OCEANSIDE, Calif. (KGTV) - The parents of a murdered Oceanside woman are battling to keep their daughter's killer in prison as his parole hearing approaches this Friday.
Claudia and Glenn Sinkule are experiencing overwhelming emotions as they prepare to testify against Eric Marum, who brutally killed their daughter Nicole in 2005.
"I have panic attacks, I walk in circles," Claudia Sinkule said.
"I feel helpless," Glenn Sinkule said.
Marum killed his 24-year-old girlfriend Nicole with a claw hammer as she lay sleeping in her Oceanside apartment. He had a previous record of domestic violence and was high on methamphetamine.
"He was found with the hammer standing above her. He had hit her 13 times, came back and hit her one more time and left the hammer in her head," Claudia Sinkule said.
After pleading guilty to second degree murder, Marum received a sentence of 16 years to life. Nearly two decades later, in 2021, the parole board ruled that Marum—who had mentored at-risk youth and worked as an addiction treatment counselor in prison—was suitable for release.
In response, the Sinkules led a campaign to reverse the decision that received national attention, including an appearance with TV host Nancy Grace.
In Governor Newsom's reversal of the parole decision, he pointed to Marum's need for more coping strategies to prevent drug relapse and additional work to reduce the risk of violence against women.
Marum's next chance at release came in 2023, when the parole board denied him. On Friday, he will once again have a chance at parole.
The couple has started an online petition opposing his release, which has collected more than 3,300 signatures.
When asked about their fears if Marum is released, Claudia Sinkule responded, "I fear for young women he may come in contact with if he gets out."
The couple believes Marum's violent nature makes him a danger to society. Both are determined to once again make their feelings known at Friday's virtual parole hearing.
"We want to give her justice. We're here to fight until we die for that justice to be brought to her," Glenn Sinkule said.
The Sinkules say they're prepared to launch another campaign to appeal to the governor if the parole board recommends release.
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