Modesto man denied parole in 1989 murder

MODESTO -- A Modesto man convicted in a 1989 murder-for-hire case was found unsuitable for parole, Stanislaus County District Attorney Birgit Fladager said in a news release.

Just prior to his scheduled parole hearing in Corcoran, Mendonca waived his right to the hearing, and to any further hearings in the next five years.

Mendonca, Brian Seaborne and Dennis Lawley were convicted in the shooting death of Kenneth Lawton Stewart, whose body was found on West Keyes Road Jan. 22, 1989.

Mendonca said Lawley solicited the murder because Stewart had robbed him of $3,500. According to the district attorney’s office, Mendonca admitted to a cellmate that he and Seaborne each fired a bullet into Stewart.

Mendonca, who was previously denied parole in 2007, will be scheduled for another parole hearing in 2018.