Victim fears for others after California parole board approves release of convicted child predator
A victim of a convicted serial child predator voiced outrage this week after a California parole board approved her attacker's release, saying she does not accept his apology and fears he could harm others if freed.
"I'm disgusted with the fact that they would even believe anything that he would happen to say…" said Amelia, one of the man’s victims. "I don’t believe that people like that change."
The remarks came after the California Board of Parole Hearings found 64-year-old David Allen Funston suitable for parole decades after he was convicted in 1999 of 16 felony counts related to a series of kidnappings and child molestation. He received more than 20 years in prison plus three consecutive terms of 25 years to life.
Funston became eligible for review under the California Elderly Parole Program, which allows inmates who are at least 50 years old and have served 20 years to be considered for early release.
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The decision sparked immediate backlash from victims, law enforcement and state leaders.
California Gov. Gavin Newsom previously referred the case back to the Board of Parole Hearings for additional review after a parole panel approved release, according to FOX40 in Sacramento.
He has asked the board to re-examine its decision once more.
"The Governor asked for [the Board of Parole Hearings] to re-review its decision. The Governor doesn't agree with the outcome," a Newsom spokesperson told the outlet.
Newsom does not have the authority to directly overturn the board’s decision.
Funston’s attorney, Maya Emig, said there is no precedent for the board to revisit the decision, noting that a parole panel approved his release in September and the full board upheld that approval on Feb. 18, according to the Los Angeles Times.
Amelia told "The Ingraham Angle" that Funston's abuse has had lasting consequences on her life, including ongoing trauma and difficulty conceiving.
"I would love to have a child, and this is what this man took from me. And I feel like, personally, that’s very hurtful," she said.
"I have trauma. I don't trust anybody. I don't trust anything."
Amelia voiced concern for her nieces and nephews should Funston return to Sacramento.
"If he gets out, who knows if he'll do it again? I was told that he fantasizes still about children… why would you let this man out? This is what this man is saying. When he gets out, how do you not know if he will continue?"
Amelia also rejected Funston’s expressions of remorse, when he told the parole board he was "disgusted and ashamed" of his past behavior and "truly sorry" for the harm he caused.
"No, I do not, and I will not," she said when asked whether she accepts his apology. "I know that, in the Bible, it says that we should be forgiving to other people, but there are some things that cannot be forgiven."
Former Sacramento County District Attorney Anne Marie Schubert, who helped prosecute the case, called the parole decision "shocking" and "disgusting," blaming Newsom for signing legislation that expanded the existing Elderly Parole Program, which began under a federal court mandate in 2014.
"It's Gavin Newsom that signed the law that's allowing him to be released and without having any exclusion for serial sex offenders," Schubert said, referring to AB 3234 – legislation Newsom signed in 2020 that lowered the time-served requirement from 25 years to 20 and expanded eligibility from 60 to 50.
"Any rational person thinks that a man that has kidnapped seven little kids under the age of 7, done horrific things to them, that fantasizes about children and still continues to fantasize about them [should be kept in prison]. Who thinks that this is a good idea to let this man out when he earned three life terms?"
Schubert echoed calls for the law to be changed, vowing to do "everything in our power" to see the decision reversed.
"We just fired off another letter to the parole board asking them to rescind this. There is legal authority for them to do that… We've asked for him to be deemed a sexually violent predator so he could be civilly committed…." she said.
"At a minimum, we're going to do everything to change this law."
Fox News' Stepheny Price contributed to this report.