BAKERSFIELD, Calif.(KBAK/KBFX) — A 65-year-old convicted murderer was denied parole by the California Board of Parole Hearings (BPH) last month after they found he continues to pose a current and unreasonable risk to public safety, said the Kern County District Attorney’s Office.
Orlando Sandoval, then 18, on May 19, 1979, entered a Stop ‘N Go market in Oxnard to rob the clerk. Sandoval, armed with a .22 caliber pistol, confronted the clerk, Aloysius Wieczorek.
The incident escalated, and Sandoval shot Wieczorek in the chest, puncturing both of his lungs, killing him, said prosecutors. Sandoval was arrested and convicted of first-degree murder in Ventura County. He was sentenced to 25 years to life in prison.
Sanodval’s behavior continued in prison – in 1998, while serving his life term at the California Correctional Institution (CCI) in Tehachapi, he was convicted of possession of a controlled substance in prison.
California Correctional Institution in Tehachapi KBAK/KBFX
A Kern County Judge sentenced Sandoval to a second sentence of 25 years to life per the “Three Strikes” law.
In Sandoval’s sixth parole hearing on April 16, 2026, the BPH focused heavily on his recent failure to follow the prison’s rules. Sandoval admitted to a chronic failure to take his prescribed mental health medications. He said he was “fed up with the routine” and did not want to wait in line. Commissioners linked this non-compliance to a heightened risk of returning to drug use and possible violence.
Sandoval has served approximately 46 years in prison. Sandoval was initially considered under both Youthful and Elder parole considerations for release, but was denied.
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“Lenient Youthful and Elder Parole laws can allow violent and noncompliant inmates to seek early release, regardless of the seriousness of their offenses. My office will continue to attend these hearings to ensure that violent, life-term inmates serve the time necessary to protect the public,” stated Kern County DA Cynthia Zimmer.