A California man has been sentenced to life imprisonment after murdering a Los Angeles mother of six, less than a year following his parole for a double murder under a youthful offender statute, officials confirmed on Friday.
Darryl Lamar Collins, aged 55, received the life sentence for the murder of his girlfriend, Fatima Johnson. The 53-year-old mother was discovered dead by her daughters in her apartment on July 4, 2021.
Johnson’s body was found with her wrists and ankles bound by shoelaces and duct tape. She was also gagged with underwear, and duct tape covered her mouth and nose, according to authorities.
After the murder, Collins stole Johnson’s cell phone, jewelry, and Lexus vehicle. Prosecutors revealed that he pawned two of her necklaces and sold her car in exchange for drugs just hours after the crime.
Having previously served time for two separate murders, Collins was out on parole for only 364 days before committing the fatal attack on Johnson.
The killing happened 364 days after he was released from prison for two previous murders.
“Darryl Collins took three innocent lives. Today’s sentence isn’t just about punishment, it’s also about protection from this sociopath to ensure he will never walk free again,” Los Angeles County District Attorney Nathan Hochman said. “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 January 15, 1998, Collins was sentenced to 50 years to life imprisonment.
Gregory Vogelsang, 57, was granted parole by the California Parole Board despite his history of child sex offenses. Sacramento County District Attorney Thien Ho spoke out against the decision on Thursday. (Sacramentio County Sheriff’s Office )
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 that he still fantasizes about children.
U.S. 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,” he wrote on X.
Fox News Digital has reached out to the Parole Board.
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