Parole board approves new hearing for man who tortured Tracy teen, pushing back release decision

By Lysée Mitri

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    SACRAMENTO, California (KCRA) — A man convicted in 2010 for the torture and imprisonment of a teenage boy in Tracy will have to wait several more months before finding out if he’ll be set free.

nthony Waiters was granted parole back in March. However, the Board of Parole, after taking a second look at his case, approved on Tuesday what’s called a “rescission hearing.”

According to the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation, “The purpose of a rescission hearing is to evaluate new information or a fundamental error committed by the granting panel that may indicate that a grant of parole was improper.”

That hearing will be scheduled in the next four to six months.

Waiters was sentenced to life in prison for his part in the ongoing abuse of then-16-year-old Kyle Ramirez, who was kept captive in a Tracy home for more than a year until his 2008 escape.

“The chains, the torture, attached to his ankle left lasting deformed injury. The burn wounds took a long time to heal,” said Ralph Perry, who became one of Ramirez’s guardians after he was released from the hospital. “What hasn’t healed is the emotional damage put upon him by his torturer.”

In March, a panel of two parole board members found that Waiters had accepted responsibility for his crimes, participated in improvement programs like anger management and that he was not an unreasonable risk to public safety.

It is a decision the San Joaquin District Attorney’s office is fighting.

“I am gonna ask this board to reconsider and deny Mr. Waiters parole,” Deputy District Attorney Angela Hayes said.

At the DA Office’s request, Gov. Gavin Newsom referred the case back to the full parole board for review. That gave the public the opportunity to weigh in on Tuesday as well.

Rodney Waiters, who spoke on his brother’s behalf, supports his parole.

He said his brother wants to prove he is a better person and has a transition plan.

“My brother has accepted his punishment and, according to your own findings, you said he has shown remorse,” Rodney said.

He accused the DA of fear-mongering,

“[Anthony] is not going to go home scot-free. He’s going to carry this weight with him for the rest of his life,” Rodney said.

Along with Waiters’ family, family of Waiters’ victim also spoke.

“Anthony Waiters enjoyed Kyle’s screams of terror, his pain, his horror, his cries begging and pleading for Anthony to stop,” said Sidney Perry, one of Ramirez’s guardians. “Anthony Waiters never showed mercy.”

Perry pleaded with the board to keep Waiters in prison.

“He should serve every single day of his sentence. He should never be paroled. He should be given the same mercy he gave Kyle,” Pery said.

The parole board had 24 hours to make a decision. The decision can be found here.

Three others involved in the case are also in prison, including a former guardian of the teen and a couple they were living with. Waiters was their next-door neighbor.

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