{"id":1627,"date":"2025-04-09T09:59:58","date_gmt":"2025-04-09T01:59:58","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/sportpro.cc\/?p=1627"},"modified":"2025-04-09T09:59:58","modified_gmt":"2025-04-09T01:59:58","slug":"85-year-old-serial-child-molester-denied-release-from-state-hospital","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/sportpro.cc\/?p=1627","title":{"rendered":"85-Year-Old Serial Child Molester Denied Release from State Hospital"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><em>Tags: Orange County, sexually violent predator, state hospital, criminal justice, child protection, mental health, parole, court verdict<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity\"\/>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Jury Decides to Keep Offender Confined<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">An Orange County jury took just an hour to reach a unanimous decision: 85-year-old Sidney Nathaniel Landau, a convicted serial child molester, will remain confined at a California state hospital. The jury found that Landau still meets the legal criteria of a sexually violent predator and is not suitable for conditional release.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity\"\/>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Long Criminal History and Failed Rehabilitation<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Landau, who was convicted in the 1980s for molesting multiple boys and later violated parole several times in the 1990s, was committed to a mental hospital under the designation of a sexually violent predator. Prosecutors argue that Landau continues to pose a danger.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cHe\u2019s still a behavioral problem,\u201d said Orange County Deputy District Attorney Jeremy Hudson. \u201cHe\u2019s had multiple chances and still hasn\u2019t progressed in treatment.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity\"\/>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Defense Cites Age and Health Concerns<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Landau\u2019s defense attorney, Mark Kim, argued that his client\u2019s advanced age, poor health, and chronic medical conditions significantly reduce the risk of reoffending. During the month-long trial, expert witnesses presented conflicting views\u2014some claiming Landau was suitable for release under certain conditions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cThis is a civil case,\u201d Kim told the jury. \u201cYour task is to determine whether Mr. Landau continues to meet the criteria for indefinite commitment.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity\"\/>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Statement of Regret Falls Short<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Landau, in a statement read in court, expressed remorse: \u201cI\u2019m sorry I did what I did to those children\u2026 I\u2019ll never hurt another person, especially a child.\u201d Despite this, the prosecution emphasized that Landau suffers from pedophilic disorder\u2014a lifelong condition that poses an ongoing risk.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Hudson concluded, \u201cThis law exists to ensure that no more children become victims. It\u2019s about protecting the community.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity\"\/>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Return to State Hospital Ordered<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Following the verdict, Landau was taken into custody and will be transported back to the state hospital in Coalinga, where he will remain under indefinite commitment.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Tags: Orange County, sexually violent predator, state h [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"saved_in_kubio":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1627","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/sportpro.cc\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1627","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/sportpro.cc\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/sportpro.cc\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sportpro.cc\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sportpro.cc\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=1627"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/sportpro.cc\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1627\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1628,"href":"https:\/\/sportpro.cc\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1627\/revisions\/1628"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/sportpro.cc\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=1627"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sportpro.cc\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=1627"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sportpro.cc\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=1627"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}