AS HEARD IN COURT JULY 7, 2023
PAROLE DENIED!
PEOPLE V. ELLESBURY, CLARENCE - In 1992, Inmate Clarence Vern Ellesbury was convicted of Penal Code section 187, Second-Degree Murder for killing his wife. The murder occurred when Ellesbury learned his wife had been unfaithful to him and he responded by strangling her to death with his bare hands. Ellesbury then packed her deceased body and her children into the car and drove to a remote location to dump her body. Please see the attached 1991 Press Release photo for more information on the facts of the case.
The Glenn County Sheriff's Office then Detective Buxton and then Officer Randall (who later became mayor of Orland, California later arrested Ellesbury when he attempted to return to his wife’s body with plans to conceal/dispose of it further in order to cover up his crimes.
This case was originally prosecuted by DA Bob Holzapfel. Inmate Ellesbury was sentenced to 15 years to life. The parole board has twice previously granted Inmate Ellesbury parole. However, in both instances the Governor reviewed those decisions and overrode them, keeping the inmate in prison. A primary reason for a denial is that this Inmate continued to pose an unreasonable risk to the public.
On June 28, 2023, a subsequent parole hearing was held for Inmate Ellesbury at San Quentin. DDA Coffey attended the hearing on behalf of the Glenn County District Attorney’s Office to argue against the Inmate’s release on parole. After nearly 2 hours of testimony and deliberations, the Parole Board voted to DENY Inmate Ellesbury’s parole for 3 years.