On January 5, 2018, at Deuel Vocational Institution, a California State Prison in Tracy, the California parole board denied parole for Gary Lewis Cooper, age 45.

On August 21, 1993, Cooper and his accomplice murdered Filiberto Mendoza. The victim was shot in the head twice, execution style, after being lured to Stony Creek northeast of Orland. Cooper admitted he received drugs and money in exchange for murdering Filiberto Mendoza.

Cooper was convicted of first-degree murder and was sentenced to 25 years to life in state prison in 1994.

Cooper was initially granted parole by the California parole board in October of 2015 over the objection of the Glenn County District Attorney’s Office. Cooper admitted a parole violation and was placed back in prison in 2017. This was Cooper’s first parole hearing since he was sent back to state prison. The District Attorney’s Office routinely attends parole hearings and DDA Harbarger argued against the inmate’s release in this case.