SLO County murderer denied parole in 1999 killing
The California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation denied parole for a convicted San Luis Obispo County murderer Tuesday, according to a news release from the District Attorney’s Office.
Michael Anthony Morgan, now 61, was convicted of the first-degree murder of 36-year-old Angelina Marie Roe in May 1999.
Morgan, who was 39 at the time of the crime, admitted to beating, binding and strangling Roe to death. Construction workers found Roe’s body in a 45-foot excavation site in Atascadero.
At the time he was convicted, he also said he served a previous prison term in Los Angeles County for manufacturing a controlled substance and pleaded no contest to robbery and elder abuse in an unrelated case. He was sentenced to 26 years to life in prison.
In a December 1999 interview with the then Telegram-Tribune, Morgan said he “personally killed” Roe and should receive the death penalty for the crime.
Deputy District Attorney Linda Dunn attended the parole hearing, objecting to Morgan’s release because of the vicious nature of his crime while saying the community would be in imminent danger if he were to be released.
Morgan was denied release on parole for 10 years because he refused to take responsibility for the crime and behaved poorly in prison. He changed his story at the hearing and claimed a co-defendant committed the murder instead of him.
He still can petition for earlier parole eligibility in the future. For a successful petition, he would have to establish a “substantial change in circumstances” to warrant an early review, the release said.
“The impact of this horrific murder on Angelina Roe’s loved ones will never be erased,” District Attorney Dan Dow said in the release. “We are grateful for the Board of Parole Hearings decision to deny this murderer’s request for parole.
John Card, a co-defendant in the case, was convicted of voluntary manslaughter and served seven years in state prison.
This story was originally published March 29, 2022 at 7:17 PM.
