Man who kidnapped and buried a bus full of children alive approved for parole

Everyone growing up in CA since has heard that story.

My God, what is America coming to?

What? Ass Clown didn't pardon him?

I have never heard of this story before! Fascinating.

And there was a TV movie with Karl Malden and Julie Walters!

OP could have fleshed out story a bit better.

All the children and even bus driver (IIRC) were able to free themselves from underground ventilated chamber in about 24 hours.

All three young men convicted came from wealthy Bay Area families, with only the one remaining imprisoned.

"Woods was the last of the three men — all of whom came from wealthy Bay Area families — to be freed from prison. James was paroled in 2015 by then-Governor Jerry Brown, and an appeals court ordered Richard's release in 2012."

Nothing takes away from trauma and horror the victims and their families suffered, and may still suffer. But people who have flat out committed manslaughter or lower degree murder have served less time.

California.

From wealthy families. There you go, that is why they are paroled.

There seems to be a huge push in California to let elderly prisoners out on parole or whatever if it can be done. As recent events in NYC clearly show just because someone is over sixty doesn't equal they won't commit crimes again, even violent ones, but working theory still goes on balance such persons are more or less harmless overall.

This guy is from Portola Valley a tony town in the hills above Palo Alto.

He's was 24 then, 70 now. Let him out like the others already. He didn't kill anyone nor did he mean to. Plus the other two were released years ago.

I saw the TV movie as a kid, I had no idea it was based on a real event.

All three were wealthy so why did they do this? It was allegedly for the ransom but surely they didn't need the money.

Then governor Brown simply didn't act on parole board's decision, thus James Schoenfeld was paroled by default.

r10 They were upset because their wealthy parents had not yet turned any sizeable wealth over to them.

The husbear knew a guy who managed one of the parents' properties.

1976 Chowchilla kidnapping for those unfamiliar with story.

Even though all the kidnappers came from well off families (one of them was son of man who owned quarry where bus was buried), they claimed to have debts in excess of what their family would pay.

This seems a common enough reason for scions of wealthy California families to commit horrible crimes. Lord knows it was used as plot device for dozens of crime/detective dramas of 1970's based in that state.

At least one of kidnappers is doing rather well post release in a large part thanks to a generous trust fund.

R8- Also the medical costs of geriatric care.

That is crazy, r14. Looks like the brothers had debts and went into the scheme because of that, but this guy who was the mastermind is currently a millionaire and didn't need the money back then, either.

Judge William Newsom (father of Gavin) who served on appeals court that overturned life without parole sentences originally imposed on kidnapers has become an outspoken force on prison reform.

Yes, people--gov. Newsome and Brown with wealthy fathers in government. Pelosi and Feinstein also millionairresses many times over.

Aristocracy never genuinely ended in CA. It just carried over from the Spanish crown grants days.

Has he found Jesus?

HARRIS, Julie Harris, I meant to say, not Julie Walters!

Yes and good point upthread on the subject of the cost of geriatric care for older incarceration individuals. It's of note to remember that even though them aging does not excuse their crimes and prison punishments, elderly prisoners face the same aging issues as their outside-prison counterparts developing also issues such as dementia, etc., which can often result in them finding themselves in situations where they commit violations or encounter increasing misunderstandings with fellow population prisoners and the prison staff that could result in safety risks or additional punishments for the elder inmates' not necessarily intentional or cognition-impaired comments or actions.

[quote]”Even the settlement paid to some of us survivors was not sufficient. It was enough to pay for some therapy, but not enough to buy a house," Brown Hyde said.

Well, let’s not get greedy, Jennifer. You were only in a bunker for a day!

She was held hostage in a van for 11 hours while she and her classmates pissed and shit themselves. They were buried alive in a metal container with a just a fan for ventilation.

I read a great mystery/thriller novel where this happened, and I had NO IDEA this had actually happened. Wish I could remember the name of the book. The author was a woman. I read three of her books.

This totally happened to me.

[quote] HARRIS, Julie Harris, I meant to say, not Julie Walters!

Was this before or after poor Valene has Bobby and Betsy stolen from her post childbirth?

All three should have been executed

If he was in the Manson cult he'd be staying where he belongs. In prison.

Those three guys have really punchable faces.

creepy. It's crazy.

I probably would’ve looked at it as an adventure, but that’s just me.

r5 / r9 - They didn't survive as a result of their attackers' change of heart or because the attackers never meant to kill them. People committing worse crimes and getting less time is NOT a reason to let him out early -- the people that were let out early for 'worse' crimes should have done MORE time.

r27 - Bingo! This was an attempt to mass murder children that only failed because of sheer luck. You can avoid elder care expenses for people who commit particularly despicable crimes like this (e.g., Jared Loughner, etc.) by putting them down after conviction.

The survivors need to go after any income these savages are getting. They shouldn't be rewarded after doing something like this.

Reader's Digest featured this "true crime" story in a 1970s issue. Complete with lurid details.

Meanwhile...

The one victim in the original link complains that in her settlement she only got enough money for therapy but not enough to buy a house.

We were on a family vacation when this happened and I remember hearing the news reports on the car radio as we drove. Pretty riveting stuff for a 10 year old.

QUESTION = Why didn't the children use their cellphones to tell the Police where they were being held?----------->>born in 2001

This story is so horrible. My God. How do one lack the gene that tells you "I would hate to be basically buried alive. It would be a living nightmare. I can't do that to children." How do THREE men plan and contrive to do it?

I guess these questions are idiotic in light of what Putin is doing. Fuck.

[quote]I read a great mystery/thriller novel where this happened, and I had NO IDEA this had actually happened. Wish I could remember the name of the book. The author was a woman. I read three of her books.

If it was a Young Adult book, you're probably referring to Ransom (also called Five Were Missing) by Lois Duncan, although it was published a decade before the actual event.

I have to wonder if these three monsters took their inspiration from Dirty Harry. The film was several years before this crime and begins with a teen (DebraLee Scott) kidnapped and buried alive, and ends with a busload of children being kidnapped.

Dirty Harry was facing a killer based on the Zodiac, that threatened all kinds of mayhem against school buses.

He said that he might bomb one or shoot out the tires and kill everyone exiting the bus.

My opinion is that he was "taking the piss". He did that a lot in his letters, but the threats were highly publicized and taken seriously by Californians, including schoolchildren, at the time.

This was a storyline in Mayor of Kingstown. When I watched, I thought this is really far-fetched writing--that someone could pull off burying a school bus with a bunch of dead kids. Not so far-fetched I guess.

I remember as a kid watching a tv movie of this, Karl Malden played the bus driver. Anybody watched the MAX (HBO) version? Going to start watching it.

We're here R2. This is what we've come to.

Why should I pardon him? What's his golf handicap? How much can he invest in my commemorative plates?

I turned 10 in 1976 so I can relate to it. The documentary is interesting. You would think somebody who wanted to be a rodeo cowboy wouldn't have such a high voice.

So the wealthy one, the “mastermind”, has three businesses according to the link. One is a Christmas Tree farm. Would you buy a Christmas tree from this guy??

I have heard of it. I think I read about it in my mother’s LIFE or LOOK magazine. Way back when. I believe it was the driver telling the story.

The doc on MAX is interesting. Looks like the driver got all the glory of being the “savior” when it was really the cute 14 year old who just happened to be on the bus that day. He had a really fucked up life after it. Poor guy.

I don't understand, what was the crime?

Were all the kidnappers redheads or was that just the camera filter?

[quote] My opinion is that he was "taking the piss".

That’s not what that means, dear.

So Gavin Newsoms father worked to overturn life without parole sentences for men who buried children alive?

I know an extended family member of the one getting released. The entire family dreads it, they all want nothing to do with him.

I’d never heard of this and am really shocked. It’s hard to imagine any motive that could explain this.

R55 I’m not surprised you hadn’t heard of it since you’re ignorant to begin with.

I was working in a bookstore in Palo Alto in 1976. How quaint, I know. As soon as the kids were found we were flooded with mass market paperbacks about the incident. We didn't sell many and the procedure back in the day was to rip the overs off and send them back to the publisher for a partial refund, which is what I remember most about the crime. As soon as the kid were found I wanted to forget about it.

Most of us were still in shock about the Cal State University Fullerton massacre a few days earlier. Lots of loonies running around the state murdering people in the 70s partly due to emptying the insane asylums.

Is there a documentary about this?

r58 the documentary is on MAX (the old HBO). I have MAX with commercials so it costs less.

R56’s cunt is bleeding and he needs a Midol.

R59, what’s the title?

Found it.

Those asshole Governors (Moonbeam and Garbage Dick) kept denying my parole, and kept my old ass in jail an extra decade.

I finally got out. And I'll probably finish what Charlie started, just as soon as my Geritol kicks in.

I was 12 at the time and this story was everywhere. It scared the bejeezus out of me. Some magazine my parents got had a feature story about it with lots of photographs and drawings. I had nightmares on and off for months.

He must be a white person.

The only black man who got away with murder was OJ and white people are still pissed about that.

But lol, you can be white and you hollow out a few people, there’s a chance you’ll see freedom. Lol lol.

Wasn’t this an episode of Walker, Texas Ranger?

R65 Are you lost, boozy?

Respect.

R68 Why the respect? The children survived.

Unlike you, he failed in his mission.