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A California man who killed a mother of six in Los Angeles less than a year after being paroled for two counts of murder under the juvenile delinquent law has been sentenced to life in prison, authorities said Friday.
Darryl Lamar Collins, 55, was sentenced for the murder of his girlfriend, Fatima Johnson, a 53-year-old mother of six who was found dead by her daughters in her apartment on July 4, 2021.
Collins stole Johnson’s cell phone, jewelry and his Lexus, prosecutors said. Hours after the murder, he grabbed two of her necklaces and sold her car to get drugs.
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Darryl Lamar Collins, 55, was granted early parole for two separate murders and was free for less than a year when he killed his girlfriend in Los Angeles. (Getty Images; California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation)
The killing took place 364 days after he was released from prison for two previous murders.
“Darryl Collins took three innocent lives. Today’s sentence is not just about punishment, it’s about protecting this sociopath to make sure he never walks free again,” said Los Angeles County District Attorney Nathan Hochman. “This case shows what can happen when someone with a history of extreme violence is released from prison early. We hope that the three families who have suffered an unimaginable loss will find some measure of peace knowing that he will never return to our communities.”
Collins was previously convicted of two separate murders in 1995 and sentenced to two consecutive life sentences of 25 years.
However, he was released after serving 25 years – half of his sentence – under a juvenile parole scheme passed by state attorneys in 2017.
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At the time of the previous two murders, Collins was 24 years old.
“If the state Legislature had not changed the law in 2017, almost 20 years after Collins’ conviction, to increase the 23 to 25 years of youth parole, Collins would be in prison rather than on the streets and able to take another innocent life senselessly and cruelly,” said Hochman.
On September 17, 1995, Collins carjacked Derrick Reese, 28, who was using a payphone. After taking the car, Collins drove back and shot Reese at least twice, killing him.
Eleven days later, Collins attempted to rob a restaurant where Thomas Weiss, 44, worked as a cashier. Collins held Weiss at gunpoint and shot Weiss in the face.
On January 15, 1998, Collins was sentenced to 50 years in prison.
Gregory Vogelsang, 57, has been granted parole by the California Parole Board, despite his history of child sex offenses. Sacramento County Attorney Thien Ho spoke against the decision Thursday. (Sacramento County Sheriff’s Office)
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The California Parole Board has come under scrutiny in recent weeks after finding two convicted multiple child rapists – David Funston and Gregory Vogelsang – eligible for early release, despite at least one admitting that he still dreams of children.
U.S. Rep. Kevin Kiley, R-Calif., cited Collins’ criminal history as he called for a review of the board’s decisions and proposed early release rules.
“California’s reckless laws and runaway Parole Board are killing our citizens,” he wrote in X.
Fox News Digital reached out to the Parole Board.
