Earl Henry Down to Attend Third Parole Hearing in November

By LILY TINOCO | Reporter

Earl Henry Down, who was found guilty in 1987 of one count of second-degree murder of 15-year-old Palisadian Clinton Heilemann and three counts of attempted murder, is scheduled to attend his third parole hearing on Thursday, November 5.

Down was previously denied parole at his last two hearings in 2009 and in 2013. At the January 5, 2009, hearing the Board of Prison Terms heard from speakers, including the deceased’s father and sisters, and friends Kenneth Waco and Matthew Williams, who were with Heilemann the night of his murder.

Heilemann, Waco and Williams were gathered on the night of July 3, 1987, at a church on Los Liones Drive when Down, unprovoked, began attacking the youths—eventually grabbing a high-powered rifle from his van and firing at the group, shooting Heilemann in the back as he tried to escape.

Down fled the scene and surrendered to the police two weeks later. Jurors deliberated for six hours before finding Down guilty at the trial, sentencing him to 37 years to life in prison.

Within the community, Down was reportedly a part-time house painter who began living out of his van on various streets in the Palisades. At the hearings, Down’s criminal history was open to review, revealing previous charges and convictions of child molestation, chasing people down the freeway and fighting with them, voyeurism against minors, drug offenses and more.

In Williams’ statement to the board, he said: “We have been sentenced to a lifetime of parole hearings, in which we are forced to relive Clinton’s murder and reiterate the reasons why this inmate must remain incarcerated … He threatened a group of youths without reason or provocation, physically assaulted one and as they fled in fear of their lives, he shot them, permanently wounding two young adults [Daniel Dawson and Williams] and killing a 15-year-old boy.”

Williams previously told the Palisadian-Post that there were more than 75 letters from the community, as well as a letter from LA Chief of Police William Bratton, asking the board to deny Down parole.

At the close of Down’s 2013 parole hearing, he was given a seven-year denial, according to a statement.

Now, the surviving victims and Heilemann family are repeating their previous efforts to keep Down incarcerated.

“For the safety of the surviving victims, our families and the communities in which we live, the Heilemanns, Wacos and I urge everyone to write letters to the parole board,” Williams shared in a recent statement.

Expressed opposition can be sent via email to Sindy Var at svar@da.lacounty.gov, Steven Frankland at sgfrankl@da.lacounty.gov and the Board of Parole Hearings at bph.correspondenceunit@cdcr.ca.gov with the subject: CDC Inmate #D91138, Earl Henry Down.

Letters may also be mailed to: Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office, Bureau of Victim Services, Clara Shortridge Foltz Criminal Justice Center at 210 W. Temple St. Suite 12-514, Los Angeles, CA 90012 with ATTN: Sindy Var, RE: CDC Inmate #D91138, Earl Henry Down; or Board of Parole Hearings, PO Box 4036, Sacramento, CA 95812-4036 with ATTN: Pre-Hearing Correspondence, RE: CDC Inmate #D91138, Earl Henry Down.

It is advised to email letters as attachments so email addresses are not included in the materials provided to Down’s attorney and mailed letters should have a return address only on the envelope.

There is no cut off date for letters to be sent, but “statements should be received at the board as soon as possible to ensure the statement is provided to the hearing panel.”