Charles Andrew “Andy” Williams, the 2001 Santana High School shooter who, as a teenager, killed two students and wounded more than a dozen other victims at the Santee campus, will appear in court Tuesday in a bid to modify his prison sentence, which could result in his release.
Williams was 15 years old when he committed the March 5, 2001, shooting that killed 14-year-old Bryan Zuckor and 17-year-old Randy Gordon. Eleven other students and two school staff members were also wounded.
Williams was sentenced to 50 years to life in state prison, but is expected to argue on Tuesday that under the law, he is eligible for a modification of that sentence.
Prosecutors are expected to argue that re-sentencing is only available to juveniles who have served at least 15 years of a life without parole sentence, making Williams, now 39, ineligible because his sentence provides the possibility of parole.
Should a judge find Williams eligible, his case will be referred to a juvenile court judge for a future disposition hearing — the juvenile court equivalent of a sentencing hearing — and would result in his release from prison.
Outside of Tuesday’s re-sentencing request, the state parole board in 2024 found Williams unsuitable for release following a hearing only afforded to Williams due to his age at the time of the shooting.
Recent changes to state law meant juveniles who receive life sentences became entitled to parole hearings no later than 25 years into their sentences. Though that parole bid was denied, Williams could receive another parole hearing next year.
At the time of the 2024 parole hearing, Williams issued a statement through his attorney that called the shooting “violent and inexcusable.”
His statement continued, “I had no right to barge into the lives of my victims, to blame them for my own suffering and the callous choices I made. I had no right to cause the loss of life, pain, terror, confusion, fear, trauma, and financial burden that I caused. I am sorry for the physical scars and for the psychological scars I created, and for the lives and families that I ripped a hole in. It is my intention to live a life of service and amends, to honor those I killed and those I harmed, and to put proof behind my words of remorse. I wish so badly that I could undo all the hurt and terror I put you through. With the deepest remorse, I am forever sorry.”