While serving a robbery sentence in California’s super-maximum security Pelican Bay prison in 1993, Giuffra, now 71, wrote a letter to prosecutors confessing to the March 7, 1984, killing of 56-year-old Thomas Jefferson Wells and the shooting of Wells’ son, Master Kim Wells.
In 1994, Giuffra was sentenced to 17 years to life after being convicted of the elder Wells’ murder. By then, the statute of limitations had run out on his shooting of the younger Wells, who died of AIDs his family said he contracted from a blood transfusion received the day of the shooting.
Members of the Wells family live in the Springfield and Urbana areas. Thomas Wells’ grandson and Kim Wells’ son, Noah Wells, discovered only last month that Giuffra had been convicted.
Morrison, who is sending information to the family about how to submit statements for the parole hearing, said Giuffra was transferred this week to the maximum security Calipatria State Prison near California’s Mexican border.
His incarceration there is due to a “very high” score on the Department of Corrections’ behavior rating system, indicating bad behavior, Morrison said.
“It’s because of his violation of the rules,” including violations that “involve felony conduct” had he been prosecuted for them, Morrison said. “His record would not be supportive of release.”
Morrison added that Giuffra, who likely will turn 72 before his hearing, “does have an immigration hold to Peru.”
That means should he be released, he would be deported. Giuffra was in the country illegally when he shot the Wellses over a rental dispute they were having with the mother of one of Giuffra’s children.
Giuffra admitted in a parole hearing that he had been drinking heavily, and both using and selling cocaine at the time.
He has written a letter of apology to the family.
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