DeMaio Slams “Outrageously Flawed” Ruling by San Diego County Judge to Provide Early Release for Santana High School Mass Shooter
CA State Assemblymember Carl DeMaio is taking action in the wake of a judge’s decision to grant a resentencing hearing for Andy Williams, the gunman responsible for the 2001 mass shooting at Santana High School.
The judge’s decision sends Williams’ case back to juvenile court under laws that allow certain offenders who committed crimes as minors to seek resentencing after serving lengthy prison terms. DeMaio is responding by introducing a bill closing this “absurd” loophole.
In March 2001, Williams murdered two students and wounded thirteen others in one of the deadliest school shootings in California history.
“This ruling reopens wounds that never fully heal for the victims, their families, and the Santana High community,” said DeMaio. “This was an act of mass violence carried out at a school—and the punishment should reflect the gravity of that crime, not be reduced through absurd and offensive legal tricks and loopholes in the law,” DeMaio lamented.
Prosecutors from the San Diego County District Attorney’s Office have appealed the ruling, arguing Williams is not legally eligible and pointing to the parole board’s 2024 decision denying his release after determining he lacked insight into what drove his violent actions.
DeMaio warned that this case exposes a serious flaw in California’s sentencing laws.
“Had the Santana shooting occurred today, a fifteen-year-old school shooter—even one convicted of murder—would likely be prosecuted as a juvenile and could not be held in custody beyond approximately age twenty-five,” DeMaio said. “That is a chilling reality for parents, students, and teachers across California.”
DeMaio announced he is developing legislation to ensure that individuals who commit school shootings and similar mass-casualty crimes are explicitly excluded from juvenile resentencing laws.
“School shootings are not impulsive mistakes—they are acts of terror,” DeMaio said. “California’s laws should draw a bright line: if you commit mass violence in a school, you should never be eligible for resentencing designed for lesser offenses.”
DeMaio praised prosecutors for appealing the decision and urged the appellate court to reverse the ruling.
“Justice for the victims means accountability that does not fade with time,” DeMaio said. “Our laws must protect innocent lives first—and I will continue fighting to make sure they do.”