Logo courtesy of the Sacramento County District Attorney's Office

SACRAMENTO COUNTY, CA (MPG) - The Honorable Laurel White sentenced Darnell Erby to life in prison without the possibility of parole on November 7 for the brutal 2022 murder of 77-year-old Pamela May, a North Highlands resident.

On June 17, a jury convicted Erby of first-degree murder with the special circumstance that the murder occurred during a burglary, as well as mutilation and five counts of burglary, with allegations that he was armed with a deadly weapon found true. The jury also determined that Erby had prior strike convictions for residential burglary and that his prior convictions were numerous and increasingly serious.

Evidence showed that Erby acquainted himself with the victim, who lived alone. In the early morning hours of July 15, 2022, he entered her home through a gap in the back fence, bound her face and hands with clothing, and killed her. He stole property and attempted to transfer ownership of the victim’s home into his name. In the following days, Erby returned and dismembered the victim’s body, placing the remains into garbage bags before law enforcement discovered the crime.

At the time of the murder, Erby was on early release from state prison. He had previously been convicted and sentenced in August 2017 in both Placer and Amador Counties to serve over 12 years for multiple offenses. He had a long history of criminal behavior, including eight separate felony convictions and over 20 arrests spanning the past two decades. Both the Placer and Amador County District Attorney’s Offices opposed his early release, citing his repetitive criminal activity and high risk of violence. Erby was denied parole in 2018 and 2020, but was later released under California’s non-violent early release program, despite these warnings.

“Our community deserves to know why this dangerous offender was released,” said Placer County District Attorney Morgan Gire. “These early-release decisions are having deadly impacts, and residents need assurance that violent individuals will not be returned to our streets.”

The Placer County District Attorney’s Office continues to request documentation from the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation (CDCR) regarding the decision to release Erby and what steps are being taken to prevent similar situations in the future.