Paso Robles Woman Went Missing in May of 2018
SAN LUIS OBISPO — San Luis Obispo County District Attorney Dan Dow announced Thursday, Oct. 24, he will be seeking life in prison without the possibility of parole instead of the death penalty for Carlo Alberto Fuentes-Flores, who is accused of murdering Nancy Woodrum of Paso Robles.
In addition to the first-degree murder charge, a special circumstance alleges that Fuentes-Flores, 43, committed the murder while committing rape and residential burglary.
If convicted of first-degree murder and the special circumstance, Fuentes-Flores would be subject to a sentence of death or life in prison without the possibility of parole under California law. This places on the elected District Attorney the legal authority to pursue either the death penalty or life in prison without the possibility of parole.
“As long as the death penalty is a lawful sentence in California, I will continue to perform my duty in a thoughtful and deliberate manner, considering all of the facts, when deciding whether or not the death penalty is appropriate,” said District Attorney Dan Dow.
The decision, in this case, to seek life in prison without the possibility of parole, rather than the death penalty, was made after careful consideration of all facts related to the case and the background of the defendant. Additionally, the District Attorney consulted with surviving family members of Woodrum and the involved investigative personnel. The District Attorney also met with the assigned defense counsel who provided relevant background on the defendant for consideration.
On Dec. 20, 2018, Fuentes-Flores was charged with the premeditated murder of Woodrum, 62, after a nearly eight-month missing person investigation led to his arrest.
Woodrum went missing in May of 2018. Her body was found Dec. 18. Fuentes-Flores, who was questioned the morning of Dec. 18, led detectives to a woman’s body identified as Woodrum later that same day in a rural area off of Highway 58 in the east end of the county, approximately a 30-minute drive from Woodrum’s property in rural Paso Robles. She was last seen at her home in the 5800 block of El Pharo Drive on May 4.
Fuentes-Flores had limited contact with Woodrum, according to the Sheriff’s Office, he worked on her property as a painter. No motive for the murder was announced at the time of the arrest.
