Parole board considering release of rapist convicted in IE, originally sentenced to 170 years
SACRAMENTO, Calif. (KABC) -- Cody Klemp, a three-time convicted rapist who was originally sentenced to 170 years in California state prison, was deemed eligible for parole last year.
He was convicted in 1994 of 40 felonies involving the repeated rape of his 14-year-old niece in Moreno Valley.
On Tuesday, the victim of his most recent rape nearly 30 years ago addressed the state's board of parole hearings, urging board members to overrule the decision and keep him behind bars.
"I stand here asking you, will you protect us," asked the victim, identified as Jane Doe #5. "Will you keep the monster locked in the only cage that's ever been able to protect us?"
Klemp, 67, is eligible for parole under the state's Elderly Parole Program, which was altered in 2021 to allow certain offenders over the age of 50, who've served at least 20 years of their sentence, to seek parole.
After the hearing, the board decided to grant a rescission hearing sometime within the next 120 days to decide whether it made the correct decision in granting Klemp parole in November, 2023. Klemp remains in state prison pending the hearing.
For the victim, it means she will likely have to appear yet again before the parole board sometime in the future, to again urge them to deny Klemp parole.
IE rape victim furious that her attacker could soon be released, despite 170-year prison sentence
"I have 120 seconds to convince you why is unsafe to release a five-time rapist; a rapist who after his fourth rape sought custody of me, making me victim number five," said Jane Doe #5.
More than a dozen people spoke out against Klemp's release, including the victim, family members of the victim, and officials with the district attorney's office. No one spoke in favor of Klemp's release.
"We need to make sure you're making the right decision and not releasing a violent sexual predator," said Kamaria Henry, managing deputy district attorney. "I would submit to you that it is not safe to do so."
The original trial prosecutor at the case also spoke out against Klemp's release, saying he's never accepted responsibility for his crimes.
"He's a liar who continues to change his story to fit his audience," said Eileen Hunt during the hearing. "In October of 2020, 26 years after his convictions, three years before this parole hearing, and after having admitted (to the crimes) in 2019, he's again professing his innocence.
"He filed a motion with the Riverside court to say that his brother was the rapist, not him. That's a first, we didn't hear about it at the trial."
Besides his 1994 conviction, Klemp had previously been convicted of rape in 1976 and again in 1981. Two other alleged rape cases never made it trial because of lack of evidence.
The panel also heard from the victim's husband.
"This is the longest he's gone in his entire life without raping a woman or child. Do you know why? Because he's been in prison," said the victim's husband. "Let that sink in: The only thing that has stopped him from raping and physically abusing women and children has been the fact that he's incarcerated."
Correction: In an earlier version of this report, a statement made at the parole hearing was erroneously attributed to the victim's son. The remarks were made by her husband.
