A California man, Darryl Lamar Collins, has been sentenced to life in prison for the murder of his girlfriend, Fatima Johnson, just a year after he was released from prison for committing two other random murders in the mid-1990s.
Collins’ Sentence and Conviction
At 55 years old, Collins was sentenced to life in prison for the first-degree murder of Fatima Johnson, a mother of six and grandmother of eight. Johnson, who worked at a nursing home, was found dead in her south Los Angeles home on July 2, 2021, after being missing for a couple of days.
Prosecutors stated that Johnson’s cause of death was asphyxia due to neck pressure and possible smothering. Collins had bound her wrists and ankles with shoelaces and duct tape, gagged her with underwear, and placed duct tape over her mouth and nose. He also stole her cellphone, jewelry, and Lexus, which he later pawned for drug money.
Collins’ Violent History
This murder came nearly a year after Collins was released from prison, where he had been serving a 25-year sentence for the 1995 murders of Derrick Reese and Thomas Weiss. Collins murdered the two men randomly in a spree of violence:
- On September 17, 1995, Collins carjacked Derrick Reese, a 28-year-old man using a pay phone, then shot him dead.
- Eleven days later, Collins murdered Thomas Weiss, a 44-year-old cashier, inside a diner in Englewood.
Both victims were unconnected to Collins and were the victims of senseless violence.
Parole Controversy
After serving 25 years for his earlier crimes, Collins was paroled in 2020 due to a change in California parole laws. In 2017, the state raised the cutoff age for youthful offender parole from 23 to 25, allowing Collins, who was 24 at the time of his crimes, to be released after serving 25 years of his 50-year sentence.
Criticism of Collins’ Release
Los Angeles County District Attorney Nathan J. Hochman criticized Collins’ release, stating, “This case shows exactly what can happen when someone with a history of extreme violence is released from prison early. We can only hope that three families who have experienced unimaginable loss find some measure of peace knowing he will never again be back in our communities.”
Hochman also emphasized that had the parole law not changed in 2017, Collins would have still been behind bars and Johnson’s death could have been avoided.
Darryl Lamar Collins will now spend the rest of his life in prison for the murder of Fatima Johnson. This case serves as a tragic example of the potential consequences of early parole for individuals with a history of extreme violence. His release in 2020 after serving 25 years for two earlier murders has sparked criticism from those who believe he should have remained incarcerated.
