Santa Cruz: Man convicted in 1984 murder returned to prison following new offense

The parole of a man convicted of murder in 1984 has been revoked following his arrest on new a charge in Oregon, Santa Cruz County District Attorney Jeffrey Rosell said Friday.

Bay City News Service

SANTA CRUZ — The parole of a man convicted of murder in 1984 has been revoked following his arrest on new a charge in Oregon, Santa Cruz County District Attorney Jeffrey Rosell said Friday.

Gary Randolf Gray was 36 when he was convicted in 1984 in the murder of Raul Lopez, a decorated World War II veteran, after Gray and another man robbed him and then threw him off the San Lorenzo River footbridge.

Over objections by the district attorney, the Board of Parole released Gray from prison to a drug treatment program in February 2018.

Gray left the program after a few months and his location was unknown until he was recently arrested for an offense in Oregon.

Gray was returned to California for a new hearing where his parole was revoked and he was returned to prison.

“Mr. Gray should never have been released. His offense in 1984 was brutal — he robbed the victim of his groceries and then threw him off a bridge, even though the victim was totally cooperative and was begging for his life,” said Assistant District Attorney Charlie Baum, who represented the District Attorney’s Office at the hearing. “He received a life sentence for this heinous crime, and that should have meant life.”

Baum said Gray had no post-release plans or skills, which put him at a high risk to re-offend.

Gray will be eligible for reconsideration of parole in one year.