Convicted child killer out on parole not allowed back in Kern County
BAKERSFIELD, Calif. (KGET) — 54-year-old Michael Todd Panella, a convicted Kern County child killer, is a free man.
Panella was released on parole Wednesday morning, after 25 years behind bars.
The California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation said Panella is not allowed back in Kern County, where the crime occurred. He will be a parolee for life.
'First of all, I was told he was never going to come up for parole, it'll always be denied,' said Tammy Bell, mother of the victim, Johnathen Bell.
At just 20-months-old, little Johnathen Bell was brutally abused and murdered by Panella, Bell's then-boyfriend of three months.
Bell said even after two decades, it's a daily reminder her baby boy was taken too soon.
'I tell him I love you and he goes, I love you, like it was like cute,' said Bell. 'And I'd be like, you love momma? Mhm. And like I'd go, I love you, Johnathen. It's like, those are the last words I had with him,' said Bell.
The irony for Bell, is that April is Child Abuse and Prevention Awareness Month.
Bakersfield couple charged with child cruelty, drug crimes after confrontation with daughter
Bell said she still too-vividly remembers young Johnathen's cold body she found in her bed the night of November 27, 1999.
'I remember laying him on the floor, trying to do CPR, which I didn't know how, I didn't know CPR, I was young,' Bell recalled.
'This is not over,' Bell said of Panella's release. 'He will not, I will make sure he's not comfortable in his own skin…If they can't protect me and keep him in there, or protect my other kids that are living, you know?'
A jury in October 2000 found Panella guilty of first-degree murder and he was sentenced to 25 years to life.
According to court documents, Johnathen suffered at least 50 bruises to his hips, head, face and extremities, ultimately dying from multiple blunt impacts to his abdomen, which caused internal bleeding and dehydration.
Panella's parole conditions include not having unsupervised contact with minors under the age of seven.
It's unclear at this time where Panella is, but he was released in San Luis Obispo.
17 News' Jenny Huh: 'Do you feel safe?'
Tammy Bell: 'No, I don't feel safe for my other kids living. I don't feel safe. I don't, I shouldn't have to pack up and move. This is my town. This is where my kids were born. He don't, he is not from here.'
Here's a timeline of how Panella's parole came to be.
A 2020 state law on elderly parole reduced requirements for inmates at least 50 who served 20 years of their sentence — Panella became eligible for his first parole hearing in July 2021.
Parole was granted, but after much appeal, including from Bell, Governor Gavin Newsom reversed the decision.
Panella faced another parole hearing in February 2023. Parole was denied for three years.
But for reasons undisclosed, Panella had his third hearing in October 2024. Parole was granted.
This time, Newsom did not reverse the decision.
17 News' Capitol Correspondent Eytan Wallace had the chance to ask Newsom about Panella at a Wednesday morning press conference.
Newsom stated, 'That's not atypical. A reversal is not always in perpetuity. There's always an opportunity to come back.'
In a statement to 17 News, a Newsom spokesperson further explained the governor's decision.
'The Board of Parole Hearings determined this individual was not a public safety risk. The Governor asked the full Board to review it again and sent back the case. The full Board once again reached the same conclusion and so by law he is entitled to be released on parole.'
Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
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