An “inhumane” pedophile who was sentenced to 350 years in prison for kidnapping and sexually abusing a five-year-old girl in 2003 could now be freed under a controversial California law.
Charles William Mix was 47 when he kidnapped his friend’s daughter and smuggled her across state lines into Utah before subjecting her to his sordid fantasies in June of that year.
His family believed he would spend the rest of his life behind bars, but 20 years later, Mix, 69, could be released under California’s relatively new Elder Parole Program because of his age, after serving just six percent of his sentence.
The victim, now 27, is not ready to speak of the horrors she suffered but her relatives have written a heartbreaking letter imploring officials to keep Mix in jail, while criticising the parole programme for offering “soft forgiveness” to offenders.
In the letter, they slam Mix as a “vile” predator who was “old enough to be their grandfather,” while citing damning final remarks made by the judge who sentenced him to 350 years behind bars.
Charles William Mix was 47 when he kidnapped his friend’s five-year-old daughter and smuggled her across state lines into Utah before subjecting her to his sordid fantasies in 2003.
An “inhumane” paedophile who was sentenced to 350 years in prison for kidnapping and sexually abusing a five-year-old girl in 2003 could now be freed thanks to a controversial California law. The victim’s family (pictured) have written a letter imploring authorities to block his release
“I am writing to request, no, implore you, to deny parole to the above-named inmate, who 20 years ago was sentenced to 350 years to life in prison for sexually abusing a 5-year-old girl,” the victim’s family wrote to commissioners.
‘I was 49 at the time, old enough to be his grandfather and certainly old enough to know exactly what I was doing.
“The basic facts set out above are vile enough, but the details of the crime are even worse.”
Mix was convicted of a variety of serious charges, including willful child cruelty, kidnapping to commit robbery or rape, lewd acts with a child under 14, burglary and more.
She had been living with family in Riverside at the time of the abduction. On the morning of June 2, 2003, the girl’s father realized she was missing and called 911.
The next day, Riverside police located Mix and the victim hundreds of miles away in Richfield, Utah, after a passerby noticed them and reported the sighting.
Mix had fled with the boy in a stolen vehicle, which had disturbing heart-shaped doodles found inside.
Police also discovered sexually explicit photographs Mix had taken of the girl, along with love letters he had written to her.
He later admitted to Utah detectives that he slept naked with the girl, according to the Los Angeles Times.
Charles William Mix was 47 when he kidnapped his friend’s five-year-old daughter and smuggled her across state lines into Utah before subjecting her to his sordid fantasies in 2003.
Pictured: The stolen vehicle that Mix used to kidnap the five-year-old girl in June 2003.
Pictured: Disturbing scribbles on the inside of the stolen vehicle that Mix used to abduct the five-year-old girl in June 2003
“Inmate Mix was not a stranger to the girl but a ‘friend’ to both her and her father,” the family wrote of his sickening betrayal in the letter to the commissioners.
‘They lived together in the same house, where he took advantage of their proximity, their family relationship and the trust of a very young child, heaping lasting emotional damage on top of the physical.’
The letter goes on to cite the harsh final remarks made by Riverside County Superior Court Judge Christian F. Thierbach, who sentenced Mix to 350 years in prison.
Thierbach told Mix at the time: “The human race has yet to come up with a punishment that adequately addresses what you did to this little girl, and I suspect one of the reasons for that is that what you did to her is inhumane.”
The judge went on to explain that Mix could only be released from prison if he received a pardon.
“I dare say that if that happens, civilization as we know it will cease to exist,” Thierbach said.
The family letter criticizes the Elder Parole Program as a “pardon lite” that could make this horror a reality.
Under the program, inmates who are 50 years old or older and have served 20 consecutive years in prison are eligible to appear before the parole hearing board.
“She has to deal with this for the rest of her life and she has to learn to deal with what happened to her for the rest of her life,” said the victim’s sister, Claira Stansbury.
The victim’s sister, Claira Stansbury, has also spoken to KTLA on the healing impact the experience had on his brother.
“She’s going to have to deal with this for the rest of her life and she’s going to have to learn to deal with what happened to her for the rest of her life,” he said.
Stansbury added that this has been compounded by the prospect of Mix being released.
“A lot of traumas have been reopened,” she told KTLA. “Things that we’ve already gotten over and now we have to get back to.”
The Senior Parole Program is intended to ease the financial burden of keeping seniors in prison if officials believe they are unlikely to commit another crime.
The parole board will consider the seriousness of Mix’s crimes, whether he has taken responsibility or shown remorse for them and whether he still poses a danger to society.
Stansbury said he does not believe Mix can be rehabilitated and added that the probation program is an affront to victims and their families.
“All the lawmakers want to talk about how terrible life sentences are for these criminals, these types of criminals, I don’t think they’re actually considering life sentences for victims who had no choice in this,” he told KTLA.
“I am absolutely certain that I would commit a crime again, whether it was to look for my sister or another innocent child.”
Pictured: The victim’s father speaking to the press at the time of his daughter’s disappearance.
The Riverside County District Attorney’s Office said it supports victims who must attend parole hearings to keep “dangerous offenders” in prison.
“It is appalling that the state continues to subject victims and their families to further trauma by forcing them to fight for sentences already handed down by a court of law,” the office said.
‘This practice forces victims to relive their devastating experiences.
‘We have a team of dedicated attorneys and victim specialists who fight against the early release of dangerous criminals.
‘Our office is committed to protecting victims and ensuring that this practice of early parole ends.’
The family has asked for public support for their letter urging the board to block Mix’s parole by emailing BPH.CorrespondenceUnit@cdcr.ca.gov.
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