A man convicted of manslaughter in 2003 for shooting a passenger in another car on Interstate 380 in San Bruno was denied parole for three years, according to San Mateo County District Attorney Steve Wagstaffe.
The ruling was made after the state’s Board of Parole Hearings stated the man remains a threat to the public, during its April 14 hearing, Wagstaffe said.
John Navarro, 41, committed road rage manslaughter, with accomplice Tito Sedona, 40, when they fired at a victim’s car that honked at them for weaving through traffic, killing passenger Raymond Gardner. The shooting led to a police chase around the Bay Area. A jury convicted the pair in 2005. However, a new trial was granted in 2018 after a judge found the court reporter responsible for notes during the trial was incompetent and had unreliable work, prosecutors previously said.
Thursday’s hearing lasted close to four hours, and the Parole Board was impressed that Navarro had removed himself from a prison gang. Navarro also admitted for the first time that he shot his gun at the victim’s vehicle, Wagstaffe said.
“Ultimately, the board recognized some of those positive strides he has made but believes he still needs a more time with intensive prison programs and remains a danger to the public,” said Wagstaffe, who added, he agrees with the board’s decision.
Navarro received one count of manslaughter and two counts of attempted murder, in 2005, and was sentenced to 30 years and four months in state prison. He will return for another parole hearing in 2026 and his sentence is scheduled to end in 2029.
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