CA District Attorneys Outraged Over Zero Bail Release of Violent Parolee and Murder of Sacramento Woman and Her Dogs

“A “homeless” transient guy out on the streets despite his recent violation of parole, has been arrested for raping and murdering a Sacramento woman in the Land Park neighborhood Friday, killing her dogs and setting her house on fire,” the Globe reported Monday.

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Troy Davis, 51 (aka Troy Davies), a parolee at large, was also let out on zero bail in June for stealing a car, even with his long history of violent crimes, and having recently been in prison for a violent felony.

Tuesday, the 3,500 prosecutors in the California District Attorneys Association confirmed that the suspect accused of the horrific sexual assault and brutal murder of the Sacramento woman on Friday September 3, 2021, was released from prison following felony convictions in 2017 and 2018 for assault with a deadly weapon and robbery, committed more crimes in June, and then was released again because of “zero bail” policies.

The suspect, Troy Davis, was charged Tuesday by the Sacramento County District Attorney’s Office with sexually assaulting and murdering the victim, killing her two dogs, and setting fire to her home in the Land Park neighborhood of Sacramento.

“He was released on ‘zero bail’ after committing a new felony despite having prior convictions and prison time for multiple violent felonies,” Yolo County District Attorney Jeff Reiseg posted on Facebook. “Shortly thereafter, he randomly targeted a woman in her home, raped her, killed her two dogs, murdered her and lit her house on fire. This horrific crime could have been avoided. He should have never been released on zero bail. Bail reform is appropriate as long as judges always have discretion to hold violent criminals in custody. When ‘reforms’ go too far, this is the nightmare. God rest her soul.”

“None of these appalling crimes would likely have occurred had this person been behind bars where he belonged,” said Vern Pierson, president of CDAA. Pierson said the shocking murder was just the most recent example why the Legislature should reject Senate Bill 262, an overhaul of the state’s bail system, scheduled for a vote on the Assembly floor later this week.

These are the consequences of the zero bail movement and the consequences of defunding police, a member of law enforcement told the Globe.

Zero bail was rejected by California voters in 2020, but introduced as legislation in January 2021 by Sen. Bob Hertzberg (D-Los Angeles) as Senate Bill 262, ironically named the “Safe and Resilient Communities Act.”

“While CDAA remains committed to sensible bail reform, SB 262 is a fatally flawed measure,” Pierson said. “We had worked with Senator Hertzberg in the hopes of crafting a measure that would not sacrifice public safety in trying to create a better bail system. Unfortunately, this bill utterly fails to achieve that goal.”

Among the many deficiencies CDAA identified in SB 262 is language creating an “ability to pay” provision that would allow those with substantial financial resources to be eligible for “zero bail” simply by claiming that bail would be a hardship—without any verification of their finances, the CDAA press statement said. “Worse, the bill would allow an offender with one or more prior convictions for felony offenses, no matter how recent those convictions, to be eligible for zero bail.”

“You could drive a semi-truck through the loopholes in SB 262—all of which will put more dangerous criminals back on our streets. It’s past time for our elected representatives to put the rights and protection of law-abiding Californians ahead of reckless, so-called reforms like those contained in this bill,” Pierson said.

You can read the Globe’s reporting on “Transient Parolee Sexually Assaults, Murders Woman, Kills Her Dogs before Lighting Sacramento Home on Fire,” here.