District Attorney Dan Dow responds to parole and release of convicted murderer Alberto Tamez Jr.

By ATASCADERO NEWS STAFF REPORT · Mon May 18 2026

SAN LUIS OBISPO COUNTY — San Luis Obispo County District Attorney Dan Dow issued a statement Friday following the parole and impending release of Alberto Tamez Jr., who was convicted of first-degree murder in a 1974 Nipomo killing.

Tamez was granted parole by the California Board of Parole Hearings on Dec. 30, 2025. According to officials, the Governor took no further action on the decision, which was communicated to the board on April 24, 2026, making Tamez immediately eligible for release from the California Men's Colony.

The case stems from the killing of Genevieve Adaline Moreno, who was working at Old Blues Bar in Nipomo on the night of June 17–18, 1974. According to court records and the District Attorney’s Office, Moreno was later found in a nearby field with fatal injuries, and Tamez was identified as the sole perpetrator. He ultimately pleaded no contest to first-degree murder in 1974 and was sentenced to life in prison with the possibility of parole.

Tamez later filed a petition in 2023 seeking to vacate his conviction under changes to California’s murder laws, but the petition was withdrawn in 2025 after opposition from prosecutors.

In his statement, Dow described the killing as a “horrific, senseless act of violence” and said his office fought to keep Tamez incarcerated.

"I am deeply troubled that our criminal and victim justice system has reached a result where the man who brutally murdered Genevieve Moreno over fifty years ago will now walk free," Dow said. "My office fought this outcome at every stage — opposing his attempt to vacate his conviction, and making clear to the courts that Alberto Tamez, Jr. was not a peripheral figure or a legal technicality. He was the killer. He admitted it. The evidence was overwhelming."

He added that the District Attorney’s Office “opposed his attempt to vacate his conviction” and argued that Tamez was the actual killer based on the record of conviction.

Dow also emphasized that his office will continue to advocate for crime victims and use all lawful tools to hold violent offenders accountable.

The District Attorney’s Office said it remains committed to “seeking truth and justice, protecting the vulnerable, and giving voice to crime victims and their families” across San Luis Obispo County.