Man Serving 3rd Strike In Sonoma County Underwear Theft Case Denied Parole Again

SONOMA COUNTY, CA — A man serving a life sentence for a 2004 home burglary in Sonoma County was denied parole for the second time.

California’s parole board denied the release of Billy Ray Shanee Maldonado, whose theft of a woman’s underwear from her Sonoma County garage triggered a third-strike life sentence.

The California Board of Parole said Maldonado still poses an unreasonable risk to the public, according to the Sonoma County District Attorney’s Office following the Wednesday morning hearing at Mule Creek State Prison in Amador County.

A Sonoma County jury convicted Maldonado in 2004 of first-degree residential burglary, prowling, and resisting arrest.

Maldonado entered the woman’s attached garage and stole her underwear. Police responded to her call and caught him attempting to flee from her yard. Officers found three pairs of her underwear "on or near him."

The district attorney’s office said the woman was home alone with her three children.

Moldanado had been convicted in San Bernardino County of sexually assaulting an 8-year-old girl.

He was also convicted in Inyo County for other felonies, and had two assault convictions from 1978 and two convictions from 1989 for sexual offenses against a child younger than 14.

The trial court originally sentenced Maldonado to 25 years to life for the burglary, plus seven years in sentencing enhancements.

During a 2024 resentencing, the court removed the enhancements but declined his request to strike the prior strike convictions. His sentence remained 25 years to life.

In its 2025 decision, the appeals court directed the trial court to vacate a $10,000 restitution fine and calculate his custody credits. It otherwise affirmed the judgment.

He will be eligible for a parole hearing in three years.