Double Murderer Released Early, Convicted of New Murder
The Los Angeles District Attorney has this press release on the case of previously convicted double murderer who has now been convicted of a third murder. If the laws in effect at the time of the first judgment had been enforced, the third murder victim would likely be alive.
On Sept. 17, 1995, 28-year-old Derrick Reese was using a payphone when Collins carjacked him. After taking the vehicle, Collins backed up and shot Reese at least twice, killing him.
On Sept. 28, 1995, Collins entered a diner in Inglewood where 44-year-old Thomas Weiss was working as a cashier. Collins held Weiss at gunpoint and demanded money. When Weiss did not comply, Collins shot him in the face, killing him.
Both victims were random strangers, murdered 11 days apart. On January 15, 1998, Collins was sentenced to 50 years to life imprisonment.
Both the multiple murder and robbery-murder special circumstances are obviously true, so Collins could have gotten death or life without parole for these killings, but 50-to-life would have seemed sufficient at the time to ensure that Collins would not get out until he was quite elderly, if at all. Yet Collins was released in 2020. Why? Continue reading . . .
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