Convicted killer of Cloverdale ice cream man to be released

A convicted killer from Santa Rosa is expected to be released on parole, drawing criticism from the victim’s friends and family and Sonoma County’s district attorney.

Fidencio Chavez Jr, 60, was granted parole on Jan. 25 after being denied four times since his 1992 murder conviction, according to records from the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation.

Gov. Gavin Newsom, who can deny parole, has decided not to intervene, the Sonoma County District Attorney’s Office said Wednesday as part of its announcement of Chavez’s parole.

Newsom’s office couldn’t be immediately reached for comment Wednesday afternoon but Sonoma County District Attorney Carla Rodriguez criticized the decision to release Chavez from prison.

“The crime committed by Fidencio Chavez was an extremely brutal, vicious attack on a 62-year-old man,” Rodriguez said in a statement. “My office has continued to voice our opposition to this inmate’s release as we believe he still poses a significant risk to the community.”

Relatives of Frank Tassara, the man Chavez killed, who contacted The Press Democrat in recent weeks, have also been critical of the decision to let him out of prison.

Chavez was convicted of killing Tassara, a Santa Rosa resident, who worked as an ice cream vendor in Cloverdale.

On Aug. 24, 1991, Tassara had his throat slashed and suffered 27 knife wounds, authorities said.

It wasn’t immediately clear where the killing took place.

He was discovered in a shallow grave on a Cloverdale-area ranch managed by Chavez's father after a hot air balloonist landed there and stumbled on a blood-soaked jacket.

Chavez, an acquaintance, was arrested, tried and convicted of first-degree murder. He was sentenced to 26 years to life in prison.

CDCR records show Chavez was denied parole in 2008, 2013, 2017 and 2020.

According to the District Attorney’s Office, Chavez changed his version of events several times when interviewed by officials following his conviction.

He claimed Tassara was armed and the killing was in self-defense. Later, Chavez stated that he killed Tassara while under the influence of drugs and alcohol.

In a third statement to parole officials, Chavez claimed he killed Tassara because the victim talked badly about him.

In January, Chavez attended a parole hearing at the California Medical Facility Prison in Vacaville, where the California Board of Prison Terms ruled he was suitable for release.

You can reach Staff Writer Colin Atagi at colin.atagi@pressdemocrat.com. On Twitter @colin_atagi