Family of Orange County killer's victims fights his parole

SANTA ANA, Calif. (KABC) -- To Lynette Duncan, Brett Thomas is a serial killer who robbed her of her family nearly 40 years ago.

"This man should never be allowed out," said Duncan, who spoke at a news conference in Santa Ana before heading to San Diego for Thomas' parole hearing.

In 1977, Duncan had to tell her 11-year-old sister that their father Aubrey had been shot and killed in their doorway, their older sister Denise was dead and their mother Nadine was shot and injured.

"That's the day that she learned the bogeyman existed and evil was real and his name was Brett Thomas," Duncan said.

Thomas, then 18, and Mark Titch went on a nine-day killing spree, murdering four innocent strangers -- Aubrey Duncan, 53, Denise Duncan, 18, Ephraim Christian, 35, and Laura Stoughton, 20 -- during robbery or burglary attempts in Orange County.

Thomas, now 56, is up for parole.

"There's so much pain that you can't even imagine. Whenever we have a parole hearing, I have to re-live that pain all over again," Duncan said.

Duncan, the Orange County District Attorney and victims' rights leaders traveled to San Diego to ask the parole board not to let him out.

The district attorney said that while in custody, Thomas violated nearly 60 prison rules, including violence and drug-related violations.

"Thomas' disobedient behavior, even in a controlled environment, shows he poses an unreasonable danger to the public," Orange County District Attorney Tony Rackauckas said.

Since Marsy's Law was passed in 2008, victims' family members have more input during the parole process. The law was sponsored by Broadcom executive Henry Nicholas, after his sister Marsy's murder.

Nicholas says because of the provisions in Marsy's Law, the parole board has the option after denying parole to defer a following hearing for up to 15 years, instead of five.

"I will continue to appear at every parole hearing until he dies or I do," vowed Duncan.

Co-defendant Titch died of natural causes last year in prison.