Crips gang member shot and killed 16-year-old Robert Castro in 1996
(Woodland, CA) – January 12, 2023 – On January 10, 2023, a two-member panel of the Board of Parole Hearings (BPH) unanimously found 46-year-old Daniel Robinson unsuitable for parole because he still posed an unreasonable risk to public safety.
In 1996, a Yolo County jury found Robinson guilty of second-degree murder for killing 16-year-old Robert Castro in a gang related drive by shooting. At the time of the shooting, Castro was riding his bike in West Sacramento. Robinson and his friends were associated with the 29th Street Crips. Because they felt disrespected by the Broderick Boys, a West Sacramento gang, they decided to get revenge by shooting Castro, even though they had never seen him, didn’t know him, and had no reason to believe he was in a gang. After the jury convicted him of second-degree murder, Robinson was sentenced to 18 years-to-life in state prison.
On December 15, 2021, a two-member panel had found Mr. Robinson suitable for parole. Subsequently, Governor Gavin Newsom reviewed the decision and raised concerns about whether Robinson continued to be a public safety risk, if released. Specifically, Governor Newsom asked the full Board of Parole Hearings to consider information of institutional misconduct, dated March 22, 2022, and additional “confidential information” dated April 19, 2022. Based on the request of the Governor, and the new information, BPH set a “recission” hearing to determine whether the two-member panel made an inappropriate decision at the December 15th hearing. The recission hearing took place on September 16, 2022. At that time, evidence was presented that Robinson illegally possessed a Motorola phone in his cell on March 22, 2022. Additionally, Robinson, with the assistance of his wife, committed EDD fraud and communicated with his wife through texts on the cell phone about this fraud as far back as August 2020. Robinson “received significant fraudulent money” which his wife deposited into his inmate bank account. The three commissioner BPH panel rescinded Robinson’s parole grant finding that there was good cause to rescind his parole grant because of the cell phone violation and EDD fraud.
On January 10, 2023, a parole hearing was conducted remotely and was attended by members of Robert Castro’s family, Robinson, who is at Salinas Valley State Prison, Chief Deputy District Attorney Jonathan Raven, Victim Services Advocate Kenya Salazar Campos, Robinson’s attorney Rosemary Mbelu, and BPH commissioners Troy Taira and Ashley Allred.
Yolo County District Attorney Jeff Reisig expressed his satisfaction of the Board of Parole Hearing’s decision. “Although it was disheartening to see that Mr. Robinson was granted parole in 2021, ultimately, BPH commissioners got it right and made the right decision,” said Reisig. “This was a senseless and horrific gang shooting of 16-year-old boy who was targeted simply because Mr. Robinson and his fellow gang members felt disrespected by the Broderick Boys. Clearly, Mr. Robinson’s very recent violations in prison and the EDD fraud are indicative that he still remains a danger to the public.”
This was Robinson’s fifth parole hearing. His next parole hearing will be scheduled in 2026, unless he is granted an advanced hearing due to changed circumstances.
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