A California resident has been handed a life sentence for the murder of a Los Angeles woman, a crime committed less than a year after he was released on parole following a double homicide conviction under a youthful offender statute, officials announced on Friday.
Darryl Lamar Collins, aged 55, was sentenced for the tragic death of his girlfriend, Fatima Johnson. The 53-year-old mother of six was discovered lifeless by her daughters inside her apartment on July 4, 2021.
Johnson’s body was found with her hands and feet bound by shoelaces and duct tape, her mouth and nose sealed with duct tape, and her mouth gagged with underwear.
Prosecutors revealed that Collins had stolen Johnson’s mobile phone, jewelry, and Lexus. Shortly after committing the crime, he pawned two of her necklaces and sold her car in exchange for drugs.
The murder took place just one day shy of a year after Collins was released from prison for two prior murders.
“Darryl Collins has taken three innocent lives. Today’s verdict is not only about justice but also ensuring public safety by preventing this sociopath from ever being free again,” stated Los Angeles County District Attorney Nathan Hochman.
“This case shows exactly what can happen when someone with a history of extreme violence is released from prison early. We can only hope that three families who have experienced unimaginable loss find some measure of peace knowing he will never again be back in our communities.”
Collins had previously been convicted of two separate murders in 1995 and was sentenced to two consecutive terms of 25 years to life.
However, he was released after serving 25 years — half of his sentence — under a youthful offender parole provision enacted by state lawmakers in 2017. The law raised the cutoff for youthful offender parole from age 23 to age 25.
At the time of the two earlier murders, Collins was 24.
“Had the state legislature not changed the law in 2017, almost 20 years after Collins’ sentencing, raising the age cutoff from 23 to 25 for youthful offender parole, Collins would have been behind bars rather than on the street and able to senselessly and brutally take another innocent life,” said Hochman.
On Sept. 17, 1995, Collins carjacked Derrick Reese, 28, who was using a payphone. After taking the vehicle, Collins backed up and shot Reese at least twice, killing him.
Eleven days later, Collins tried to rob a diner where Thomas Weiss, 44, was working as a cashier. Collins held Weiss at gunpoint and fatally shot Weiss in the face.
On Jan. 15, 1998, Collins was sentenced to 50 years to life imprisonment.
The California Parole Board has come under heavy scrutiny in recent weeks after it found two convicted serial child rapists — David Funston and Gregory Vogelsang — suitable for early release despite at least one admitting he still fantasizes about children.
US Rep. Kevin Kiley, I-Calif., cited Collins’ criminal history while calling for a review of the board’s decisions and state early release laws.
“California’s reckless laws and runaway Parole Board are getting our citizens killed,” Kiley wrote on X.
Fox News Digital has reached out to the Parole Board.
