Charles Andrew “Andy” Williams, who killed two students and wounded 13 others in a mass shooting at a San Diego High School in 2001, is eligible for resentencing under California juvenile offender laws, a San Diego Superior Court judge ruled Tuesday. The ruling prompted an immediate appeal from prosecutors.
Williams, now 39, was 15 years old when he opened fire at Santana High School on March 5, 2001, killing 14-year-old Bryan Zuckor and 17-year-old Randy Gordon. Eleven other students and two school staff members were wounded in the rampage.
Superior Court Judge Lisa Rodriguez granted Williams’ petition to recall his 50-years-to-life sentence, ruling that the lengthy prison term is equivalent to life without parole for a juvenile and makes him eligible for relief under a Democrat-backed 2017 California leniency law.
The decision transfers his case to juvenile court, where he could be released from prison with no further custody and two years of juvenile probation.
“This court, irrespective of the impact on the victims and their families, must apply the framework of the statute and determine whether Mr. Williams is eligible to have his sentence recalled,” Rodriguez said.
Williams, who attended the hearing remotely from California State Prison in Chino, broke down in tears when the judge issued her ruling.
San Diego County District Attorney Summer Stephan announced plans to appeal the decision to the Court of Appeal and, if necessary, the California Supreme Court.
“This defendant carried out a calculated, cold-blooded attack during which he executed two young students and shot 11 other students and two school officials, forever traumatizing a community,” Stephan said. “As prosecutors, our duty is to ensure justice for victims and protect public safety, and the defendant’s cruel actions in this case continue to warrant the 50-years-to-life sentence that was imposed.”
Deputy District Attorney Nicole Roth argued Williams was ineligible for resentencing because he was not sentenced to life without parole.
She said the original sentencing judge made a “deliberate decision not to impose the functional equivalent of life without parole” and noted an appellate court had previously found Williams’ sentence was not cruel and unusual.
Williams’ attorney, Laura Sheppard, argued California law changed so that a 14 or 15-year-old cannot be prosecuted as an adult.
“I know it’s not easy, I know his crime hurt a lot of people 25 years ago, but the law has changed in California,” Sheppard said. Rodriguez cited appellate rulings that found 50-years-to-life sentences don’t allow juvenile defendants to become meaningful members of society as the law intended.
The shooting began when Williams entered a boys’ bathroom at Santana High with a revolver taken from his father’s locked gun cabinet. He shot a student inside the restroom, then emerged to fire at others in the hallway and quad area. Witnesses described him as calm and methodical, returning to the bathroom to reload multiple times before continuing to shoot. He was arrested without resistance.
Williams pleaded guilty in 2002 to two counts of murder and 13 counts of attempted murder and was sentenced as an adult to 50 years to life in state prison. The California Board of Parole Hearings denied his release in September 2024, finding he still posed a public safety risk.
Victims and survivors of the mass school shooting expressed anger and frustration at Tuesday’s ruling.
“It is not okay that he was able to give two life sentences on March 5, 2001, and then he’s going to get released because we don’t think it’s fair for juveniles to stay in prison for life,” said Heather Cruz Sikora, 40, who was shot in the legs as a 15-year-old sophomore.