A California serial child molester sentenced to three life terms is set to be controversially released under a Democrat–supported parole program.

David Allen Funston, 64, was convicted of 16 counts of kidnapping and child molestation in 1999, as his crime spree involving multiple children as young as five sparked outrage. 

The judge who sentenced Funston described him as ‘the monster parents fear the most.’

Despite Funston being slapped with three consecutive terms of 25 years to life, he is now set to be freed after serving less than 30 years.

The predator was granted parole under California’s ‘Elderly Parole Program’ – which allows sex offenders as young as 50 to walk free after spending at least 20 years behind bars.

The decision to grant Funston parole was condemned by California Republicans, who urged Gov. Gavin Newsom to fight the pedophile’s release.

‘If the governor can sign laws with loopholes and appoint the people who make parole decisions, then it’s his responsibility to step in and right this egregious wrong,’ California State Sen. Suzette Martinez Valladares said.

‘It made me sick thinking about the pain and suffering he inflicted on his victims, who were very young children, and sick thinking about how a monster like this could be granted parole,’ she added.

David Allen Funston, 64, was granted parole after being convicted of 16 counts of kidnapping and child molestation in 1999. The parole was reaffirmed last Wednesday

Gov. Gavin Newsom was slammed by California Republicans for not doing more to prevent Funston’s release

Funston is currently behind bars at the California Institution for Men in Chino – about 35 miles west of Los Angeles.

The convicted pedophile was initially denied parole in May 2022. He waived hearings for the subsequent two years and was granted suitability in 2025.

That decision was sent to the Board of Parole Hearings for review on January 12 by Newsom, according to the CDCR.

The full board reaffirmed Funston’s parole grant last Wednesday.

Newsom said he did not agree with Funston’s release but ‘has no power to overturn this case, per state law,’ his spokesperson Diana Crofts–Pelayo told the Sacramento Bee.

Senate Minority Leader Brian Jones said the governor was attempting to not take responsibility.

‘He signed the bill that gave a board stacked with his appointees the ability to set free a violent, serial child rapist into the community,’ Jones said.

He added: ‘Spare us the fake outrage, governor. You created this whole system.’

California State Sen. Suzette Martinez Valladares, a Republican, said it was Newsom’s ‘responsibility’ to address Funston’s release

Brian Jones, also a Republican, accused Newsom of creating ‘this whole system’ that resulted in Funston’s parole being granted

California’s elderly parole program makes inmates eligible for a parole suitability hearing once they are at least 50 years old and have served 20 consecutive years in prison.

They may be released if the parole board determines they no longer pose an unreasonable risk to public safety.

The program does not exclude murderers or sex offenders, though it does not apply to those sentenced to death or life without the possibility of parole.

Funston was deemed to be no longer dangerous because he had undergone self–help, therapy and sex offender treatment classes, according to board commissioners.

Sacramento County Sheriff Jim Cooper called the decision to release Funston ‘dead wrong’ and asked ‘what the hell is happening’ in California.

‘You’ve seen some of the things he did,’ Cooper said. ‘There’s no explanation.’

He added: ‘Someone that does these type of things, they don’t deserve a second chance in life.’

Funston was found to have targeted kids playing outside their homes near Sacramento and attracted them to his car using candy or toys.

In one instance in 1995, he used a Barbie doll to entice a young girl before taking her to a residence and penetrating her with his fingers.

Sacramento County Sheriff Jim Cooper said that Funston being granted parole was ‘dead wrong’

But during his September 24 parole hearing, board commissioners said the 64-year-old was determined to no longer be a threat to the community. 

One commissioner told him he had ‘gained sufficient coping skills and tools to address defects in order to avoid repeating past mistakes.’

Funston was sexually abused by his half–sister when he was young, and he was also physically and verbally abused at home.

He described himself as a ‘selfish coward’ and apologized for his heinous actions.

‘I am disgusted and ashamed of my behavior and have great remorse for the harm I caused my victims, their families in the community of Sacramento,’ he said. ‘I’m truly sorry.’

He admitted that pedophilia was a lifelong condition, as he made his remarks.

‘I am aware of that and that’s why I work so hard to managing my behavior and on practicing my urge control plan,’ Funston said.

It is still not known on what date Funston will be released, as the parole grant does not mean an immediate release.

The Daily Mail has reached out to the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation’s Board of Parole Hearings for comment.