BAKERSFIELD, Calif. (KERO) — More than 20 years after the torture and murder of 17-year-old Amanda Zubia, one of her killers has been granted parole — a decision her family is now urging the community to help reverse.
- In July 2004, Zubia was lured to a home on Bernard Street by Maricruz Galaviz, prosecutors said. There, Galaviz and two others bound, gagged and tortured the teenager for several hours before placing her body into a large suitcase and encasing it in cement in a barrel.
- The family is now asking the public to write letters to the parole board opposing Galaviz’s release.
More than 20 years after the torture and murder of 17-year-old Amanda Zubia, one of her killers has been granted parole — a decision her family is now urging the community to help reverse.
In July 2004, Zubia was lured to a home on Bernard Street by Maricruz Galaviz, prosecutors said. There, Galaviz and two others bound, gagged and tortured the teenager for several hours before placing her body into a large suitcase. Investigators later found the suitcase encased in cement inside a barrel at a home in East Bakersfield.
“All kinds of heinous acts were done to her that you wouldn't even do to a dog,” said Savina Garcia, Amanda's cousin.
Galaviz pleaded guilty to first-degree murder that December and was sentenced to 25 years to life in prison. After serving 20 years, a parole board ruled that she no longer posed a current threat to public safety, citing her insight into her past drug use, gang activity and efforts at rehabilitation.
Zubia’s family members say they are devastated by the board’s decision.
“Her being rehabilitated is not going to bring my niece back,” said Zubia's uncle, Angel Aceves. “At some point, there has to be a punishment for that. Twenty years is not long enough to be punished for someone who can never come back.”
Zubia’s maternal grandmother, Angela Aceves, said the family not only lost Amanda, but that her great-granddaughter grew up without ever meeting her grandmother.
“She resembles Amanda a lot,” Garcia said. “It is some comfort, but it also worsens the pain.”
The family is now asking the public to write letters to the parole board opposing Galaviz’s release.
District Attorney Cynthia Zimmer also announced her opposition to the parole decision, calling Zubia’s murder "one of the most brutal and shocking tragedies our community has ever witnessed."
Family members who attended Galaviz’s previous parole hearings said they did not believe she showed genuine remorse.
“She spoke at the hearing, but she never really gave a reason why this happened,” Zubia’s grandmother said. “She didn’t show any remorse at all.”
The family remains hopeful that with enough community support, the board’s decision can be reversed. They're asking the public to send email opposition to PAROLE@GOV.CA.GOV.
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