LA mother’s killer sentenced to life after early parole release
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A California man who killed a Los Angeles mother of six after being paroled for a double murder under the juvenile offender statute has been sentenced to life in prison, authorities said Friday.
Darryl Lamar Collins, 55, was found guilty of murdering his girlfriend, Fatima Johnson, a 53-year-old mother of six who was found dead in her home by her daughters on July 4, 2021.
She was found with her wrists and ankles bound with shoelaces and duct tape, her mouth gagged with her underwear, and duct tape placed over her mouth and nose.
Prosecutors said Collins stole Johnson’s cellphone, jewelry and Lexus. Hours after the murder, she pawned two of her necklaces and sold her vehicle for drugs.
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Darryl Lamar Collins, 55, was released early for two counts of murder and was on the loose for less than a year when he killed his girlfriend in Los Angeles. (Getty Images; California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation)
The murder occurred 364 days after he was released from prison for two previous murders.
“Darryl Collins took the lives of three innocent people. Today’s sentencing is not just about punishment. It’s also about protection to make sure this sociopath never walks free again,” said Los Angeles County District Attorney Nathan Hochman. he said.
“This case shows exactly what can happen when a person with a history of extreme violence is released early from prison. We can only hope that three families who have suffered unimaginable losses can find some peace knowing that he will never return to our communities.”
Collins was previously convicted of two counts of murder in 1995 and sentenced to two consecutive 25-year sentences.
But he was released after serving 25 years (half of his sentence) under a parole provision for youthful offenders enacted by state lawmakers in 2017. The law increased the parole limit for young offenders from age 23 to age 25.
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Collins was 24 years old at the time of the two previous murders.
“If the state legislature had not changed the law in 2017, almost 20 years after Collins was sentenced, to raise the age limit for parole for juvenile offenders from 23 to 25, Collins would have been behind bars instead of on the street and could have senselessly and brutally taken the life of another innocent,” Hochman said.
On September 17, 1995, Collins carjacked 28-year-old Derrick Reese, who was driving a pay phone. After retrieving the vehicle, Collins backed up and shot Reese at least twice, killing him.
Eleven days later, Collins attempted to rob a diner where 44-year-old Thomas Weiss worked as a cashier. Collins held Weiss at gunpoint and fatally shot Weiss in the face.
On January 15, 1998, Collins was sentenced to 50 years to life in prison.
Gregory Vogelsang, 57, was granted parole by the California Parole Board despite his history of child sex crimes. Sacramento County District Attorney Thien Ho spoke against the decision Thursday. (Sacramentio County Sheriff’s Office)
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The California Parole Board has come under intense scrutiny in recent weeks after finding that two convicted serial child rapists — David Funston and Gregory Vogelsang — were eligible for early release; but at least one admitted to still fantasizing about children.
U.S. Rep. Kevin Kiley, I-Calif., called for a review of the board’s decisions and a review of state early release laws, citing Collins’ criminal history.
“California’s reckless laws and out-of-control Parole Board are causing our citizens to be murdered,” Kiley wrote to X.
Fox News Digital reached out to the Parole Board.
