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Parole Granted for Woman Serving Life Sentence for Murder of San Diego Attorney

San Diego County District Attorney Summer Stephan announced today that a woman serving a 25-years-to-life sentence for the murder of her stepfather, longtime San Diego attorney Timothy McNeil, has been granted parole following a hearing before the California Board of Parole Hearings.

Brae Hansen, now 37 years old, was convicted in April 2009 by a San Diego County jury of first-degree murder for her role in a plot to kill McNeil for financial gain. Hansen was convicted along with her 19-year-old sister and co-defendant, Aerith Asora, who was prosecuted under a former legal name at the time.

Hansen’s initial parole hearing was held on January 7, 2025, and parole was denied for three years. Her petition to advance her next parole hearing was subsequently granted by the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation, resulting in the August 21, 2026 hearing. San Diego County District Attorney Summer Stephan opposed Hansen’s release and urged the Board to honor the lengthy sentence imposed by the court.

“This was a callous, premeditated murder motivated by greed that took the life of Timothy McNeil and forever changed the lives of his loved ones,” DA Stephan said. “The DA’s Lifer Team and Deputy DA Dino Paraskevopoulos presented the compelling factors that showed that this particular killer and case does not fit the goals of California’s youth offender parole due to its sophisticated nature and callous depravity that ended a man’s life. We are deeply disappointed by the Board of Parole Hearings’ decision to grant Brae Hansen parole. Our office stood with Mr. McNeil’s family and opposed Hansen’s release, and we will continue to support them as they face the painful consequences of this decision.”

McNeil was a longtime San Diego attorney who became a member of the State Bar of California in 1969. He worked for more than six years for the San Diego County District Attorney’s Office before moving into private practice.

According to evidence presented at trial, Hansen and Asora plotted to kill McNeil for financial gain. Asora purchased black clothing at a Goodwill store before traveling from Phoenix to San Diego. The day after McNeil’s birthday, he arrived home with plans to take Hansen out to dinner. Asora was already inside the home with Hansen.

Asora then put on a mask, armed herself with a firearm and staged a robbery. She directed Hansen to zip-tie McNeil’s hands before Hansen was also restrained. McNeil managed to free himself and struggled for his life. Asora then shot McNeil four times, including twice in the head at close range.

Hansen, who was 17 years old at the time of the murder, was convicted of first-degree murder on April 15, 2009, and sentenced to life without parole. A few years later, life sentences were ruled unconstitutional for minors and in 2015 she was resentenced to 25 years to life in state prison.

Under California’s youth offender parole laws, people sentenced to 15 years or more for crimes committed before their 26th birthdays may be eligible for an earlier parole hearing, subject to statutory requirements and exceptions.

Deputy District Attorney Dino Paraskevopoulos from the DA’s Lifer Hearing Unit represented the office at the parole hearing opposing Hansen’s release and presented our position to the Board of Parole Hearings. The DA’s Lifer Hearing Unit, under the leadership of Deputy District Attorney John Cross, has two main goals: to ensure that dangerous prisoners with life sentences are not released carelessly or improvidently, and to ensure that crime victims and their families are given an opportunity to participate in the parole hearing process and have their voices heard. When a defendant is given a life sentence, the Lifer Hearing Unit processes the case to ensure that it is ready for future parole suitability hearings. This involves preserving victims’ statements and documenting the gravity of the crimes to ensure the offenders serve sentences proportional to their crimes.

In 2025, there were 571 lifer parole hearings scheduled in San Diego County. Of those, 49 inmates received parole grants from the California Board of Parole Hearings. The remainder of the hearings –522– resulted in denials, postponements, or stipulations to a denial of parole.

In addition, the Lifer Hearing Unit tracks court activity on lifer cases and assists the Attorney General’s Office in opposing writs of habeas corpus seeking release. The Lifer Hearing Unit has submitted amicus briefs on behalf of the California District Attorneys Association on important cases and actively works on legislation concerning the parole hearing process. The Lifer Hearing Unit is the statewide leader in lifer matters and San Diego County serves as the training office for other prosecutors who seek to understand the complex laws governing parole hearings.

Brenda Spencer Denied Parole

San Diego County District Attorney Summer Stephan said today the woman who opened fire on a San Diego elementary school as a teen in 1979, killing two people and injuring nine others, has been denied parole following the strong objection of prosecutors. The decision to deny release for Brenda Spencer, 62, came after a Board of Parole hearing which included three victim statements and input from the District Attorney’s Office. During its deliberation, the Board considered Elder and Youthful Parole Laws when reaching its decision.

“The shock of this brazen crime rippled through the community in San Diego at the time and it continues to hold a place of infamy in the history of mass shootings in our nation,” said DA Stephan. “ While new laws are in place that can potentially speed up releases for individuals who were convicted as minors, as well as inmates who are over 50 years old, our position is that the totality of the horrific circumstances of this crime and this case do not warrant release and we are gratified that the Parole Board agreed with our position.” 

On the morning of Monday, January 29, 1979, Spencer began shooting from her house at children waiting for 53-year-old Principal Burton Wragg to open the gates to Grover Cleveland Elementary School. She injured eight children. She began with nine-year-old Cam Miller, since he was wearing Spencer’s favorite color, blue. Spencer shot and killed Wragg as he and teacher Daryl Barnes tried to help children. She also killed 56-year-old custodian Mike Suchar as he tried to pull a student to safety. A 28-year-old police officer, Robert Robb, had responded to a call for assistance during the incident, where he was wounded in the neck as he arrived.

After firing thirty-six times, Spencer barricaded herself inside her home for several hours. While there, she spoke by telephone to a reporter. Spencer told the reporter she had shot at the school children and adults because, “I don’t like Mondays. This livens up the day.”

Spencer was charged as an adult. She pleaded guilty to two counts of first-degree murder and assault with a deadly weapon. On April 4, 1980, a day after her 18th birthday, she was sentenced to concurrent terms of 25 years-to-life in prison. Under the terms of her sentencing, Spencer became eligible for hearings to consider her suitability for parole in 1993.

Spencer has been denied parole in 1993, 2001, 2005, 2009 and 2022. She is currently imprisoned at California Institution for Women in Chino. Spencer is often regarded as the first modern high-profile school shooter. She is eligible for parole again in 2028.

The DA’s Lifer Unit is responsible for handling parole hearings for inmates serving life sentences in California state prisons. The unit’s main role is to represent the interests of victims, their families, and public safety by advocating against the release of dangerous offenders when appropriate.

Parole Denied for 2001 Santana High School Shooter

San Diego County District Attorney Summer Stephan said today that the Santana High School shooting defendant who opened fire at the school in Santee, California in March 2001 with a
revolver, killing two students and wounding 13 others was denied parole after an eight-hour hearing this morning in which 22 victims testified. After the hearing to weigh suitability for release, parole officials denied 38-year-old Charles “Andy” Williams’ request and said he should not be up for consideration again for another three years.

“I’m grateful to the Parole Board for listening to the victims in this case whose lives were forever changed by the defendant’s premeditated and cruel acts that terrorized an innocent school campus,” DA Stephan said. “Neither the 13 wounded victims nor the families of the two murdered students can regain what the defendant took from them.”

Williams was sentenced to 50 years-to-life in prison in June 2002. His parole hearing comes exactly 23 years since the mass shooting. His chance at parole is due to a change in state law that altered sentencing guidelines for juveniles who were tried as adults. In Williams’ case, the Youthful Parole law requires that any juvenile who was charged as an adult and received a life sentence has a chance at parole no later than 25 years into their sentence. Williams was 15 when he committed the crime.

In today’s hearing, the District Attorney’s Office argued that Williams remains an unreasonable risk and danger to society. Twenty-two victims who suffered as a result of the school shooting attended the video hearing and provided victim impact statements regarding the effects of the shooting.

The DA’s Lifer Hearing Unit has two main goals: to ensure that dangerous prisoners with life sentences are not released carelessly or improvidently, and to ensure that crime victims and their families are given an opportunity to participate in the parole hearing process and have their voices heard.

When a defendant is given a life sentence, the Lifer Hearing Unit processes the case to ensure that it is ready for future parole suitability hearings. This involves preserving victims’ statements and documenting the gravity of the crimes to ensure the offenders serve sentences proportional to their crimes.

Last year, there were 664 lifer parole hearings scheduled in San Diego County. Of those, 96 inmates received parole grants from the California Board of Parole Hearings. The remainder of the hearings –568– resulted in denials, postponements, or stipulations to a denial of parole.

The Lifer Hearing Unit is the state-wide leader in lifer matters and San Diego County serves as the training office for other prosecutors who seek to understand the complex laws governing parole hearings.

“Our DA Lifer Unit handles these complex and often gut-wrenching hearings, led by Deputy DA John Cross who is a statewide leader in lifer law,” DA Stephan said. “The Unit does an excellent job of representing victims and working to protect the safety of our communities when violent criminals are being considered for release.”