Parolee ordered to return to San Luis Obispo County ends up accused of killing mother

Posted: Jan 3, 2012 6:36 PM by Nancy Chen
Updated: Jan 4, 2012 8:02 AM

A man who was supposed to report to San Luis Obispo County for parole is instead behind bars again, accused of killing his mother.

34-year-old Anthony David Yee had just been released from prison when prosecutors say he strangled his mother, Judith Nathan, in Chico on December 19th. Authorities say Yee broke in, waiting for her in the dark when she came home, before killing her by strangling and attacking her with a hammer. Authorities say he then hid her body in her septic tank.

It happened about ten days after he was released from San Quentin State Prison at a time when he was required but failed to check in for parole in San Luis Obispo County.

Parolees generally return to their last legal residence before prison, and San Luis Obispo County was where Yee was last charged with his crimes.

Prosecutors say Yee showed up at Nathan's home shortly after being paroled, but Nathan wouldn't allow him to stay because she was afraid of him. According to the Chico Enterprise-Record, Yee had been released from prison December 8th or 9th and was supposed to report to authorities in San Luis Obispo County within 24 hours.

Yee had previously been convicted of attempted murder in San Francisco County, and his history in San Luis Obispo County is also a complicated one.

He was charged with burglary after breaking into a building at Avila Lighthouse Suites in 2009. He was found with, among other things, a crowbar and lockpick gun.

Yee had also been convicted of first-degree burglary for breaking into someone's home elsewhere in the county, which is why it was where he was supposed to return.

Yee never showed up, but parole officials say his case is exceptional.

"Traditionally speaking, the person who's getting out of prison, for the most part, is motivated to try to do some things right," said Anthony Bridgewater, a spokesperson for the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation. "And they want to change their lives."

Bridgewater also says state inmates also go through a pre-parole process before they're released. The Chico Enterprise-Record also reports Yee's due back in court January 12th to enter a plea. It also quotes Yee's attorney saying he might consider pleading not guilty by reason of insanity.