Convicted Napa County gang killer denied parole
(BCN) — A man convicted of a 1998 gang-related murder has been denied parole, Napa County District Attorney Allison Haley announced Thursday. Convicted murderer Jose Humberto Marin, 43, will remain in jail for his role in the 1998 gang-related murder of Michael Arreguin, who was 18 at the time.
The California Board of Parole Hearings denied Marin parole for three years on Jan. 4 in a hearing at California State Prison, Solano. Marin was convicted of second-degree murder, along with several special allegations and a gang enhancement.
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On May 16, 1998. Arreguin and a fellow Norteno gang member were on Brown Street, near Lincoln Avenue in Napa, with a flat tire when Marin drove by with his fellow Sureno gang members and shot Arreguin in the face, killing him.
In May 2000, a Napa jury convicted Marin of second-degree murder, and the special allegations of principal’s use of a firearm, principal’s discharge of a firearm, principal’s discharge of a firearm proximately causing great bodily injury and a gang enhancement. Marin was sentenced to 40 years to life in state prison. He was 17 at the time of the murder, making him eligible for youth offender parole in 2022.
Marin waived his right to a parole hearing in 2022 for one year, making him eligible for a subsequent parole hearing in 2023. The parole board denied his parole for three years, noting concerns with Marin’s continued gang involvement and criminal behavior while incarcerated, as well as alleged substance abuse issues.
Napa County Deputy District Attorney Colleen McMahon appeared at the hearing and argued against the release of Marin based upon the cruelty and callousness of the murder and his gang associations.
She said the killing was the first gang-related killing in Napa County.
“The Napa DA’s office is pleased that the board of parole hearings prioritized public safety in its decision to deny Mr. Marin’s parole,” McMahon said, in a statement. “The denial of Mr. Marin’s parole serves as a reminder that the consequences of one’s choices extend beyond personal experience, they impact the wellbeing of our entire community.”
The DA’s office said in a statement the killing “sparked several retaliatory shootings and rallied the community to meet the threats and challenges that gangs presented back then and continue to do so today in Napa County.”
The DA’s office said Marin’s fellow gang members Jacob Wayne Hutchins, 45; Gonzalo Serafin Alcala, 41; and Robert Cendejas, 42; were also convicted and sent to prison for the murder. Cendejas and Hutchins were granted parole in 2023 and 2019, respectively. Alcala continues to serve his sentence at Folsom State Prison and has a parole suitability hearing date tentatively scheduled in December 2025.
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