 53-year-old mother of six from Los Angeles. Johnson was found dead in her apartment on July 4, with her wrists and ankles bound and gagged. Collins stole her cell phone, jewelry, and vehicle, pawning two necklaces and selling the Lexus for drugs hours after the killing.
Early release under youthful offender law
Collins had been serving two consecutive 25 years-to-life sentences for double murders committed in 1995. He was convicted of fatally shooting Derrick Reese during a carjacking and killing Thomas Weiss during an attempted robbery. In 2017, California lawmakers raised the age cutoff for youthful offender parole from 23 to 25, allowing Collins—then 24 at the time of the crimes—to qualify for early release after serving 25 years, half his sentence.
Los Angeles County District Attorney Nathan Hochman stated that without the 2017 legislative change, Collins would have remained incarcerated and been unable to commit the third murder. Hochman emphasized the sentence protects the public from Collins, whom he described as a sociopath responsible for three murders.
Criticism of California Parole Board and laws
The case has drawn criticism of the California Parole Board and state early release provisions. U.S. Representative Kevin Kiley referenced Collins’ history in calling for a review of parole board decisions and relevant laws, stating, “California’s reckless laws and runaway Parole Board are getting our citizens killed.”
The Parole Board is also under scrutiny following recent decisions to grant parole to other convicted violent offenders. Fox News Digital reached out to the California Parole Board for comment.
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