MODESTO (CBS13) — A Modesto antheral convicted successful a brutal treble execution that happened much than 4 decades agone was recovered suitable for parole, the Stanislaus County District Attorney’s Office announced Thursday.
Ronald Ray Anderson, 60, was convicted successful 1979 arsenic an accomplice successful the murders of Phillip and Kathryn Ranzo and sentenced to beingness successful prison. Anderson’s parole proceeding was Wednesday. It was his eleventh parole proceeding and the 2nd clip helium was recovered suitable for parole; He was granted parole successful December 2017 but then-Governor Jerry Brown reversed the decision.
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The bodies of the Ranzos were recovered hogtied successful their location connected June 26, 1979, according to the territory attorney’s office. Phillip Ranzo was recovered successful the garage. He had been beaten successful the caput and stabbed successful the neck. Kathryn Ranzo was recovered successful the bathroom. She had been struck successful the caput aggregate times with an ax, had cuts to her eyes and face, had been sexually assaulted and stabbed successful the neck.
Anderson, on with 3 others — Marty Jackson, Jeffrey Maria and Darren Lee — planned a location penetration robbery of the Ranzo location connected June 25, 1979, owed to the content determination were ample amounts of currency inside, prosecutors said. The program was for Anderson to beryllium the getaway operator portion the different three, equipped with guns and rope, pretended to beryllium retired of state and knocked connected the Ranzo doorway to inquire to usage a phone. The different 3 were recovered to person spoken of their intent to termination the Ranzos.
Maria and Lee returned to the getaway car with envelopes of currency and jewelry. A weapon was besides aboriginal recovered to beryllium missing from the home. Prosecutors said Anderson admitted astatine a erstwhile parole proceeding that helium believed Maria and Lee saw Phillip Ranzo get murdered. Instead of seeking help, Anderson drove the brace distant to information and aboriginal returned to prime up Jackson.
Prosecutors said Anderson maintains helium ne'er went wrong the home, contempt erstwhile grounds indicating helium saw what happened wrong and gaps of unexplained clip successful his story.
In Wednesday’s hearing, prosecutors urged the committee not to assistance parole for Anderson, claiming helium inactive posed a menace to the community. They claimed Anderson did not person capable parole plans, needed further penetration into the relation helium played successful the Ranzos’ murders and helium had antecedently lied astir his engagement successful the crimes.
Just 1 time earlier the murders, Anderson, Lee, Maria and Jackson robbed and assaulted a caretaker, Leonard Luna, of a location successful Newman, prosecutors said. Investigators determined the 4 committed akin crimes arsenic they did to the Ranzos.
Luna was recovered hogtied and and had been beaten successful the caput with a revolver. Multiple guns and weapons were stolen from the location and were utilized during the Ranzos’ murders, prosecutors said. Luna survived.
In erstwhile parole hearings, Anderson reportedly admitted to being the 1 who hogtied Luna, but prosecutors said helium denied the enactment astatine Wednesday’s hearing.
According to the territory attorney’s office, the committee determined Anderson qualified for aged parole, youthful offender considerations and nary longer posed a menace to the public.
Several household members of the victims were astatine Wednesday’s hearing, asking the committee to contradict parole again. At the clip of the murders, the Ranzos’ 10-year-old lad was spending the nighttime astatine his grandmothers
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Now that the committee has granted parole for Anderson, the board’s determination reappraisal portion has 120 days to reappraisal the decision. If approved, Gov. Gavin Newsom has 30 days to reverse, modify oregon fto the determination stand.