Merced murderer granted early parole, victim's family hoping for Governor Newsom to repeal

MERCED, Calif. (KFSN) -- It's been 14 years since Diane Reid-Romero's assemblage was recovered successful the backyard excavation of her Merced home, and the symptom remains for her family.

The beloved Peterson Elementary schoolhouse teacher was stabbed to decease successful her chamber by her husband, Rodolfo Romero, portion their 2 sons slept successful different room.

Early past month, Rodolfo Romero was granted an aboriginal parole by the parole committee and destiny present sits with Governor Gavin Newsom.

"This is reliving it each implicit again, knowing that helium tin locomotion escaped aft what he's done," said Sharon Reid, Diane's sister.

Diane's sister says the parole board's determination has brought backmost horrific memories of the murder, and the spread that remains from his sister's loss.

"She had her apparel laid retired the nighttime earlier that she was going to spell to schoolhouse the adjacent day, and the existent fearfulness was knowing that the children who were waiting for her astatine Peterson ne'er got to spot her again," said Reid.

Rodolfo Romero pleaded nary contention to 2nd grade execution successful 2012 and was sentenced to 16 years to beingness successful prison.

He had his archetypal parole proceeding a twelvemonth and a fractional agone and was denied the accidental to spell free.

Then, past period helium was brought backmost for a 2nd hearing, was granted parole, and deemed a debased to mean hazard to the public.

"In this case, the defendant, helium did not person immoderate regularisation violations since 2016. That is thing that they tin consider. They besides said that helium did I judge what they termed it arsenic substantive programming," said Merced County District Attorney Nicole Silveira.

Silvera is arguing against Romero's release.

"We recognize that the committee of probation has their ain standard, but erstwhile idiosyncratic is sentenced to 16 to beingness for a execution of someone, they should service astatine slightest that minimum sentence," said Silveira.

Diane's sister says the parole board's determination has brought backmost horrific memories of the execution and the spread that remains from his sister's loss.

A memorial plot inactive grows astatine Peterson Elementary successful grant of the lasting interaction Diane had.

"There is simply a pupil who didn't person nutrient to eat, and his ma had turned to drugs, and truthful if she wasn't astatine school, helium wouldn't get to eat. The archetypal happening that I thought astir erstwhile she died was that student," says Reid.

Diane's 2 sons chose to alteration their past names, pursuing the incident. And now, some are pursuing successful their mother's footsteps, moving successful education.

Now, arsenic the household waits for the anticipation of her slayer going free, the territory attorney's bureau is looking astatine ways to person Governor Newsom to reverse the determination to assistance parole.

"There is an enactment for our bureau to constitute a missive to the politician urging him to cull it, but it has to beryllium based connected an mistake of instrumentality oregon an mistake of information that occurred astatine the hearing," says Silveira.

"We shouldn't person to beryllium victimized each implicit again. There's a spot for radical who person done what helium has done, and it is not extracurricular successful the wide population. I conscionable privation Governor Gavin Newsom to recognize however important my sister was to this community. My family, and that the punishment does not acceptable the transgression astatine all," says Reid.

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