Twice-convicted murderer Walter Joseph Lewis was scheduled for parole under California's Elderly Parole Act, according to local news.
Lewis, now 76, first stabbed a man to death in 1965, when he was 18, for which he was sentenced to 13 years in prison. He then bludgeoned Robert Chartier to death with a hammer in 1979, according to FOX 11 Los Angeles.
Since 2017, the Chartier family has petitioned the California Parole Board to reconsider Lewis' release.
“On March 14, 1979, less than six months after his release, he was jealous of his aunt, whom he had known in high school, so he killed Robert Chartier by repeatedly hitting him in the head with a hammer. The uncle died six days later. later,” Chartier's nephew Jason Block wrote in a 2017 letter posted on Change.org.
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Since 2017, the Chartier family has petitioned the California Parole Hearings Board to reconsider Lewis' release. (Change.org)
“Because he was only given 15 years to live for killing his uncle Luis. This was definitely a gross injustice by the justice system! If he is released, he will definitely kill again. right.”
Under the state's senior citizen parole law, convicted felons age 50 and older who have spent 20 years in prison are eligible for release. FOX11 reported.
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One of Chartier's relatives, Carla, told FOX 11 the family is “in shock.”
“We are shocked that something like this is happening. We can't believe anyone would approve the release of this man,” she told the outlet. “These were violent murders, not self-defense.”
Walter Joseph Lewis was sent to prison in 1979 for the murder of Robert Chartier. (Getty)
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According to FOX 11, hundreds of inmates have been granted parole under the law passed by the California Legislature in 2018. The agency cited California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation records when it reported that 317 inmates were granted parole in 2020 and 360 were granted parole in 2020. Parole was granted in 2021 and 493 in 2022.
Fox News Digital reached out to the California Board of Parole Hearings and the District Attorney's Office.
