On a balmy July evening, Elyse, a vibrant and sporty teenager, received a phone call on her family’s landline. Despite her parents not overhearing much of the conversation, she later informed them she was off to bed.
Unbeknownst to her family, Elyse clandestinely left the house to rendezvous with three boys at a nearby eucalyptus grove, where they planned to indulge in smoking marijuana. Little did she anticipate the horrors awaiting her.
Having served a 30-year sentence for the appalling murder, two of the perpetrators have been released on parole, while their accomplice remains incarcerated. The trio, members of the death metal band Hatred, confessed that their gruesome actions were heavily influenced by the band Slayer, known for their songs referencing Satanic rituals and necrophilia.
In 1995, teenagers Royce Casey and Jacob Delashmutt, alongside Joseph Fiorella, orchestrated a chilling “Satanic ritual” on their classmate Elyse Pahler, aged 15.
That fateful evening, Delashmutt, who had called Elyse, accompanied her and the other boys to the grove near her home. After smoking weed, Delashmutt, feigning a need to urinate, prepared for the attack they had plotted for months, becoming fixated on Elyse as the ideal victim.
Seizing an opportunity when a passing car distracted Elyse, the boys launched their assault. Delashmutt strangled her with a belt, while Casey restrained her, and Fiorella brutally stabbed her in the neck with a hunting knife.
Subsequently, Delashmutt and Casey took turns assaulting Elyse before Casey silenced her cries by stomping on her neck. The boys intended to further desecrate her after the killing, but claim they refrained, concealing her body in the woods before fleeing.
Delashmutt’s father, unaware of the heinous act, picked up the boys and drove them home. The next day, Elyse’s parents reported her missing, but the police initially treated it as a runaway case, sparking criticism from their attorney.
Casey, in a detailed 2021 statement to the parole board, confessed to the crime, highlighting his path to redemption in prison. He recounted how they glorified their actions post-crime, attributing their behavior to the death metal music that glorified violence and crime.
Over time, Casey’s guilt intensified, leading him to confide in a pastor about the crime’s weight on his conscience. The pastor alerted the authorities, and Casey disclosed the location of Elyse’s body near her home.
Both Casey and Delashmutt eventually pleaded no contest to the crime, receiving lengthy prison sentences. Elyse’s parents sought legal action against Slayer for their music’s influence but were unsuccessful, enduring mental anguish for years after their daughter’s tragic death.
David, Elyse’s father, expressed deep remorse for not checking on her that fatal night, emphasizing the enduring anguish caused by the loss of his daughter. Despite Casey’s confession, he struggles to find solace, attending every parole hearing with a photograph of Elyse.
Delashmutt, who initially evaded responsibility, now acknowledges his pivotal role in the crime and the anguish inflicted on the Pahler family. Similarly, Fiorella, considered the mastermind, has not participated in his parole hearings and continues to contest his conviction due to reported cognitive limitations.
The district attorney’s office maintains Fiorella’s dangerous nature and opposes his release, citing his history of violence. The perpetrators’ actions continue to haunt the community, underscoring the profound impact of their heinous crime.