Parole denied for Modesto man who bludgeoned aunt

A Modesto man who bludgeoned his aunt to death with a roofer’s hammer then buried her in her back yard was denied parole, according to the Stanislaus County District Attorney’s Office.

Arthur Lane Yeary of Modesto was found unsuitable for parole during a hearing Wednesday at San Quentin State Prison.

Deputy District Attorney Brad Nix appeared at the hearing for the Stanislaus County District Attorney’s Office and argued for continued confinement based on the viciousness of the crime and the defendant’s failure to rehabilitate.

The Board of Parole Hearings agreed and denied parole for seven years.

In August 1991, Yeary was sentenced to 26 years to life in state prison following his conviction at jury trial of murder and use of a weapon.

Yeary struck his 69-year-old aunt, Joy Bell Goad, in the head 13 times with a roofer’s hammer and then buried her body in her own back yard because she wanted him to move off of her property after he’d been there two months.

Yeary, who denied his guilt at trial, blamed his actions on his methamphetamine use for four days prior to the murder.

He waived his first parole hearing in 2013.

This story was originally published May 9, 2016 at 6:12 PM with the headline "Parole denied for Modesto man who bludgeoned aunt."