Governor Newsom denies release of convicted murderer in Dystiny Myers case
SAN LUIS OBISPO COUNTY, Calif. – District Attorney Dan Dow announced Wednesday that Governor Gavin Newsom reversed the decision to release convicted murderer Jason Adam Greenwell on parole.
Greenwell was convicted and sentenced to prison for the 2010 brutal murder of 15-year-old Dystiny Myers, according to the DA's Office.
On Wednesday, Newsom reversed the Parole Board's Nov. 18, 2021, decision to grant Greenwell parole.
I have carefully examined the record for evidence that Mr. Greenwell’s insight and self-awareness have developed sufficiently to minimize his risk factors. Unfortunately, I find that Mr. Greenwell’s discussion of the causative factors for his involvement in the crime indicate gaps in insight that bear on his current risk level.
Mr. Greenwell and his crime partners brutally killed a vulnerable teenaged girl. More than a decade after the crime, however, Mr. Greenwell describes his role in the murder as if he stumbled upon the crime and aimlessly joined in. He admitted to the parole board in 2021 that he left the scene of the crime briefly but chose to return: “I let go, I got up and, uh, stepped back.... And, and as soon as he began hitting her with the bat, I took off…I just, I took off out of the room. And, um, for whatever reason, I went back in the room, I, I don't know why, but I went back into the room...”.
Governor Newsom on reversing the Parole Board's decision to parole convicted murderer Jason Adam Greenwell
To view Newsom's full written decision, click here.
Dow said that while the motive remains murky as to why Greenwell and his four accomplices decided to murder Dystiny, it was apparent they were all heavily involved in the use of methamphetamine.
The trial showed that Dystiny was brutally beaten, taped to a chair, then removed, placed in a bag, thrown in the back of a truck, taken to a remote area, dumped into a shallow grave and set on fire.
Dow said her partially burned remains were discovered by a CalFire employee investigating a reported grass fire.
"I am grateful for Governor Newsom’s decision to reverse the Board of Parole Hearings’ decision," said Dow. "We agree with the Governor’s conclusion that Greenwell currently poses an unreasonable danger to society if released from prison at this time."
For questions, the DA's Office said to contact Assistant District Attorney Eric J. Dobroth at 805-781-5819.
