Parole committee denies Jenkins and Bradley, grants two others to reentry programs

BATON ROUGE, La. — The Committee on Parole heard four eligibility cases on Wednesday and reached split outcomes after multiple hours of testimony, victim statements and institutional reports.

The panel denied parole eligibility for Leroy Jenkins, whose case drew sustained opposition from members of the Trask family and the district attorney. Beverly Trask, whose father Eddie Trask was killed in 1971, told the committee the family ‘‘has lived in fear’’ and urged the board to keep Jenkins incarcerated. District Attorney Sam DePaula cited board policy 7701 factors — the nature of the crime, Jenkins’ history of escape and hostage‑taking, and community hostility — and recommended denial. Committee members voted to deny Jenkins’ eligibility.

The board also denied parole for James Bradley, a juvenile lifer who described substance use and the remorse he says he has developed while imprisoned. Bradley’s counsel, Adrienne Hutchinson of the Louisiana Parole Project, outlined programming and a reentry plan that would place him with family in Indiana and enroll him in outpatient services. Several family members of Bradley’s victim urged denial; two committee members voted to deny and the chair said she would have voted to grant but a unanimous decision was required, producing a denial outcome.

By contrast, the committee voted to grant parole to Mike Silva (recorded in the hearing as Mike Silbo), who the Parole Project described as an intensive program candidate. Parole Project witness Andrew Hundley told the committee the organization would provide three to six months of residential reentry services in Baton Rouge, then continue case management and peer mentorship for a year. The board approved Silva’s parole with conditions including a curfew, no contact with victims or their families, random drug screens and continued supervision by the Parole Project.

The committee also granted parole to John Williams, an 80‑year‑old who has served more than five decades at Angola. Counsel and Parole Project representatives described Williams’ long institutional compliance, trustee status and completion of offender treatment; the committee approved release to Parole Project housing with conditions that include completing remaining treatment elements and random alcohol and drug screening.

What the board considered

Committee members weighed three broad strands of evidence: institutional records of programming and disciplinary history; testimony from reentry providers (the Louisiana Parole Project) about housing and supervision plans; and emotional testimony from victims’ families. In both denials, members cited the severity of the original crime, past escape behavior and enduring family opposition. In the grants, members emphasized age, decades of institutional compliance, technical training and detailed Parole Project plans.

What happens next

For those granted parole, the Parole Project will coordinate a residential period (three to six months in two cases noted at the hearing, with extended case management) and the committee included monitoring conditions and random testing. For those denied, the committee recommended continued programming and clearer steps to meet board expectations should the applicants return.

Key quotations

"We have all the records," said Chair Cheryl Renata during discussion of James Bradley’s file, expressing respect for both the applicant’s progress and the family opposition that factored in votes.

"They have lived in fear," said Beverly Trask of the Trask family when describing her father’s killing and opposing Leroy Jenkins’ eligibility.

"We would commit, for the long term, keeping him in our program," said Andrew Hundley of the Louisiana Parole Project describing the organization’s plans for people granted parole.

The committee adjourned at 11:44 a.m. with minutes to be signed by staff.