STOCKTON >> The Board of Parole Hearings denied parole for convicted murderer Jeffrey Scott Sargent, now age 67. Senior Lake County Deputy District Attorney John DeChaine attended the lifer hearing at the Department of Corrections California Health Care Facility in Stockton and argued against Sargent’s release.
This was Sargent’s 13th subsequent parole hearing since his conviction in 1978.
Sargent was convicted of first degree murder in the death of 83 year old Gedney Robinson and sentenced to 7 years to life on May 15, 1978. He was sentenced by Superior Court Judge John Golden and was originally prosecuted by previous District Attorney Robert L. Crone, Jr.
His minimum eligible parole date was October 28, 1984.
According to investigation reports by the Lake County Sheriff’s Department, on September 22, 1977, a report was received from Fresno Police that a 1974 Ford belonging to the victim was going to be used in a robbery. When deputies responded to the victim’s small cabin on 2nd avenue in Lucerne, they found the front door broken and Mr. Robinson dead inside.
He had been stabbed multiple times and suffered defensive wounds on his arms. Sargent took a ring off the victim’s finger, $40 from his wallet and his vehicle. Robinson had just returned home the same day from a rock collecting trip to Nevada.
When arrested, Sargent denied any involvement in the murder.
An investigation revealed that Sargent was a career criminal who had just been paroled from prison. He had gone to Lake County two days before the murder to see his wife, who was living near Robinson. Sargent had been using heroin and PCP at the time of the murder.
Some of the stolen property was located in Sargent’s possession, and the investigation revealed that Sargent had lied to investigators about his involvement. Following a mistrial, Sargent pled guilty to 1st degree murder in exchange for a special circumstance allegation being dropped.
At the four hour hearing on August 16, 2017, Sargent stated that he had gone to the victim’s residence, whom he had never met before, and asked the victim to use his telephone. Sargent stated that an argument turned physical outside the victim’s residence, and Sargent stabbed the victim to defend himself.
At the time Sargent was 28 years old and Robinson was 83 years old and had poor eyesight and was hard of hearing.
The evidence collected at the scene contradicts Sargent’s version of the event, instead suggesting that Sargent broke into the elderly victim’s home and stabbed him to death in his bed, where he was later found by law enforcement.
DeChaine asked the Board of Prison Hearings to deny Sargent’s parole on the ground that he still presented an unreasonable risk of danger to the public if released, and that Sargent failed to accept responsibility for his conduct, which showed his lack of insight into the crime and the triggers that led to Sargent’s homicidal act. Robinson’s niece, his only living relative, also attended the hearing with her husband to ask the parole commissioners to deny parole.
The Board of Prison Hearings determined that Sargent still presents too great of a risk of danger to the public if released and denied parole. The presiding Commissioner noted, among other things, that Sargent was evasive in his answers at the hearing, continues to show no empathy for the victim’s family, and that his parole plan was simplistic and could be a recipe for disaster. Other significant factors included the determination that Sargent has yet to learn the skills necessary to overcome his anger and substance abuse issues.
Sargent’s next parole hearing will be in 3 years.
