Modesto Man Who Fatally Shot Wife In Head And Blamed Her For It Denied Parole For Fifth Time
MODESTO (CBS13) – The Stanislaus County District Attorney's Office announced Friday that a Modesto man who shot and killed his wife during an argument nearly 30 years ago and blamed her for it has been denied parole.
On June 22, 1988, Manuel DaSilva, 75, pleaded no contest to second-degree murder and was sentenced to 15 years to life in prison, John Goold, public information liaison with the district attorney's office said in a news release.
The agency said witnesses said they heard DaSilva say "My wife, she's no good, I kill this wife, she ruined my life." Law enforcement said DaSilva blamed his wife after he shot her in the head on July 5, 1992. The district attorney's office said DaSilva claimed he had no intent to kill her, and they said his wife also suffered a skull fracture after being struck .22 caliber rifle.
The district attorney's office said in the five years between the murder and DaSilva's no contest plea, he was repeatedly deemed incompetent to stand trial and was a patient at various mental hospitals. It wasn't until October 1997 that he was declared mentally fit to stand trial.
The district attorney's office said refused multiple times to be interviewed by a prison psychologist, who said he believed DaSilva posed a risk to public safety if released.
This was DaSilva's fifth parole hearing, the agency said, and he is eligible for his next one at an earlier date due to his age.
