1 month ago
3
The shooter who opened fire at Santana High School nearly 25 years ago, killing two students and injuring 13 others, had his sentence of 50 years to life behind bars erased Tuesday — a ruling that sets him up to be released from prison. The district attorney has already appealed.
Charles Andrew “Andy” Williams was 15 years old in March 2001 when he brought 40 rounds of ammunition and a gun to the Santee campus, burst from a bathroom stall and opened fire.
Williams was charged as an adult and pleaded guilty to murder and other charges and allegations.
At issue is the law surrounding lengthy sentences for young offenders. The law changed several years ago to allow anyone sentenced to life without parole for a crime committed as a juvenile to be resentenced. Williams’ attorney argued that case law indicates that handing a 15-year-old a sentence of 50 years to life is essentially sentencing them to life in prison without parole.
After holding a daylong hearing and a review of hundreds of pages of filings, San Diego Superior Court Judge Lisa Rodriguez found Williams met the legal criteria to have his sentence recalled. Part of the criteria included making a showing of rehabilitation, or the potential for it.
Rodriguez noted that the law at the center of the battle doesn’t permit her to consider the seriousness of the offense nor the impact on the victims. If it did, the judge said, “this analysis would be different.”
“This court, irresp...
English (US) ·