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A man sentenced to life in prison with the possibility of parole for breaking into a San Francisco apartment and sexually assaulting a sleeping woman has been granted parole after serving just over a decade behind bars.
Roberto Antonio Detrinidad was granted release following a Jan. 6, 2026 suitability hearing before the California Board of Parole Hearings. Unless further action is taken, Detrinidad could be released from San Quentin State Prison as early as May.
Details of the hearing, including Detrinidad’s admissions and the panel’s reasoning, are outlined in a transcript obtained by San Francisco Public Safety News.
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Detrinidad was convicted in connection with an August 2013 attack in which a woman woke up in her Sacramento Street apartment to a man sexually assaulting her after he broke into the building in the middle of the night.
At trial, Detrinidad claimed the encounter was consensual. But according to the hearing transcript, he admitted he lied.
“This was like my Super Bowl of crime that night,” Detrinidad told commissioners. “This was gonna be the thing that made me finally feel like a man.”
Court records show the victim had recently moved to San Francisco and returned home around 4 a.m. after bartending when she noticed a man pacing outside who appeared “jittery.” She later went to bed and woke up during the assault.
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Investigators later linked Detrinidad to the crime through DNA recovered from bedding, according to records. He was arrested in September 2014 following a database match.
A jury convicted him of assault with intent to commit a sexual offense during the commission of a residential burglary, and he was sentenced to life with the possibility of parole. An appeal challenging the conviction was later rejected.
At the January parole hearing, San Francisco prosecutor Andrew Clark described the crime as a “horrific life crime,” according to the transcript obtained by San Francisco Public Safety News.
“He targeted her and he broke into her house with the intent to rape her and did rape her,” Clark told the panel. “That sexual violence is of great concern to us at the district attorney’s office here in San Francisco.”
According to the hearing record, prosecutors raised concerns about whether Detrinidad had completed meaningful sex-offender treatment programming specifically addressing sexual violence and relapse prevention before being deemed suitable for release.
The victim attended prior parole hearings and previously told commissioners she feared his release.
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“I lost my sense of security. I don’t know if that’s something that I’m ever going to get back,” she said at an earlier hearing, according to records. “I don’t believe that he’s remorseful and I don’t think he’s going to stop.”
She did not attend the January hearing.
After deliberating for roughly 20 minutes, Presiding Commissioner Michael Ruff announced the panel’s decision.
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“The panel has concluded that the mitigating factors outweigh the aggravating factors and find that Mr. Detrinidad does not pose an unreasonable risk to public safety and is therefore eligible for parole,” Ruff said, according to the transcript.
Fox News Digital reached out to Gov. Gavin Newsom’s office about whether the governor plans to intervene.
“The Governor has not yet received this case for review, and we cannot comment further on pending cases,” a spokesperson said.
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The office emphasized the limits of Newsom’s authority.
“Under state law, the Governor may only reverse a parole grant in murder cases. In cases involving non-murder offenses, the Governor’s only option is to refer the decision back to the Board of Parole Hearings (BPH) for review by the commissioners sitting en banc,” the spokesperson said.
The California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation (CDCR) echoed that the governor has not yet received the case and cannot comment further while it is pending.
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On background, CDCR said the Board of Parole Hearings is an independent body that determines whether incarcerated individuals serving life sentences pose an unreasonable risk to public safety.
The department noted parole is granted in fewer than 12% of scheduled hearings. According to CDCR data, more than 97% of individuals released after a parole hearing have not been convicted of another crime within three years. Less than 3% were convicted of any new misdemeanor or felony during that period, and less than 1% were convicted of a new felony offense against a person.
CDCR also said recidivism declines sharply with age and that individuals over 60 have some of the lowest reoffending rates in the correctional system.
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Former Sacramento County District Attorney Anne Marie Schubert, who previously prosecuted high-profile violent crime cases including David Funston, sharply criticized the parole decision.
“She was home asleep in her bed in San Francisco — in the safety of her own house. Roberto Detrinidad broke into her apartment and sexually assaulted her. He admitted he chose her at random after seeing her through a window and believing he could ‘get away with it,’” Schubert posted on X.
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“Now the California parole board has decided he’s ready to be released.”
Schubert pointed to what she described as troubling details from the parole hearing.
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“According to his own parole hearing, Detrinidad had not completed meaningful sex-offender programming for years, and the District Attorney warned the panel that he still lacked concrete relapse-prevention treatment focused on sexual violence,” she said.
“Let that sink in: A man serving life for breaking into a stranger’s home and sexually assaulting her while she slept is being released even though the core risk factor — sexual violence — had barely been addressed.”
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“Victims deserve better than this.”
She added, “Why is California releasing violent sex offenders before they’ve even completed serious treatment for the crimes that put them in prison?”
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The decision has also drawn criticism from Republican leaders in the state.
Corrin Rankin, a California Republican leader, told Fox News Digital:
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“California Democrats have spent years weakening consequences for serious offenders and putting ideology ahead of public safety. Republicans believe the basic job of government is to protect law-abiding people, keep violent criminals behind bars, and stand with victims instead of making excuses for the system that failed them.”
Fox News Digital reached out to the San Francisco District Attorney’s Office for comment, but did not immediately receive a response.
Stepheny Price covers crime, including missing persons, homicides and migrant crime. Send story tips to [email protected].
