High school gunman set to be released from prison as judge OKs resentencing
He pleaded guilty and was sentenced to 50 years to life in prison but is set to be released early, prosecutors say
A high school gunman who killed two students and wounded 13 other people could be set free from prison after a judge ordered he be resentenced.
Charles Williams was 15 years old when he opened fire with his father's revolver at Santana High School in San Diego on March 5, 2001. He pleaded guilty and was sentenced to 50 years to life in prison.
Williams has spent 23 years in prison but the judge's decision Tuesday means Williams' case will be sent to juvenile court.
That is expected to lead to his immediate release from prison without parole supervision or evaluation, according to San Diego County District Attorney Summer Stephan's office.
Prosecutors will challenge the ruling in the appellate court to try to stop his release, the office said.
“As prosecutors, our duty is to ensure justice for victims and protect public safety, and the defendant’s cruel actions in this case continue to warrant the 50-years-to-life sentence that was imposed,” Stephan said.
“At some point our laws must balance the rights of defendants, the rights of victims, and the rights of the community to be safe.”
Williams' attorney did not immediately respond to an email seeking comment.
Williams killed two students, 14-year-old Bryan Zuckor and 17-year-old Randy Gordon. He wounded 11 students and two staff members.
Now 39 years old, he is currently being held at the California Institution for Men in Chino and became eligible for parole in September 2024.
He was denied parole after being deemed an “unreasonable risk to public safety” by a state board, the San Diego Union-Tribune reported. The board also said it was unclear if Williams understood why he committed the shooting.
Williams said in a statement at the time, “I had no right to barge into the lives of my victims, to blame them for my own suffering and the callous choices I made. I had no right to cause the loss of life, pain, terror, confusion, fear, trauma, and financial burden that I caused.
“I am sorry for the physical scars and for the psychological scars I created, and for the lives and families that I ripped a hole in. It is my intention to live a life of service and amends, to honor those I killed and those I harmed, and to put proof behind my words of remorse. I wish so badly that I could undo all the hurt and terror I put you through. With the deepest remorse, I am forever sorry."
Prosecutors say Williams' case has been transferred to juvenile court for a disposition hearing. Due to his age at the time of his shooting, his convictions will be redesignated as juvenile “true findings," after he will be released from prison and potentially placed on juvenile probation, prosecutors said.
Williams was able to petition for resentencing due to a law enacted in 2011 that allowed judges to give juvenile offenders with life without parole sentences a chance to be resentenced.
An appeals court decision in 2022 made those with the “functional equivalent” of life without parole sentences eligible as well.
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