{"id":2582241,"date":"2026-03-20T16:50:00","date_gmt":"2026-03-20T20:50:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/convicted-killer-commits-another-brutal-murder-less-than-a-year-after-california-let-him-out-on-parole\/"},"modified":"2026-03-20T16:52:57","modified_gmt":"2026-03-20T20:52:57","slug":"convicted-killer-commits-another-brutal-murder-less-than-a-year-after-california-let-him-out-on-parole","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/convicted-killer-commits-another-brutal-murder-less-than-a-year-after-california-let-him-out-on-parole\/","title":{"rendered":"Convicted Killer Commits Another Brutal Murder Less Than a Year After California Let Him Out on Parole"},"content":{"rendered":"<aside class=\"mashsb-container mashsb-main mashsb-stretched\"><div class=\"mashsb-box\"><div class=\"mashsb-count mash-medium\" style=\"&quot;\"><div class=\"counts mashsbcount\">34<\/div><span class=\"mashsb-sharetext\">SHARES<\/span><\/div><div class=\"mashsb-buttons\"><a class=\"mashicon-facebook mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservativenewsdaily.net%2Fbreaking-news%2Fconvicted-killer-commits-another-brutal-murder-less-than-a-year-after-california-let-him-out-on-parole%2F\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Facebook<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-twitter mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?text=&amp;url=https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=2582241&amp;via=ConservNewsDly\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Twitter<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-subscribe mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"#\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Subscribe<\/span><\/a><div class=\"onoffswitch2 mash-medium mashsb-noshadow\" style=\"display:none\"><\/div><\/div>\n            <\/div>\n                <div style=\"clear:both\"><\/div><\/aside>\n            <!-- Share buttons by mashshare.net - Version: 4.0.47--><p>An article argues that California\u2019s parole policies, including youthful-offender releases adn the Elderly Parole Program, may <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/john-r-lott-jr-bidens-political-biases-on-crime-in-his-sotu-endanger-public-safety\/\" title=\"John R. Lott, Jr.: Biden&#039;s Political Biases on Crime in His SOTU Endanger Public Safety\">endanger public safety<\/a>. It centers on the 2021 murder of Fatima Johnson, a mother of six in South Los Angeles, who was killed by Darryl Lamar Collins after Collins was released from prison less than a year earlier for a 1998 double murder. Collins had received a 50-year sentence, and under California\u2019s <a href=\"https:\/\/amzn.to\/3YuVZYV\" >youthful-offender laws<\/a>, someone who commits a crime at age 24 becomes eligible for parole after 25 years. The Los Angeles County District Attorney Nathan Hochman is quoted criticizing the policy, and Johnson\u2019s family expresses heartbreak and anger that he was released.The piece contrasts this case with othre coverage of early releases, including a 64-year-old man, David Allen funston, approved for release through the Elderly Parole Program despite ongoing charges, drawing broader condemnation from outlets like Fox News. Critics contend that California\u2019s parole system sends a perilous message to criminals and fails to protect victims.Collins\u2019s sentencing is reportedly scheduled, and Johnson\u2019s relatives say someone must be held accountable for her death.  <\/p>\n<p class=\"readmore\">\n    <button onclick=\"showReadMore()\" id=\"readmorebtn\">Read more&#8230;<\/button>\n<\/p>\n<hr id=\"line\">\n<span id=\"more\"><\/p>\n<p><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><\/p>\n<section> \t\t\t\t<script>console.log(\"ad slot (AC1)\")<\/script><script>console.log(\"ad slot (IC1)\")<\/script><script>console.log(\"ad slot (IC2)\")<\/script><script>console.log(\"ad slot (IC3)\")<\/script><script>console.log(\"ad slot (IC4)\")<\/script><\/p>\n<p>Mercy to the guilty is cruelty to the innocent.<\/p>\n<p>California released a man convicted of double murder only for him to kill again. <a href=\"https:\/\/ktla.com\/news\/local-news\/convicted-double-murderer-out-on-parole-kills-south-l-a-mother-of-six\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">KTLA<\/a>&nbsp;reported Thursday that 53-year-old Fatima Johnson was found dead in her apartment on July 4, 2021.<\/p>\n<p>The mother of six made family and friends worried when she did not come into work and stopped answering texts. Johnson was found choked or smothered to death with her hands tied and her body wrapped in a blanket.<\/p>\n<p>Investigators identified Darryl Lamar Collins as the culprit. He had only been out of prison for less than a year at the time.<\/p>\n<p>Collins killed two people in 1998 and was handed a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/bernie-madoffs-sister-and-husband-dead-in-possible-murder-suicide\/\" title=\"Bernie Madoff\u2019s Sister and Husband Dead in Possible Murder-Suicide\">50-year prison sentence<\/a>. That in itself is outrageous, as someone who unjustly takes a life should never have the chance to see freedom again.<\/p>\n<p> <script type=\"text\/javascript\"> \t\t\tif ( getCookie( \"ff_subbed\" ) ) { \t\t\t\tdocument.getElementById(\"anyclipvideo\").remove() \t\t\t} else { \t\t\t\tdocument.addEventListener(\"DOMContentLoaded\", function() { \t\t\t\t\tfunction loadAnyclip() { \t\t\t\t\t\tconst container=document.getElementById(\"anyclipvideo\"); \t\t\t\t\t\tif (!container) return;  \t\t\t\t\t\tconst script=document.createElement(\"script\"); \t\t\t\t\t\tscript.src=\"https:\/\/player.anyclip.com\/anyclip-widget\/lre-widget\/prod\/v1\/src\/lre.js\"; \t\t\t\t\t\tscript.setAttribute(\"pubname\", \"westernjournalcom\"); \t\t\t\t\t\tscript.setAttribute(\"widgetname\", \"001w000001jULVcAAO_M12924\");  \t\t\t\t\t\t\/\/ append inside the container so player shows in correct spot \t\t\t\t\t\tcontainer.appendChild(script); \t\t\t\t\t} \t\t\t\t\tfunction findPreviousParagraph(selector, x) { \t\t\t\t\t\tconst targetElement=document.querySelector(selector); \t\t\t\t\t\tif (!targetElement) { \t\t\t\t\t\t\tconsole.warn(\"Target element not found.\"); \t\t\t\t\t\t\treturn null; \t\t\t\t\t\t}  \t\t\t\t\t\t\/\/ Get all <\/p>\n<p> elements in order as they appear in the document \t\t\t\t\t\tlet paragraphs=Array.from(document.querySelectorAll(\"p\"));  \t\t\t\t\t\t\/\/ Find the index of the last <\/p>\n<p> before the target element \t\t\t\t\t\tlet targetIndex=paragraphs.findIndex(p=> p.compareDocumentPosition(targetElement) & Node.DOCUMENT_POSITION_PRECEDING);  \t\t\t\t\t\tif (targetIndex===-1 || targetIndex <x) { \t\t\t\t\t\t\tconsole.warn(\"Not enough paragraphs before the target element.\"); \t\t\t\t\t\t\treturn null; \t\t\t\t\t\t}  \t\t\t\t\t\treturn paragraphs[targetIndex - x]; \t\t\t\t\t}  \t\t\t\t\t\/\/ Set up IntersectionObserver \t\t\t\t\tfunction observeElement(element) { \t\t\t\t\t\tif (!element) return;  \t\t\t\t\t\tconst observer=new IntersectionObserver( \t\t\t\t\t\t\t(entries)=> { \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tentries.forEach(entry=> { \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tif (entry.isIntersecting) { \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tconsole.log(\"Paragraph is now visible:\", entry.target.textContent.trim()); \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tloadAnyclip(); \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tobserver.disconnect(); \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t} \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t}); \t\t\t\t\t\t\t}, \t\t\t\t\t\t\t{ threshold: 0.5 } \/\/ Adjust threshold as needed \t\t\t\t\t\t);  \t\t\t\t\t\tobserver.observe(element); \t\t\t\t\t}  \t\t\t\t\t\/\/ Find the 1st paragraph before #anyclipvideo and observe it \t\t\t\t\tlet paragraphToObserve=findPreviousParagraph(\"#anyclipvideo\", 2); \t\t\t\t\tobserveElement(paragraphToObserve); \t\t\t\t}); \t\t\t} \t\t<\/script> <\/p>\n<p>The story is made more atrocious when discovering that California has youthful offender laws that allowed Collins to get out early.<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;If you&rsquo;re under the age of 26 years old when you commit the offense &mdash; here, he was 24 years old &mdash; once you serve 25 years, you&rsquo;re eligible for parole,&rdquo; Los Angeles County District Attorney Nathan Hochman told KTLA.<\/p>\n<p>Collins&rsquo; sentencing is scheduled for Friday.<\/p>\n<p>Johnson&rsquo;s family plans to attend. Her cousin, Sharonda Sanders, said &ldquo;It&rsquo;s been a long road.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;We&rsquo;ve been waiting years for this moment,&rdquo; she remarked.<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;He never should&rsquo;ve been out. Someone has to pay for taking her life.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>While some states would make Collins pay after his 1998 double murder with the death penalty, California&rsquo;s legal system is totally backwards.<\/p>\n<p>Fox News correspondent Bill Melugin reposted KTLA&rsquo;s story on social media platform X, referencing another instance of undue compassion to a criminal by California.<\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\">\n<p dir=\"ltr\" lang=\"en\">The California Parole Board got an <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/how-fairfax-countys-sanctuary-policies-led-to-the-murder-of-an-innocent-woman\/\" title=\"How Fairfax County\u2019s sanctuary policies led to the murder of an innocent woman\">innocent person killed<\/a> again.<\/p>\n<p>Who could have ever predicted that a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/after-commuting-his-sentence-ca-gov-newsom-reverses-parole-for-convicted-double-murderer\/\" title=\"After Commuting His Sentence, CA Gov. Newsom Reverses ... For Convicted Double Murderer\">convicted double murderer<\/a> would kill again?<\/p>\n<p>Two weeks ago they also found two serial convicted child rapists suitable for early release, including one who said he still has&hellip; <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/50Uft98PGH\">https:\/\/t.co\/50Uft98PGH<\/a><\/p>\n<p>&mdash; Bill Melugin (@BillMelugin_) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/BillMelugin_\/status\/2035038847734579477?\">March 20, 2026<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p><script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script><\/p>\n<p>In the case referenced above, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.foxnews.com\/us\/disturbing-admissions-serial-child-molester-approved-release-spur-california-lawmakers-act?msockid=3031e98ed77467320848ffd3d6146670\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Fox News<\/a> reported that 64-year-old David Allen Funston &mdash; who admitted to still being attracted to underage girls &mdash; was serving a life sentence for rape, kidnapping, and sexual assault involving eight victims in 1995.<\/p>\n<p>The California Board of Parole Hearings approved his release through the Elderly Parole Program that allows some inmates who have served 20 years to leave prison upon turning 50.<\/p>\n<p>Fox News said the release has been delayed after new charges were submitted relating to a 1996 incident with another child for which Funston pled not guilty.<\/p>\n<p>But that shouldn&rsquo;t distract onlookers from the total idiocy that is this parole program.<\/p>\n<p>Funston admitted he still has disgusting urges, but they were ready to release him. Collins murdered, and went on to murder again.<\/p>\n<p>California is therefore letting every rapist, murderer, and pedophile across the country know that if they plan on breaking the law, California is the state to do it in.<\/p>\n<div style=\"position: relative;\">\n<div class=\"ff-fancy-header-container\"> \t\t\t \t<\/div>\n<div class=\"entry-submit-correction inner-content\">\n<div class=\"correction-form\">\n<form style=\"display: none;\">\n<div class=\"sc-name-field\"> \t\t\t\t\t\t<label>* Name<\/label> \t\t\t\t\t\t<br \/> \t\t\t\t\t\t<input type=\"text\" name=\"name\" required> \t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n<div class=\"sc--field\"> \t\t\t\t\t\t<label>* <\/label> \t\t\t\t\t\t<br \/> \t\t\t\t\t\t<input type=\"text\" name=\"\" required> \t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n<p> \t\t\t\t\t<label>* Message<\/label> \t\t\t\t\t<br \/> \t\t\t\t\t<textarea name=\"message\" required><\/textarea> \t\t\t\t\t \t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n<div class=\"required-message\" style=\"display: none; padding-bottom: 15px;\">* All fields are required.<\/div>\n<p> \t\t\t\t\t<input type=\"submit\" value=\"Submit\" onclick=\"event.preventDefault(); firefly_sc();\"> \t\t\t\t\t \t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n<div class=\"firefly-sc-confirm\" style=\"display: none;\">Success!<\/div>\n<\/p><\/form>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p> \t\t<script> \t\t\tfunction firefly_sc() { \t\t\t\tif( typeof window.captchaPublicKey==typeof undefined ){ \t\t\t\t\tconsole.error('window.captchaPublicKey is not defined'); \t\t\t\t} \t\t\t\tgrecaptcha.execute( window.captchaPublicKey, { action: 'submit_correction' } ).then( function( token ) { \t\t\t\t\tvar opts={ \t\t\t\t\t\taction:    'firefly_sc_submit', \t\t\t\t\t\tname:      document.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction [name=\"name\"]' ).value, \t\t\t\t\t\t:     document.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction [name=\"\"]' ).value, \t\t\t\t\t\tmessage:   document.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction [name=\"message\"]' ).value, \t\t\t\t\t\tpost_id:   firefly_post_id, \t\t\t\t\t\tcap_token: token \t\t\t\t\t}  \t\t\t\t\tvar inputs=[ 'name', '', 'message' ];  \t\t\t\t\tfor( var i=0; i <inputs.length; i++ ) if( ! ( opts[inputs[i]]=document.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction [name=\"' + inputs[i] + '\"]' ).value ) ) { \t\t\t\t\t\tdocument.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction .required-message' ).style.display='block'; \t\t\t\t\t\treturn; \t\t\t\t\t}  \t\t\t\t\tdocument.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction input[type=\"submit\"]' ).style.display='none'; \t\t\t\t\tdocument.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction .firefly-sc-submitting-img' ).src=firefly_loading_gif_url; \t\t\t\t\tdocument.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction .firefly-sc-submitting-img' ).style.display='inline-block';  \t\t\t\t\tconsole.log( 'ma subbing' );  \t\t\t\t\tif( firefly_post_id ) opts['post_id']=firefly_post_id;  \t\t\t\t\t\/* Send the data using post with element id name and name2*\/ \t\t\t\t\tvar posting=jQuery.post( firefly_ajax_url, opts );  \t\t\t\t\t\/* Alerts the results *\/ \t\t\t\t\tposting.done( function( response ) { \t\t\t\t\t\tif( response.success ) { \t\t\t\t\t\t\tconsole.log( response.data ); \t\t\t\t\t\t\tdocument.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction .firefly-sc-submitting-img' ).style.display='none'; \t\t\t\t\t\t\tdocument.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction .firefly-sc-confirm' ).style.display='block';  \t\t\t\t\t\t\tdataLayer.push( { 'event': 'submit-correction' } ); \t\t\t\t\t\t} \t\t\t\t\t}); \t\t\t\t}); \t\t\t} \t\t<\/script> \t     \t\t\t\t\t\t     \t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n<p style=\"border: 1px solid #f5f5f5; padding: 16px;\">Advertise with The Western Journal and reach millions of highly engaged readers, while supporting our work. <a href=\"https:\/\/www.westernjournal.com\/advertise-us\/?wj_source=article\">Advertise Today<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p><script>console.log(\"ad slot (BA1)\")<\/script> \t\t<\/p>\n<div class=\"ff-fancy-header-container\"> \t\t\t \t<\/div>\n<\/section>\n<p><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Mercy toward the guilty is a harm to the innocent. California let a man who was convicted of a double murder go free, and he killed again. KTLA reported that Fatima Johnson, 53, a mother of six, was found dead in her apartment on July 4, 2021, after she didn\u2019t go to work and stopped answering messages. She was discovered to have been choked or suffocated, with her hands bound and her body wrapped in a blanket. Investigators identified Darryl Lamar Collins as the killer; he had been out of prison for less than a year. Collins had killed two people in 1998 and received a 50-year sentence. The account argues that someone who takes a life should not be released, calling the release outrageous.<\/p>\n<p> The piece notes the policy context: California\u2019s youthful-offender laws allowed Collins to be released early, since he was 24 at the time of the offense and would be eligible for parole after serving 25 years. Los Angeles County District Attorney Nathan Hochman told KTLA that the rule is \u201cbackwards.\u201d Collins\u2019s sentencing was scheduled for Friday, and Johnson\u2019s family planned to attend; her cousin Sharonda Sanders said it has been a long road and that he should never have been released, insisting that someone must be held accountable for taking her life. The article contrasts California\u2019s approach with harsher possibilities in other states, implying that the system is misguided.<\/p>\n<p> Fox News broadcaster Bill Melugin shared KTLA\u2019s story on X, linking it to another example of what he called undue leniency toward criminals in California. He cited a separate case in which a convicted double murderer could be released under a parole program, arguing that the California Parole Board again failed public safety. That reference concerned 64-year-old David Allen Funston, who admitted to still being attracted to underage girls and who was serving life for rape, kidnapping, and sexual assault involving eight victims in 1995. The California Board of Parole Hearings approved his release through the Elderly Parole Program, which allows some inmates who have served 20 years to be released when they turn 50. Fox News noted the release was delayed after new charges related to a 1996 incident involving another child were filed, though they argued the broader point is the ineptitude of the parole system. The story suggests that California\u2019s practice sends a message to potential offenders that crime can be rewarded with early freedom.<\/p>\n<p> In short, the piece portrays California\u2019s parole practices as dangerously lenient, arguing that Collins\u2019s case-and other similar releases-signal to rapists, murderers, and pedophiles across the country that breaking the law can be rewarded with early freedom<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":2582242,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mo_disable_npp":"","fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.westernjournal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/Ben-Working-Feature-Image-2026-03-20T152818.269.jpg","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[33651],"tags":[4045,50403,4349,4133,4747],"class_list":["post-2582241","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-the-western-journal","tag-california","tag-crime-2","tag-murder","tag-news","tag-parole"],"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.westernjournal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/Ben-Working-Feature-Image-2026-03-20T152818.269.jpg","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2582241","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2582241"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2582241\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2582245,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2582241\/revisions\/2582245"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2582242"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2582241"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2582241"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2582241"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}