Prosecutors and police are asking the governor to grant clemency for a man convicted of a double murder in Ventura County four decades ago they now believe he didn’t commit.
Craig Coley was convicted in 1980 of the murder of 24 year old Rhonda Wicht of Simi Valley, and her four year old son Donald. Coley had been dating Wicht, but they broke up just before the November, 1978 murder. He was sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole.
After a retired Simi Valley Police detective expressed concern about some evidence the case, the department started a new investigation into the case. Using new DNA testing, investigators found evidence linking someone other than Coley to the killings.
Prosecutors and police say they are asking the governor for Coley’s immediate release. They say while the murders were a tragedy, so is what happened to the now 70 year old man.
