LA mother’s killer sentenced to life following early parole release

A California man who killed a Los Angeles mother of six less than a year after being paroled for a double murder under a youthful offender law was sentenced to life in prison, authorities said Friday. 

Darryl Lamar Collins, 55, was handed down the sentence for the killing of his girlfriend, Fatima Johnson, a 53-year-old mother of six who was found dead by her daughters in her apartment on July 4, 2021. She was found with her wrists and ankles bound with shoelaces and duct tape and she was gagged with underwear, and duct tape was placed over her mouth and nose. 

Collins stole Johnson’s cell phone, jewelry and her Lexus, prosecutors said. Hours after the murder, he pawned two of her necklaces and sold her vehicle for drugs.

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The killing happened 364 days after he was released from prison for two previous murders. 

“Darryl Collins took three innocent lives. Today’s sentence isn’t just about punishment, it’s also about protection from this sociopath to ensure he will never walk free again,” Los Angeles County District Attorney Nathan Hochman said. “This case shows exactly what can happen when someone with a history of extreme violence is released from prison early. We can only hope that three families who have experienced unimaginable loss find some measure of peace knowing he will never again be back in our communities.” 

Collins had previously been convicted of two separate murders in 1995 and was sentenced to two consecutive terms of 25 years to life.

However, he was released after serving 25 years — half of his sentence — under a youthful offender parole provision enacted by state lawmakers in 2017. The law raised the cutoff for youthful offender parole from age 23 to age 25.

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At the time of the two earlier murders, Collins was 24.  

“Had the state legislature not changed the law in 2017, almost 20 years after Collins’ sentencing, raising the age cutoff from 23 to 25 for youthful offender parole, Collins would have been behind bars rather than on the street and able to senselessly and brutally take another innocent life,” said Hochman. 

On Sept. 17, 1995, Collins carjacked Derrick Reese, 28, who was using a payphone. After taking the vehicle, Collins backed up and shot Reese at least twice, killing him.

Eleven days later, Collins tried to rob a diner where Thomas Weiss, 44, was working as a cashier. Collins held Weiss at gunpoint and fatally shot Weiss in the face.

On January 15, 1998, Collins was sentenced to 50 years to life imprisonment.

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The California Parole Board has come under heavy scrutiny in recent weeks after it found two convicted serial child rapists — David Funston and Gregory Vogelsang – suitable for early release, despite at least one admitting that he still fantasizes about children. 

U.S. Rep. Kevin Kiley, R-Calif., cited Collins’ criminal history while calling for a review of the board’s decisions and state early release laws. 

“California’s reckless laws and runaway Parole Board are getting our citizens killed,” he wrote on X. 

Fox News Digital has reached out to the Parole Board.