Convicted Napa County Child Molester Denied Parole: DA

NAPA COUNTY, CA — Napa County District Attorney Allison Haley announced that Mark Daigre was denied parole after an Oct. 5 hearing that was held via teleconference before the State of California Board of Parole Hearings.

The denial imposed was for five years, pursuant to Marsy’s Law which was passed by the voters in the November 2008 general election. Daigre stands convicted of the 1999 kidnapping and forced sexual assault of a 13-year-old boy.

According to the DA's Office, on Dec. 30, 1999, "Mr. Daigre saw the boy at a bus stop in Napa and offered to give him a ride home. Mr. Daigre brought him to his house, invited him inside, offered him a beverage, and then strangled the victim until he lost consciousness. Mr. Daigre carried the victim upstairs into a bedroom, bound his hands, gagged him, and blindfolded him. Armed with a knife, he then violently and repeatedly sexually assaulted the child for hours. The victim was eventually permitted to leave the home and immediately sought help."

Investigating officers later found pornographic material under Daigre’s bed which depictured bondage and sexual abuse of children.

Daigre was 33 years old at the time of the assault. Daigre was subsequently found guilty of several felony crimes and special allegations following a court trial in Napa County Superior Court in 2000.

Napa County Superior Court Judge Ronald T. L. Young ultimately sentenced Daigre to 115 years to life in California state prison. Daigre has served 22 years of that sentence. Daigre became eligible for parole this year under California’s Elder Parole Law, which permits parole hearings for many inmates once they serve 20 years and reach age 50.

Daigre does not suffer any conditions which lower his risk for violence, the DA's Office said.

In 1997, Daigre was acquitted of child molestation charges on two different victims by a jury in Sonoma County. According to the Napa County DA's Office, he has since admitted to these crimes, as well as earlier child molestation against additional, unrelated victims.

The Napa County DA's Office sends a representative to every parole hearing for defendants serving a life sentence for a Napa County crime.

Deputy District Attorney Taryn Hunter appeared at the hearing and, according to the DA's Office, "argued against Daigre’s release based on the viciousness of the assault, his continued lack of insight into the events of the crime, his behavior while incarcerated, and the unreasonable danger he presents to the community should he be paroled."

The Board of Parole agreed Daigre continued to pose a threat to public safety and denied his parole for five years.

"Inmate Mark Daigre poses the most chilling kind of threat possible to our community," Hunter said. "I am grateful for the bravery of the victim's family in choosing to participate in this hearing to help ensure that Mr. Daigre never has access to another child."