After being denied six times, Modesto convicted killer granted parole
After being denied parole six times, 70-year-old convicted killer Leopoldo Navarette Canedo was granted his release by the Parole Board, according to Stanislaus County District Attorney Birgit Fladager.
Canedo, a Modesto resident, was convicted of second-degree murder and received a life sentence in 1985 after shooting and killing Ernesto Morales at the former Sea Breeze Hotel on South Ninth Street over a dispute over money Canedo said he was owed.
Canedo, a drug user and seller, also robbed two teenagers along with a co-defendant earlier that day. He told them he would kill them if they reported it to police.
Stanislaus County Deputy District Attorney John Goold appeared at the hearing at the Sierra Conservation Center in Tuolumne County and argued against Canedo’s release. He argued that Canedo minimized his conduct, had no plans when released and posted a “moderate risk of violence.”
The Board said Canedo’s “advanced age and lack of any rule violations for the last 13 years” reduced the probability of him returning to prison and supported releasing him. Canedo also has a deportation order in place, which may result in him returning to Mexico.
The Board deliberated for 15 minutes before granting Canedo parole.
Separately, Shawn Ramon Anderson, a 38-year-old Modesto resident, was denied parole.
Beginning in April 2002, Anderson attacked and sexually assaulted five women in Stanislaus County and pleaded guilty to two counts of rape and two counts of sexual battery on May 29, 2007.
He received a 14-year prison sentence but received another four years after being convicted in 2014 for attempting to bring drugs and a cellphone into prison.
This story was originally published August 7, 2020 at 5:00 AM.
