Parole denied to inmate in violent 2005 attack on Santa Rosa teen

Parole was denied Tuesday to a Santa Rosa man who, while still a teenager, was convicted of kidnapping, torturing and sodomizing another teen boy.

Eddie Menefee, 29, has been serving a prison sentence of 15 years to life for the 2005 attack. Menefee was 16 at the time he violently attacked the 15-year-old, who was hospitalized for three days with bleeding on the brain, facial fractures and other serious injuries.

A detective testified that Menefee, a gang member on probation for possession of a deadly weapon and burglary, said he wanted to “teach the victim a lesson.” Menefee was set to be tried as an adult when he accepted a plea bargain.

The boy’s mother testified about the impact of the attack at Menefee’s parole hearing in prison in San Luis Obispo, according to a release from the Sonoma County District Attorney’s Office.

“We believe that this inmate is a current danger to the community and are in agreement with the decision to deny parole at this time,” District Attorney Ravitch said in the statement. The board denied Menefee parole for three years.