Two of the three teenagers who carried out one of California’s most infamous murders in the 1990s — a killing that became emblematic of the “satanic panic” sweeping the country at the time — are now free men.
Royce Casey and Jacob Delashmutt, both 47, were released from prison in recent weeks after being granted parole. Each had served 28 years of a 25-to-life sentence for the 1995 murder of 15-year-old Elyse Pahler, a high school sophomore from Arroyo Grande.
The facts of the case remain as unsettling today as they did nearly three decades ago. Casey, Delashmutt, and their friend Joseph Fiorella lured Elyse out of her home on the night of June 22, 1995. Believing she was sneaking off to hang out with friends, she instead followed them into a eucalyptus grove where the three attacked her. Prosecutors said the boys — then just 15, 16, and 17 — stabbed her repeatedly in what they described as a satanic ritual.
The teenagers were consumed with the idea that murdering a virgin would help them become better musicians, drawing on the imagery of the death metal music they idolized. Elyse was left buried in a shallow grave just a short distance from her home, her disappearance initially chalked up to a runaway case.
For months, no one knew the truth. The three boys went on with their lives until Casey, wracked by guilt, confessed to a clergyman eight months later and led investigators to Elyse’s body. By then, it had mummified in the grove’s dry air. His confession cracked open the case, leading to charges of murder and kidnapping against all three.
Casey and Delashmutt pleaded no contest in 1997 and received sentences of 25 years to life. Fiorella, who prosecutors portrayed as the most violent of the group, cut a deal for 26 years to life. All three admitted their crime, though over the years, the depth of their remorse and their credibility has been debated.
The parole process has been long and contentious. Both Casey and Delashmutt were first approved for release in 2023, only to see those decisions overturned by Governor Gavin Newsom. This year, however, their cases moved forward. Delashmutt’s release was opposed by the Pahler family, who continue to view him as the ringleader.
Fiorella, the youngest of the trio, remains behind bars. He is scheduled for a parole hearing in June.
The case continues to echo far beyond San Luis Obispo County. At the time, it fueled headlines across the country about youth, heavy metal, and the dangers of cult-like thinking. Years later, it would inspire Diablo Cody’s cult horror film Jennifer’s Body, proof of how deeply this story lingered in the culture.
But for Elyse’s family, the story is not cinematic. It is raw loss. She was 15 years old, a teenager whose life was cut short by three classmates chasing a delusion. Today, two of them are walking free.
