LOS ANGELES _ California Gov. Jerry Brown denied parole Thursday for the convicted killer and former Mexican Mafia shot-caller Rene "Boxer" Enriquez, marking the third time that the governor has rejected Enriquez's bids for freedom.
In recent years, Enriquez, 55, has disavowed his violent tenure with the Mexican Mafia and become a darling of law enforcement by cooperating with investigators, filming training videos and lecturing at conferences.
Brown commended Enriquez's efforts at self-improvement and noted that prosecutors have praised his help, but ultimately decided Enriquez remains unsuitable for release.
"Mr. Enriquez is personally responsible for an immeasurable amount of death and destruction," Brown wrote in his decision. "I still do not believe that he has shown an adequate understanding of why he was so willing to devote himself to brutality and gang leadership."
Enriquez is serving life in Ironwood State Prison, about 100 miles east of Palm Springs, for two murders committed in 1989. He ordered the killing of Cynthia Gavaldon, a drug dealer whom he believed was stealing from him. He also killed another Mexican Mafia member by injecting him with heroin, then shooting him five times in the back of the head.
His criminal history also includes jailhouse attacks on other inmates _ including his admission to raping a fellow inmate _ along with drug sales, burglary and 23 counts of robbery.
In January 2015, Enriquez's unusually close relationship to law enforcement became the subject of controversy after the Los Angeles Police Department ushered him to a downtown L.A. event where he spoke privately to business leaders. The extensive security for the event was covered by tax dollars, although the organizers offered to reimburse the city after the event was covered by the Los Angeles Times and other media.
