Oceanside Murder Victim's Family Fights To Stop Killer's Parole

OCEANSIDE, CA — On October 16, 2005, Eric Nathaniel Marum brutally murdered his girlfriend, Nicole Crystal Sinkule while she was asleep in her Oceanside apartment. Marum was convicted of 2nd Degree Murder and is serving 16 years to life at Folsom Prison in Sacramento.

At Marum's parole hearing in 2019, he was denied parole and the victim's family says they were told he would not be up for parole for another 5 years. Now, just two and a half years later Marum has been recommended for an early parole hearing, much to the complete shock and distress of the family.

The murder was considered particularly vicious because Marum crushed Nicole's skull with the claw part of a hammer and after striking her at least 13 times he left the hammer in her head.

"We go through hell every time he is up for parole." said Claudia Sinkule, Nicole's mother, "They guaranteed us five more years and now they gave him a recommendation for parole because he did some self-therapy programs like anger management and that got him earlier appeal after only 2.5 years instead of the five years we were told. But there was no remorse."

"They basically centered on what he's done to reform in there and not the brutal murder of my daughter. I couldn't understand that. He was asked, if he could change anything in his life, he said drugs and alcohol and never said Nicole's murder. Drugs or no drugs, he made certain choices that night. He made the choice of which side of the hammer to use and he used the claw end because it was sharper and it would kill her faster. So he knew what he was doing. If he gets parole, any community he settles in, it's going to be their problem. So it's important we get the word out there because it's bigger than our family. We can't let someone like him out for parole because he's not getting it. He's not making the connection of what he did. It's not there."

The Patch reached out to Jennifer Atenza, Public Information Officer for the Oceanside Police, about the potential parole and what support the family is getting from OPD.

"The lead detective on the case, Sergeant Keli Garcia, sent a letter and spoke at the parole hearings on behalf of the family at their request. This murder was a brutal killing. The suspect bludgeoned this young woman to death and intentionally used the claw end of the hammer to do so. Now you have a man who served 16 years who is potentially going to be released out into public. There's some legitimate concern given that as recently as 2019 he was evaluated and it was determined that he was not fit to be released. Now just a few years later he's potentially being released. There are concerns as to how much rehabilitation has actually occurred while he's been incarcerated."

"For the family to have to go through this is like being victimized all over again and is very traumatic for them. I spoke with Nicole's mom yesterday and something like that forever changes the makeup of a family. It never goes away, it never eases over time. They're still suffering the loss."

Patch: According to the Sinkule family, Marum was offered a plea agreement because of concerns that he might use in his defense the high concentration of drugs in his system at the time of the murder. Can you confirm that information and if that might have affected his sentencing?

Atenza: What he was looking at was first-degree murder versus second-degree murder, and he ended up being convicted for second-degree murder as part of that plea deal. For the details behind that agreement, I would have to defer to the DA's office.

Patch: Would it be fair to say that the position of the Oceanside Police Department is that this man should not be released and that the family will be further victimized if he is released early?

Atenza: Absolutely. It's tragic that they're having to fight to keep him incarcerated and relive it all over again. The thought that someone who committed a brutal crime of this nature is potentially being released back out. It's extremely concerning. There was also a history of domestic violence that occurred. There had been a restraining order in place at one point which shows there was a pattern of behavior here. This wasn't an isolated incident that occurred with this man.

We absolutely support the family and are here for them throughout the entire process to have this overturned. We don't ever want to see any kind of a tragedy like this occur in our community again. This was a horrific, horrific loss for the family and the community.

Sergeant Keli Garcia of the Oceanside Police Department has been assisting the family since Nicole was murdered 15 years ago. Her recent letter to the parole board speaks on behalf of the family and Nicole's father Glenn Sinkule.

"It seems like we just had this hearing and the only real thing that's changed is time. I first met Glenn and Claudia on the morning of October 16th, 2005. I met them at their front door. I knew what I was there for would change their life forever. I was the lead Detective on Nicole's murder back in 2005. Over the years I would get to know the Sinkule's and at their request I have shared horrible things with them about the savage murder of Nicole. The following are things Glenn would like you to know."

"Glenn wanted me to share with you that I was a gang officer before I was a crimes of violence detective. I always felt like I could handle most anything. I surprised myself on October 16th and wasn't prepared for what I was about to see. Glenn wanted you to know that as I walked into Nicole's room I saw a young female laying prone on a bed with a full cast on one leg. I would learn later the female was Nicole Sinkule. Glenn wanted you to know that I saw Nicole had blonde hair. The moment I saw her blonde hair I also saw it was soaked with blood but that wasn’t the worst part. Instead, the hammer still embedded deep in Nicole's head is what rattled me and is forever burned in my thoughts."

"in my 25 years of law enforcement, I have been to hundreds of violent crime scenes either as a patrol officer, gang officer, detective and now sergeant. Of all, Nicole's crime scene still is without a doubt one of the most gruesome and disturbing scenes."

"The innocence of his daughter, Nicole, asleep upon being attacked and then the weapon not just lying next to her or left behind in the room but still embedded in her head is something no one should have to witness. I can still hear the gruesome sound when the hammer was removed from Nicole's head. At the autopsy, the doctor stated she counted 13 impacts made by the hammer. Glenn felt the force used to make those impacts was done so violently we could only hope Nicole died on the first strike. Glenn wanted you to know that we learned from the last parole hearing from the inmate that Nicole reared up after the first strike. This led Glenn to believe his daughter woke up during her savage attack. Glenn shared what bothered him to his core is how the inmate talked without emotion about his violent act on Nicole."

"Glenn is enraged and it is hard for him to imagine anyone that committed such a savage attack could be considered “low risk” back in society. Glenn fears the inmate back in society and finding another relationship, losing control and a detective knocking on those parent’s front door to tell them their daughter was murdered. Glenn wanted you to know that he loses sleep over thinking that classes the inmate has taken since the last parole hearing somehow make him more suitable than 2 years ago. Glenn’s concerns are is how do any of the inmate’s classes show he is no longer a threat to another relationship outside of prison walls and in real life scenarios. Glenn says that anyone can sit in a class, read a book, and nod in agreement of how they would like to be when talking to a therapist BUT when faced with real life relationships and they don’t succeed could someone else’s life be taken."

"Glenn shared with me that the inmate’s support system is the same system he had 16 years ago. His family did nothing then to help change him as his life was rapidly deteriorating. So, Glenn would like to know how that same system is somehow supposed to keep him from killing again if his life fails. Glenn wanted you to know that the inmate did not just lose control one night, he had a plan and carried it out without immediate provocation. The provocation the inmate did have was rejection from a female. This type of rejection fuels many domestic violence situations but not all end in a calculated savage murder. Glenn wanted you to know that the inmate’s father was a domestic violence counselor when Nicole was murdered and he could not help his own son then. But somehow now we want to test that same support system and hope it works and no other woman ends up dead."

"Glenn wanted you to know that Nicole was not the inmate’s first domestic violence victim. The inmate had a college girlfriend that he clearly terrorized so much that she refused to talk to detectives or the District Attorney during our murder investigation. In fact, she had her father call detectives to tell them she was too afraid of the inmate to provide a statement. Glenn wanted you to know that he is thankful that this father’s daughter made it out of that relationship alive."

"In closing, Glenn wanted you to know that nothing will bring Nicole back to her family. But Glenn would like you to know that no one should have to live in fear of the inmate abusing a woman again or killing her when he is rejected. Glenn would ask that you deny the inmate’s request to be paroled as there are no guarantees he will not re-offend and there are no guarantees a detective will not have to knock on some innocent family’s door to tell them that their daughter was just murdered."

Since Nicole's murder, her parents started the Nicole Sinkule Foundation to support other families that have been victims of violence.

The Sinkules launched a petition on Change.org pleading with Governor Newsom to reverse the recommendation of convicted murderer Eric Nathaniel Marum for the wellbeing and safety of the community and the victims who still remain fearful of this prisoner.

The petition had 3400 signatures of the initial 5,000 goal as of December 15th.

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