SAN DIEGO - A man convicted of the brutal murder of a 16-year-old in 1988 has been granted parole.
Mark Alan Radke, 50, was granted parole during a parole board hearing at San Quentin State Prison. Radke, who had been serving a sentence of 25 years to life sentence, was convicted in 1990 of first-degree murder in the death of Mira Mesa High student Jeff Rudiger.
The grant will now go under the required legal review for a maximum of 120 days, before going to Governor Jerry Brown for review.
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Police said in Jan. 1988, Radke, who was 20 years-old at the time, handcuffed his 16-year-old co-worker, slashed him with a knife and beat him to death with a hammer. He then dumped his body in the alley of a Scripps Ranch commercial complex, where it was found a day after Rudiger's disappearance.
The two worked together at a Chuck E. Cheese location in Mira Mesa. No motive was established for the murder.
Jeff's sister, Kelly Rudiger, sat in the parole hearing room Thursday, along with her mother and younger brother. She spoke with 10News by phone.
"This is our third parole hearing," she said. "Our life is turned into shamble and we are always nervous, we never thought today would happen."
Rudiger said, during the hearing, Radke never made eye contact with the family.
When asked how Radke behaving during the hearing, Rudiger said:
"He still says he wasn't involved. No emotion whatsoever; still in denial."
Rudiger said she was disturbed by the parole panel's comments.
"They felt that time has gone by and he's probably not a threat and deserved a chance," she said. "We don't feel he deserves a chance that Jeffrey never got."
The overwhelming emotion for Kelly is sadness but she's also planning to fight Radke's release. The governor still has to approve it.
"When we contact the governor's office (we're going to) ask him to review the decision and please keep this dangerous person behind bars," she said.
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Radke was up for parole in 2006, but denied.
