In 1976 a California man kidnapped a school bus of 26 children before burying them and their driver alive. Now, after he has spent four decades in prison, he has been approved for parole.
Frederick Newhall Woods was found suitable for parole during his hearing on Friday at California Men's Colony after being denied for release 17 other times.
Woods, now 70-years-old, was 24 when he kidnapped a bus full of children ages 5 to 14 and their bus driver near Chowchilla, about 125 miles southeast of San Francisco.
After planning the crime for more than a year, Woods and brothers Richard and James Schoenfeld kidnapped and buried them alive in a ventilated bunker.
Once kidnapped and buried, the men asked for $5 million in ransom from the state Board of Education.
After spending more than a day in the bunker, the children were able to dig their way out and escape.
During his parole hearing on Friday, Woods apologized for his actions saying that he "had empathy for the victims which I didn't have then."
"I've had a character change since then," he said. "I was 24 years old. Now I fully understand the terror and trauma I caused. I fully take responsibility for this heinous act."
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.
As for how the victims felt, two of them, Larry Park and Rebecca Reynolds Dailey, supported the parole of Woods and Park shared his thoughts during the hearing on Friday.
"I believe you have served enough time for the crime you committed," Park said to Woods at the hearing.
However, other victims, Jennifer Brown Hyde, Laura Yazzi Fanning, and Lynda Carrejo, did not want him released, and Brown Hyde shared their feelings during the hearing.
"He could have done much more," Brown Hyde said.
She told the panel she feels he has not made amends for his actions and pointed out that he is "still a millionaire."
"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.
The panel's choice to parole Woods will be final in 120 days before Governor Gavin Newsom reviews it. If Newsom lets it stand, Woods will be scheduled for release.
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