Mother Pleads to Keep Killer in Jail

The mother of a San Diego State student is pleading with the Governor to keep her child's killer behind bars.

In 2007, John Burgess pleaded guilty to involuntary manslaughter and concealing the death of 19-year-old Donna Jou, now after serving just 2 years of his 5-year sentence, he is being released.

Jou's mother turned to lawmakers to fight Burgess' release.

"I need justice for my daughter, justice hasn't been done," said Nilo Jou. "I want to let everybody to know that a sex offender is getting out and he will strike again."

Jou's body was never found, but investigators believe Jou likely died of a drug overdose and was dumped by Burgess into the ocean somewhere off the Southern California coast.

John Steven Burgess, a convicted sex offender, will be paroled this Friday for good behavior.

When asked by Deputy District Attorney David Walgren to describe the circumstances of Jou's death, Burgess said he answered an advertisement she placed on craigslist.org and brought her to his Palms area house, where there was alcohol and drugs, including marijuana, cocaine and heroin.

"I gave her some," Burgess said, as the victim's family sat two rows behind him in court.

Burgess said he awoke in the morning and "she was gone... she was dead."

"I just, I panicked and got scared and... I made a really bad decision. And I went down to my sailboat and I just, I gave her to the sea," he said.

"Did you put her body in the ocean?" the prosecutor asked.

"Yes, sir," Burgess responded.

Jou's father, Reza, told a Los Angeles television station that was notified that Burgess will be released on parole Friday April 15.

"He is going to be free again to destroy other families, to destroy other children so this is not right," Jou told KABC. "This guy does not belong to the society. He has to be incarcerated. He has to be kept behind bars."

Jou was an honors student at San Diego State University.
 

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