This week's blog is about something horrible.
I must have rewritten it four or five times and still, there is no way mere words can give this subject the solemnity and justice it deserves.
But words are all I have.
I want to tell you about something terrible that happened in Bob's family...and thus in my family.
In 1983 Bob's grandfather was murdered.
At the time Bob's grandfather, Hank, was in his 80's. He was a widower, living alone.
The murderer--John Backo-- was a young man in his 20's who had already run afoul of the law several times.
Mr. Backo went to Hank's house, forced his way inside and, in a fit of rage, beat Hank to death with a metal lamp. And while Mr. Backo would later repeatedly blame alcohol for his actions, he had the presence of mind at the time to wash his hands after murdering Hank, to close the curtains, to take Hank's car keys and money from his pockets, to lock the door and then to back Hank's car out of a narrow driveway as he made his escape.
Witnesses later testified that before Mr. Backo had murdered Hank, he had gone around talking about how much he wanted Hank's car, and how Hank must have money hidden away somewhere.
A year and a half after Hank was murdered, I met Bob. I never got to meet Hank, of course. I only know him through photographs and through family stories...which is a shame. He sounded like a wonderful man.
John Backo did get caught, but not until he had taken Hank's car on a joyride around town, telling everyone he met that Hank had given him the car.
Mr. Backo has been in prison for 28 years, due in large part to the fact that Bob's family attended each parole hearing.
I have attended four parole hearings as Bob's support person.
Bob and his family have attended many more.
Every two to four years, preparing for and attending the parole hearing has been a grisly sort of reunion, family members coming together to try to keep Mr. Backo in prison.
We'd ask friends and family to write letters to the parole board on our behalf.
We'd write letters of our own, trying to find new words to express an old pain that wouldn't go away.
We tried to protect Patrick and Aya for as long as possible. But two years ago they turned on one of our computers and accidentally opened a parole board letter that we had been working on.
And as quickly as that, the pain slipped to another generation.
This year Aya decided to write her own letter to the parole board. It's odd how a feeling of pride in someone can hurt so much at the same time......
So why am I telling you this?
Because four days ago, on December 7th, there was another parole board hearing.
And this time, the man who murdered Bob's grandfather was granted parole.
I think it is safe to say that everyone in the Moorehead family has been dreading this day. In the back of our minds we knew it might happen. I think we were just always hoping it wouldn't.
A big factor contributing to Mr. Backo's release was probably the fairly recent passage of Marsy's Law. Marsy's Law was passed with the intention of providing all victims with rights and due process. However it includes a second stipulation that when considering parole, commissioners can NOT consider the crime itself, regardless of the nature of the crime.
So what did they consider in granting Mr. Backo parole?
They looked at his behavior and conduct while in prison. His efforts at educating himself and learning job skills. His attendance at AA meetings, and the opinions of a medical and psychological review.
And he did well in all these areas.
And because the commissioners can no longer consider Mr. Backo's crime, they could only take into consideration how he did while in prison.
He did well.
So soon he will be free.
But all these things aside, is he still dangerous?
To which I'd need to say: Yes. After 26 years of knowing the Moorehead family, 18 years of officially being a part of it, and four times spent sitting across a parole board table from Mr. Backo, face to face, listening intently to his every word and explanation, I'm not convinced he really grasps the enormity of what he did. 28 years after being imprisoned for murdering an elderly man, he still refuses to talk about the crime itself. He still blames alcohol for his actions. Time and time again, Mr. Backo sat across from us and talked at length about his achievements while in prison, but never responsibly addressed WHY he murdered Hank. Never addressed the terrible legacy his actions created within the Moorehead family.
I'm not convinced, that, if he were desperate enough, he would be able to resist victimizing another elderly person.
He has been granted parole to Sacramento County.
A place we still consider to be home.
At this point, we are going to try to appeal to the Governor of California to repeal the parole.
An integral part of this is for people to write to the Governor to support our plea that Mr. Backo be returned to prison.
I ask you, my friends and family, to consider my request to write or email the Governor on our behalf. I will include necessary information at the bottom of this blog.
Over the years of writing parole board letters--and asking others to write them in support--I have learned something.
I have learned that writing such a letter is a personal decision for anyone considering it.
I won't know whether or not any of you write a letter unless you tell me. If you choose not to write a letter, that is a personal, moral decision on your part which I respect. If you choose to write a letter, that is a personal, moral decision that I will appreciate and will respect. This isn't about losing my friendship or love.
My feelings for each of you won't change regardless of your decision.
I will especially encourage my friends in Sacramento and Davis to consider this issue carefully, as he will be released on parole in Sacramento. If you feel strongly about this, please feel free to pass on my blog to others. The more letters we can send in, the better our chances might be.
Mailing address:
Governor Jerry Brown
c/o State Capitol, Suite 1173
Sacramento CA 95814
You can also send messages or concerns via email on the ca.gov website at
govnews.ca.gov/gov39mail/mail.php.
A traditional letter would have more of an impact, and would allow you to go into more detail, but an email would be appreciated as well.
Please refer your letters/emails to the parolee:
re: John Backo
CDC # D03236
California State Prison-Solano
Until next time....
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