Court Won’t Free ‘Onion Field’ Killer
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SAN FRANCISCO — The California Supreme Court has refused to free “onion field” killer Gregory Ulas Powell on bail while the justices decide if he was improperly denied parole.
Justice Allen Broussard signed the one-line order Wednesday denying Powell’s request for release while the court reviews the legality of the controversial revocation of Powell’s 1983 parole date.
Powell and Jimmy Lee Smith were convicted of the kidnap-murder of Los Angeles Police Officer Ian Campbell, who was shot to death in an onion field in 1963.
The story of the killing and subsequent court hearings became the focus of Joseph Wambaugh’s popular book “The Onion Field” and a movie of the same name.
The state Supreme Court agreed in April to review a decision by the state Board of Prison Terms to deny parole to Powell. The board had reversed an earlier ruling by a previous parole panel to set Powell’s release for October, 1983.
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