Parole denied for Modesto man convicted of attempted murder

A Modesto man in prison for slashing another man’s face after an argument has been found unsuitable for parole.

Arvind Vyas Gopal on Oct. 2, 2003 was found guilty of attempted murder with premeditation, mayhem, assault with a deadly weapon and threatening to commit a crime. The following year, he was sentenced to 12 years to life in prison.

Senior Deputy District Attorney Elaine Casillas appeared at the hearing and argued for continued confinement, saying Gopal continues to pose an unreasonable danger to safety.

During the March 4 parole hearing, Gopal said he had not attended any domestic violence counseling or classes in prison, because he has “just been lazy,” according to prosecutors.

The board determined that Gopal should remain at California State Prison, Solano for another five years before he is eligible for parole again.

The knife attack on Sailesh Narayan occurred June 10, 2003. Gopal slashed Narayan twice with the knife on the side of his head. Narayan ran away with Gopal chasing him and yelling, “I’m going to kill you,” prosecutors said.

Narayan called 911 and suffered cuts on his nose, face and temple.

This story was originally published March 25, 2015 at 1:25 PM with the headline "Parole denied for Modesto man convicted of attempted murder."