News Releases

Tommy Lee Wickerd resentenced to 25 years in prison based on exceptional conduct recommendation from the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation (CDCR)

LANCASTER, CA – A Los Angeles County Superior Court judge today resentenced Tommy Lee Wickerd to 25 years in prison, having previously granted a petition for resentencing based on an exceptional conduct recommendation from the Secretary of California's Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation (CDCR), on Wickerd’s behalf. 

The Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office initially opposed resentencing in April 2025, but reached an agreement with Wickerd’s attorney for a modified sentence after Los Angeles County Superior Court Judge Michelle DeCasas granted his petition, paving the way for release. An important factor in Wickerd’s petition for resentencing was his unblemished record of exceptional conduct while incarcerated, without a single violation of prison rules after more than 23 years. 

“These decisions should never be taken lightly and require careful review of the totality of the circumstances,” Los Angeles County District Attorney Nathan J. Hochman said. “In this case, Mr. Wickerd has been a model prisoner who has changed the course of his life by walking on a path of redemption. The scales of justice are meant to be balanced, and our role as prosecutors is not only to protect public safety but to pursue justice that is proportional, no matter what avenue is taken.” 

Before resentencing today, District Attorney Hochman personally met with members of the victim’s family. He acknowledged their “deep and lasting pain” and explained that, based on recent changes in the law, Wickerd’s record of exceptional conduct in prison would lead to his imminent release. 

Wickerd, now 58, was sentenced to 57 years in prison after being convicted of the January 2002 fatal shooting of Timothy Carter. According to CDCR, with or without his record of exceptional conduct, he is eligible for elderly parole in less than two years.

According to witnesses who knew them both, Wickerd and Carter were caught up in a violent feud that erupted in numerous physical altercations. It appears that he and the victim each had a child with the same woman (two boys who were eventually raised as half-brothers), and this was the main source of conflict between them. Wickerd shot the victim multiple times, then put Carter’s body in the trunk of a stolen car. The smoldering wreckage was found the following day, with Carter’s incinerated remains.

In September 2005, Wickerd pleaded guilty to one felony count of voluntary manslaughter with gun and gang enhancements, and admitted a prior strike. Wickerd must remove his prison gang tattoos as a part of today’s stipulation, and has agreed this requirement will become a condition of his parole.

Judge DeCasas presided over today’s proceedings. CDCR will calculate Wickerd’s remaining sentence and determine when he will be released, likely in the coming months.

Wickerd has spent more than 23 years in prison, where he has served as president of a running club, established an American Sign Language class for deaf or hard-of-hearing inmates and earned a General Educational Development (GED) degree. District Attorney Hochman met Wickerd last month at a symposium at the San Quentin Rehabilitation Center where some of the top prosecutors from across California looked at ways to strengthen public safety while ensuring accountability and rehabilitation.

Wickerd’s story has been featured in the documentaries “26.2 to Life” and “Friendly Signs.”

Deputy District Attorney Michael Blake of the Crimes Against Peace Officers Division prosecuted the case.