SAN DIEGO — A second juvenile court judge ruled Monday that Charles Andrew Williams, the man convicted in the 2001 Santana High School shooting, will remain in state prison while his case navigates the appellate courts.

The ruling came after Williams' attorney asked a different judge to release him from custody entirely while the appeals process plays out. The judge declined, but did give Williams the option to file for a transfer to a local jail — something his attorney, Laura Sheppard, said she is considering.

Williams, now 40, has been incarcerated for nearly 25 years after opening fire at Santana High School in Santee on March 5, 2001, killing two students and wounding 13 others. He was 15 years old at the time and was tried as an adult, receiving a 50-year-to-life sentence with the possibility of parole.

In January 2026, a judge vacated that sentence — a legal development that does not erase his convictions, but opens the door to resentencing under newer California laws allowing people convicted as adults for crimes committed as minors to seek a new hearing. The San Diego County District Attorney's Office immediately appealed. "We respect the court's decision in the superior court granting the recall of sentence, but we also disagree with that, and so we're exercising our right and duty to the public to appeal that decision," Deputy District Attorney Nicole Roth said Monday.

Grossmont Union High School District Superintendent Dr. Kirsten Vital Brulte separately sent a letter to District Attorney Summer Stephan supporting the appeal, calling the potential release "a failure of justice for the victims and survivors" and "a dangerous precedent that undermines the safety of the educational environment."

The case carries a legal complication: Williams' original sentence carried the possibility of parole — not life without parole — making his eligibility under the new resentencing statute legally uncertain, according to the DA's office. Williams had a parole hearing in 2024 and was found unsuitable for release; his next scheduled parole hearing is in 2027. A status check in juvenile court is set for June 22, though that date could shift depending on the appellate court's timeline.

Source: CBS 8 San Diego