Home Crime DA’s Office Vehemently Opposes Parole of Anthony Waiters, Convicted Child Torturer

DA’s Office Vehemently Opposes Parole of Anthony Waiters, Convicted Child Torturer

Press Release

by ECT

The San Joaquin County District Attorney’s Office and Tracy Police Department held a joint press conference today to address concerns over the parole of inmate Anthony Vincent Waiters, who was convicted in 2011 of torturing and beating a shackled teen named Kyle.

The victim, a sixteen-year old teenage boy who was supposed to be in custody of Sacramento County Child Protective Services, was chained to a fireplace in the Schumacher residence in Tracy, California. He was beaten, starved, and tortured over a yearlong period at the hands of the Schumachers, Anthony Waiters, and Caren Ramirez. Inmate Anthony Waiters was granted parole by the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation (CDCR) over the San Joaquin County District Attorney’s Office objection in March of 2022. At the request of Governor Newsom, inmate Waiters remains in custody until after an En Banc hearing with the CDCR Executive Board on Tuesday, August 16, 2022 at 9:00AM. Upon the Board’s review and approval of the original parole decision, Mr. Waiters will tentatively be released from prison as early as August 19, 2022.

“Releasing Anthony Waiters on a grant of parole will be an act of injustice to the victim, our community, and it would also pose a public safety risk,” said District Attorney Tori Verber Salazar. “Anthony Waiters was an active participant in the torture of a defenseless teenage boy. This is not a case to grant parole.”

“The fact that Anthony Waiters is even being considered for parole is a travesty of justice. There is a desperate need to ensure punishment fits the crime,” said Deputy District Attorney Angela Hayes, the prosecuting attorney on the case. “Kyle faced horrific circumstances and to this day, carries the physical and mental scars inflicted by inmate Waiters. The systems in place to protect and place children in safe homes failed Kyle once. Allowing Anthony Waiters parole would only fail Kyle again.”

“If released, inmate Waiters would return to our Tracy community.  I have already been contacted by witnesses in this case, who remain fearful of the death threats made to them by Anthony Waiters, who would return to the home in which he lived while torturing Kyle,” said Tracy Police Department Chief Sekou Millington. “There is no room for this evil in our city or any city for that matter.   I speak for the community of Tracy when I say; I am vehemently opposed to the release of inmate Waiters.”

The San Joaquin County District Attorney’s Office and the Tracy Police Department urge our community members to attend the En Banc hearing via the online portalor in person at 1515 K Street, Suite 550, Sacramento, CA 95814. Public comment will be limited to two minutes per individual. In lieu of attending the meeting, members of our community may also submit a written statement for consideration. Statements pertaining to the release of inmate Waiters must be emailed to[email protected]and received before the start of the hearing.

FACTUAL SUMMARY OF EVENTS

In 2008, Anthony Waiters lived at his family home in Tracy, California, where he worked as a youth football coach and mentor. He lived next door to the Schumacher family. Inmate Waiters would spend a lot of time at the Schumacher residence, as he and Michael Schmacher were friends and would drink together.

The victim was a sixteen-year-old teenage boy placed in the custody of Sacramento County Child Protective Services as a result of abuse inflicted by Caren Ramirez. Her adult daughter then abducted Kyle and Caren Ramirez ultimately took him to live with the Schumachers in late August of 2007. The victim was not enrolled in the local school district and was not allowed to leave the home. By the end of 2007, the victim was chained to the fireplace in the Schumacher residence, suffering from abuse at the hands of the Schumachers, Caren Ramirez, and inmate Waiters. He was routinely tortured with knives, a baseball bat, corrosive substances, and frequently beaten.

At jury trial, the victim testified that he initially slept on a couch in the living room where the fireplace was located, but was eventually shackled by chain and forced to sleep on the brick hearth. He was not allowed to shower, and would be taken outside where he would either be hosed down or doused with hot water. He was initially zip-tied to restrain his movement in order to prevent him from stealing food.  The victim was so malnourished that at the age of sixteen he still had not entered puberty.

During one incident of abuse, inmate Waiters sliced the victim’s right forearm with a steak knife approximately 4-5 times while Caren Ramirez held down his arm.  This was apparently to punish Kyle for insulting inmate Waiters’ brother, whom he had met at a Fourth of July party. They then poured bleach, salt and butter in the wound, and wrapped it in tissue and tape.

Michael Schumacher and Anthony Waiters frequently used a belt to inflict harm on the victim. During one incident, inmate Schumacher used a belt to choke the victim while Anthony Waiters punched the victim with his fists. On another specific occasion, inmate Waiters wore boxing gloves to protect his own hands, and pummeled the victim’s body as he was chained helplessly to the fireplace. At one point during the assault, the victim lost consciousness, fell onto the still burning fireplace grate, and was left there for an extended period, resulting in third degree burns. The victim has visible scarring because of the constant abuse that will serve as a reminder of the horrors he endured.

On December 1, 2008, the victim figured out how to unchain himself. Caren Ramirez tragically noticed his first attempt. She promptly secured the victim, sliced his back with a meat cleaver, and called Michael Schumacher and Anthony Waiters. The victim overheard the conversation, and believed that inmate Waiters and inmate Schumacher would murder him upon their return. The victim knew his only chance at survival was to try to escape a second time. He waited until Caren Ramirez had left the room, unchained himself as quietly as possible, and ran to the backyard. The victim jumped on the trampoline to launch himself over the retaining wall, and ran into the In-Shape City Gym located directly behind the Schumacher home.  The gym’s security camera footage showed the victim desperately making his way into the building and begging for help from the reception staff.  He was emaciated, dirty, and dragging the chain embedded in his ankle.

Anthony Waiters, the Schumachers, and Caren Ramirez all observed, encouraged, and participated in the victim’s long-term abuse. Inmate Waiters- a man who worked with and coached children- did nothing to end the abuse or seek medical assistance for the victim. The San Joaquin County District Attorney’s Office requests Anthony Waiters’ parole be denied to ensure he is appropriately punished for his atrocious behavior, and the public is appropriately protected from future victimization.

The San Joaquin County District Attorney’s Office Letter of Opposition and Kyle’s impact statement, as well as the Governor’s letter ordering the En Banc hearing are below.

  • DA Press Releaseclick here
  • Opposition to Early Grant of Parole click here
  • INDETERMINATE SENTENCE PAROLE RELEASE REVIEW REQUEST FOR EN BANC REVIEWclick here

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2 comments

Karla Aug 10, 2022 - 10:04 pm

All those monsters need to be shackled and sent to the electric chair. No need to waste our money on keeping them locked up. These people who won’t change. It’s time they enforce the death penalty & clear out the prisons.

Jaimoe Aug 12, 2022 - 7:56 am

Let him out, we’ll find him

Comments are closed.