A California man who committed one of the most gruesome murders in state history will remain behind bars for life after officials reversed a decision to grant him parole.
Leslie Closner, who was sentenced to 25 years to life for the 1987 killing of his girlfriend, Jan Ferguson, has had his parole offer revoked, according to the Sutter County District Attorney’s Office. Officials cited the “brutal and disturbing nature” of the crime, as well as Closner’s ongoing psychological risk to society.
Closner was initially convicted in 1988 after pleading guilty to first-degree murder. But it wasn’t just a killing—it was something far darker.
According to parole board documents, Closner and Ferguson had checked into a motel ahead of her daughter’s wedding. The couple got into an argument, and Closner shoved Ferguson to the ground and strangled her to death. After murdering her, he moved her body to the bed, tore off her clothes, and raped her corpse.
And it didn’t end there.
The documents reveal that after attempting to give her mouth-to-mouth, Closner fled the scene—only to return later to retrieve his wallet. Once back inside the motel, he again sexually assaulted Ferguson’s body and then bit off and swallowed both of her nipples before fleeing for good. He turned himself in to police in Oregon two days later.
The parole board noted that this wasn’t Closner’s first act of violence. During his five-year relationship with Ferguson, he had allegedly subjected her to relentless emotional and physical abuse. Even during a brief separation, Closner obsessively followed her.
“I was really obsessed with her,” he admitted during a hearing. “This obsession was sexual… it spiraled into more and more heightened tension between us.”
Court documents also detailed previous abuse in his marriage. In one chilling incident, Closner attempted to strangle his ex-wife. Their relationship ended after she filed for a restraining order.
When asked to explain his horrific actions, Closner cited unresolved trauma from his childhood, claiming he was physically abused and had inappropriate exposure to his mother. A psychologist reported that Closner would talk about his mother in disturbing ways—sometimes with rage, other times with lust—and even became sexually aroused while recalling watching her undress.
In a 2018 letter denying parole, then-Governor Jerry Brown stated Closner continued to pose a significant threat to public safety. “He doesn’t fully understand the root of his violent impulses,” Brown wrote.
This latest reversal ensures Closner will remain in prison for life—unless another hearing is required by law. For now, the district attorney’s office says justice has been served.
“The people would like to thank the victim’s family for their dedication all these years, for attending every hearing and representing their loved one so fiercely,” the DA’s office said. “We will continue to stand up for justice on their behalf.”
Chop off his biden and make him eat it!