Parole request denied for Dalton Prejean despite mixed board vote

The Louisiana Committee on Parole denied Dalton Prejean’s parole request on Aug. 6, 2025, after the board recorded split votes but did not reach the unanimous threshold required to grant parole. Prejean, who has served nearly 24 years, described deep involvement in institutional programs, including tutor and mentor roles, leadership training and religious ministry. Supporters — including his godfather and volunteer chaplains — told the board Prejean had matured, earned more than 120 certificates and played an active role in reentry and chapel work. "He is the epitome of rehabilitation," Carrie Myers of the Louisiana Parole Project said. Opponents included victims’ family members and the district attorney’s office, who described severe trauma inflicted on victims and urged denial. One victim relative recounted the long-lasting effects on families and said the offender had shown no true remorse for the crime that killed a young man in 1979. After executive session, the board returned with at least one member voting to grant and others voting to deny; because parole grants require unanimity, the motion failed and the board announced the parole denial at 11:48 a.m. The board emphasized both Prejean’s rehabilitative accomplishments and the powerful victim impacts in its deliberations.