Charles “Andy” Williams, who was 15 years old in 2001 when he opened fire inside a San Diego school, killing two students and injuring 13 others, could soon go free.
On the morning of March 5, Williams brought a black, eight-shot revolver taken from his father’s locked gun cabinet into Santana High School, where he was a student, and opened fire in a hallway, a bathroom, and the campus courtyard.
Now 39, Williams fired more than 30 rounds and reloaded the weapon at least three times during the attack, according to the Los Angeles Times.
Described as someone who had been teased and had threatened to carry out a shooting rampage upon entering ninth grade, Williams killed 17-year-old Randy Goran and 14-year-old Bryan Zuckor. Eleven other students, a special education student teacher, and a security guard were also wounded.
Williams was tried as an adult in 2002 and sentenced to 50 years to life in prison. He was denied parole in September 2024, when he first became eligible for youth offender parole.
Now, despite opposition from the San Diego County District Attorney’s Office, a Superior Court judge has granted Williams’ request to have his sentence recalled under a California law that allows for the resentencing of juvenile cases originally tried in adult court.
The law, enacted in 2011, permits juvenile offenders serving life without the possibility of parole to seek resentencing in juvenile court. A 2022 court decision later expanded that right to include those serving the functional equivalent of life without parole.
Under California’s juvenile justice system, the maximum period of incarceration is until age 25, which could make Williams eligible for immediate release, the Times reported.
During Tuesday’s hearing, Williams’ attorney, Laura Sheppard, argued that the 50-years-to-life sentence imposed in 2002 amounts to the functional equivalent of life without the possibility of parole.
According to KTLA’s San Diego sister station KUSI, the judge agreed that Williams met the criteria for resentencing, including being under 18 at the time of the shooting.
“In my opinion, he would have never been sent to adult court in the first place because he was so young at the time of his crime. He should have been subject to juvenile rehabilitation measures, and we should have provided him with therapy and treatment,” Sheppard told the court.
Prosecutors countered that the sentence does not qualify as the functional equivalent of life without parole and said current law already gives Williams future opportunities for youthful and elder parole.
“This defendant carried out a calculated, cold-blooded attack during which he executed two young students and shot 11 other students and two school officials, forever traumatizing a community,” San Diego County District Attorney Summer Stephan said in a statement. “At some point, our laws must balance the rights of defendants, the rights of victims, and the rights of the community to be safe. Many school shooters are young, so what message does our legislature want to give them to deter them from carrying out horrific shootings?”
A juvenile court hearing in the case is scheduled for Feb. 9.
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