Richard Dean Morris, 51, formerly of Ceres, was found unsuitable for parole at a Feb. 26 hearing of the State Board of Parole Hearings at the California Men's Colony in San Luis Obispo, Stanislaus County District Attorney Birgit Fladager announced Friday.
Morris was convicted in 1985 of first-degree murder and is serving a 25-years-to-life prison sentence.
This is Morris' first time to be considered for parole. Deputy District Attorney Jeff Mangar argued against parole based on Morris' continued dangerousness and his deceptive answers during the hearing. The board agreed and denied parole.
In 1985, Richard Morris and his brother, Robert Morris, strangled to death their sister-in-law, Cindy Morris, who was married to their other brother, Randall Morris, as a result of inter-familial conflicts. Richard and his brother, Robert, first tried to give the victim pills to kill her. Then they tried to smother her with a pillow.
When that was unsuccessful, Richard held her down while Robert strangled her.
During the parole hearing, at which Randall Morris appeared and requested the release of his brother, Mangar argued for continued confinement based on the inmate's high risk to reoffend if released back to Stanislaus County.
Richard Morris was found responsible for 16 prison rule violations, including assaulting another inmate, manufacturing alcohol and possession of marijuana.
Mangar stated, "Richard Morris can't be trusted to remain free of disciplinary problems in the community when he can't even do so in the extremely structured environment of state prison."
Morris will be scheduled for another hearing in seven years.
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