25-year-old Nicole Sinkule slept while her boyfriend plotted to kill her. Eric Marum hit her with a claw hammer more than a dozen times. Marum pled guilty and received a sentence of 16 years to life in prison. In November, two members of the California Board of Parole granted him a recommendation for parole. One member voted against parole. Now Nicole's parents are asking Governor Gavin Newsom to deny the recommendation. Newsom has three options. If he takes no action, Marum will be released. If Newson reverses the decision, Marcum will receive another hearing in 18 months. The last option is to refer the decision back to the board for the members to modify their decision. The Sinkules have also started a petition to reverse the parole recommendation.
Joining Nancy Grace Today:
Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.com
Crime Stories with Nancy Grace, beautiful on the inside and out, her whole life in front of her, loved and loving, had a family that adored and adores her. Why was a gorgeous, sweet, brilliant, wonderful girl she's twenty five years old, brutally murdered in her sleep? And why is this guy set to walk free? That is what I want to know today. I'm talking about a gorgeous young girl, Nicole Sincole. I'm Nancy Grace. This is Crime Stories. Thank you for being with us here at Fox Nation and Serious XM one eleven. First of all, take a listen to our cut eight. This is Brail of at ABC ten. In two thousand and five, twenty five year old Nicole Sincooley was murdered in her sleep. Her boyfriend, Eric Marram was convicted of hitting her more than a dozen times with a hammer. Devastated and Claudie and I went over to the department afterwards and we saw the area that had happened in Claudia felt her knees. Marm was sentenced to sixteen years to life. Now, sixteen years later, he's in fulsome state prison awaiting his fate. The murderer is planning you settle in Sacramento. What part of Sacramento we don't know. So right now he's in Falsom prison and we've talked to the vice mayor of Falesom City to let her know. I'm Nancy Grace. This described stories. Thank you for being with us before I introduced to you are all star panel to make sense of what we know now, including the detective on duty the night of Nicole's murder, her family joining us, the San Diego County Deputy District attorney joining us. I want to first go to Nicole's sister, Danetta. Danetta, tell me how it is affecting you, the thought that your sisters killer could walk free. It gives me anxiety and insomnia. I don't sleep well. He came to my house an hour and a half before he murdered my sister and earlier that week, so I'm definitely fearful from my life. I know he came to kill me those two times if he had this plan, so he knew how close we were, he knew our relationships, So yeah, I'm very afraid. Why do you believe he came to your house not once, but twice? He started trying to isolate her from me because we were so so close. He told her at one point, your sister doesn't love you. She's just trying to play the big sister. And she told me that, and he knew how. You know, we we were two peas in a pod. And I think he just wanted to get me away from her because then I guess he would have her all to himself and it could break down, like, you know, some of her strength and her willpowers would I think. And doctor Sherry Schwartz joining me, forensic psychologist, author of Criminal Behavior and Where a law and psychology intersect got to Sherry, that is a stereotypical hallmark part of the battered women's syndrome. You isolate the victim from friends and family that would say, hey, you got to get away from this guy. This guy's crazy, this guy's evil. You see, the victim isolated from people like Danetta, Nicole's sister. Well, that's absolutely right, because that's how they gain control. They want to be the only ones influencing their target victim. They can't have somebody who's going to shine a light on their bad behavior, so they have to make the closest people to that person look bad, and they're very successful at doing that, you know. Danettison Coolly with me along with her mother, Nicole's mother Claudia, and father Glenn. Also with me the San Diego Deputy District Attorney John Cross, Sergeant Kelly Garcia, OCEANSIDEPD detective that night, and Samantha Lomiboo joining us from k SQ News three. Back to you, Danata Sin Cooley. I know we're about to talk about the cruel and brutal murder. I'm Nicole, and I know you do not want to hear those facts. What is really important is that a parole board or a governing body does hear those facts. But Danata, I want to hear something that maybe no one else could tell me. You know, Data, I have twins, they're fourteen now, John, David and Lucy, and I love them more than anything in this world. They have a relationship different from the mother son or mother daughter relationship. It's different. Your relationship with Nicole is different from anybody else's in the world. Tell me about she was my best friend. You know. We grew up with my mom's sister being murdered, so we always were taught that how special our relationship is and never to take it for granted. So there was not one moment of our life where, of course we fought. We were very very close, but you know, we shared best friends to this day, you know, childhood best friends. We could check our parents with our voices. We would do that to you know, we would prank call them and switch our voices. We did it to guys in the past. We were you know, people used to think we were twins. We were two years apart, but we were so She was my everything and I was hers, you know, and you know we didn't have any other siblings. I am older, and you know, we used to gang up against my parents. It was just her and I against the world a lot of times, you know, and everybody knew that. It wasn't a secret, like every single person, you know, they knew one my sister died. The impact that that, you know, that this would have on me and still does you know, I mean, everything in my life has paled in comparison after losing her. I can, I'm not invincible, but you know, I lost the most special thing in my life. And you know, you know, as you're talking, Danetta, it's making me think of my children, John, David and Lucy. They loved to gang up on me and get what they want. It's so funny to watch them and they're like two peas in a pod. They're so incredibly close. Tell me about her. What was her personality? Janetta? Um, she always saw the best in people, you know, she always no matter if you know, I would be a little bit hesitant, She'd always saw you know, the good in people, every single person. And you know, Um, she was had strong she you know, her and I would get in fight so obviously as siblings do. And she just you know, Um, she was tough. She was liked by everybody. Like I said, we had the same friends. She was. Um, we did everything together. We were a band together, swimming together. She was awesome, you know. She she was very, you know, very nice person very you know, always put other people first. You know. I've been looking at her photo a lot since I found out about this case. And you know who she looks like? To me? She looks like Tiger Woods's ex wife, you know, the beautiful blonde, big eyes. She's got just perfect complexion, beautiful smile. I'm just I've looked at her so much after I started researching your case. Dananda, I know you do not want to hear or relive what happened to your sister. I completely understand that. I hate having to remember the facts that my fiance's murder at um. It's very, very upsetting. So I know you don't want to hear that. So I'll say goodbye to you and I'll now go to missus Sincole. This is Nicole and Danetta's mom and mister Sincole their dad, and you can find them at the Nicole Sekuli Foundation Nicole Sekuli dot org. You know, to you guys, you're two of the strongest people I've ever heard of, because after losing your daughter in this heinous way in her sleep like a sleeping beauty, you are still fighting. And I've just got to ask you, Miss Sinculie, how do you keep fighting? I keep fighting because I have to be a voice for her and not just her. I mean now, now despite is gone, beyond my family is gone because of the fact that he has been recommended for role. It could be in your community. It could be he wants to settle in Sacramento, but or Nappa, where his parents are, where all the dysfunction probably started, and he's been in ocean side, he's lived in LA he knows where we live in the desert. I have to fight for my family and for the community that he might he might. I can't sit back and be quiet knowing that he's going to get out and someone else is going to be in danger, because I believe he will hurt or kill again, and not just kill, but murder, because there's a difference with me. In addition to Danata, Nicole's sister and Claudia Missin Cooley, Nicole's mother is her dad, Glancincooley. You know, mister Sinkule, my parents, you know, worked so hard to put me through school, help me get to law school. And I love my mother so much. In fact, she lives with me now with our family, and I'm so happy that she's with me. That said, nobody can ever ever replace my dad. I don't tell my husband, but I think my dad has always been my soulmate. I just to this day love him and miss him every day. Tell me about your relationship with Nick Cole just very hard to describe it, I suppose are it broke my heart when that happened. Actually, I had a heart attack two years after this guy I did what he did. I just don't understand some things, like as a society, have we stooped to a position and a level that we will even consider a bloodthirsty animal like he is to let him out to devour again. We know too much now, we know a lot, and this person not even a person. This animal will strike again, and someone will be and whoever doesn't stop, I feel is going to have the blood on their hands because he will kill again. He will kill again. Time stories with Nancy Grace. You know John Crofts joining me San Diego County Deputy District Attorney. Help me, help me understand why anyone would release this guy. I hate to even say his name, Eric Nathaniel marm Why would they release him? I don't understand this. I mean, haven't we learned anything. Glenn's Acculli is right, Why do we do the same thing over and over? He will kill again? He will That's a great question, Nancy. We fought extremely hard at the Pearl Hearing back in November to keep him in. We are still fighting now right beside Glenn, Danetta and Claudia to keep him in. The decision now is in the government California's hands. Gavin, Yes, Gavin Newsom. We have sent him from our office asking for him to reverse this grand of Pearl. Claudia has sent him a letter, numerous letters from the community. I blew, there're seventy or eighty letters in from the community. There's a petition with more than seven thousand signatures asking the governor to reverse this grand of pearl. It was an awful grant of parle. The inmate is still who the hey decided this guy it's been sixteen years, that's nothing. Well, why should this guy walk now again? Great question, Nancy, This is what the Pearl board decided. That question is probably better posed to them because we were opposed to prole then we're opposed to prole now. This inmate is still dangerous and he's a young man. This is a young man. How old is he now? Samantha Lomiboo joining me, investigative reporter k E Sq News three Twitter at some Antha k E Sq you have incredible reputation as an excellent reporter. Thank you for being with us. How old is this pos now? Is he forty one? I've got forty one years old? Is that true? Yeah? Yes, okay, forty one. Oh oh, whoa Samantha. Let me tell you something. John Cross helped me out one of the first cases I worked up where I worked on similar transactions. It was a rape of a five year old and a three year old girl. I got to looking at the defendant. He was like sixty something, and I'm like what he had? Rapes and john molestations dating back to when he was about nineteen years old, and he was still at it and had never been apprehended forty one in the life of a male criminal. Oh yeah, he's gonna He's gonna offend again. There's no question based on his age alone. John Cross, he is he is. He's a young man. Uh, he's a She saw him at prole hearing. He's a good looking man. Not to me, he looks like the devil of me. Well educated? What do you mean he's well educated? I didn't know that he graduated from UCLA. He's got to be a in psychology. I bet he's using that to his advantage. Who said that? Was that? Miss? Singularly? Doubtless? Claudia and his father is a psychology I retell you a psychologist dealing in anger management and domestic violence and family relations, domestic violence. That that sound Nicole was murdered. You know what, Let me go to Samantha Loamibao and Sergeant Kelly Garcia. First of all, Sergeant Garcia, tell me what happened. You're the detective on the night of the murder, and sargent, and thank you for being with us. I know you've got your hands full. Thank you for joining us in our fight to keep this violent murderer behind bars where he should be. What happened that night? That night, I was actually on my way home from another incident that we had here on Oceanside, So I actually heard the radio call go out and turned around knowing that that we had a murder. But when I got to the scene, it was I've been to a lot of crime scenes I've been At that time, I had been a police officer for probably thirteen years. I've now been here for twenty five. But at that time I had worked gangs for several years. I had seen a lot of murder, a lot of crime scenes. This one, though, jolted me when I walked into the house, when I saw her laying there. Why so, a lot of times in murders you know, you see someone's been shot, they've been stabbed, they've been beaten. I could tell that this was personal. The thing that bothered me the most about this case, and still to this day bothers me, is oftentimes suspects do not leave the weapon behind. They always take the weapon. However, in this particular case, when I walked into her bedroom, I saw her lying there. She looked it was really sad, still sad to this day. I saw her lying there. She had a cast on her leg. She looked very innocent, but her head was absolutely just exploded, and the hammer that was used to kill her was still embedded into her head. Stop stop, play, stop, sergeant, and you want to tell me this guy has been recommended to be really least you are hearing a seasoned sergeant state that this crime scene steel is in her head because of what she saw. So brazen he left the murder weapon there embedded in this beautiful girl's head. How was the perp caught, Sergeant Garcia. We had put out a description of who he was in the vehicle that he possibly left in, and it was just within about an hour later. He was in our South area of Oceanside and officers that were patrolling the area saw him and made a traffic stop on him, and he actually pulled over and complied, and he was taken into custody. You know, the reality is to Claudius Sinkulee, this isn't Nicole's mother joining us. Don't you know they're tired. Don't you just know that Claudia and Glenn Secculi are just exhausted. I remember, I kind of remember. Actually, Miss Cinculi is like a blur to me. My dad and now my mom tells me she drove me. Sometimes I can't even remember. Around my fiance's murder trial. It was such an awful, horrible, like a red blurry haze to me. I would come home from the trial and I just couldn't even think straight. And you have been living this every day, fighting parole, fighting parole, fighting parole, and now this, I'm sorry you have to hear these facts again. We have to live with them, Nancy. And like I told somebody, you know we have her autopsy papers here. You know, we have to live with it. We don't have a choice. Either curl up and die, or we could kill ourselves, or we could be a voice for Nicole. And other domestic violence women and even men. This man, this man only said that he slapped her one time. Most of it was abused. He admits to manipulating and abusing her um verbally, he admits to that. And that's that's how he seduced her mind, is what he did. And Nicole was pretty innocent, and he seduced her mind. And she died for love. And that last day he was kicked out of his rehab for the second time, and she took him in and they weren't even fighting. Um. That night, I took her home. She had she had stayed with She had come over for a family dinner, and I took her home and I spent two hours with her. And when I left, he obviously was stalking in the in around her apartment. And when I was there, we put his clothes on the porch, and when I left, she took him back in. And when she went to bed, she was drinking with the neighbor. He went out to his truck and got the hammer. The neighbor hid the hammer. The neighbor went to get cigarettes at his apartment and came back, and he heard the noise in the room. And when Kelly talks. Sergeant Kelly talks about the hammer being left in Nicole's head when the neighbors seeing him, he had the hammer. He was standing with the hammer, So that means that he hit her one last time. And when he was asked into hearing why he did that, and he said because it was like the end or he finished, and so he had to hit her one more time. It wasn't enough that he hit her over thirteen times. And there was everything all over the room that I wouldn't want to see and you wouldn't want to see, but that we know about. And UM, okay, I'm sorry I went on a little bit. When did you learn that your door had been killed? Um? I left her that night and I went home and I got a call that he was there, and we called the police and it started to unravel. I went to bed, and the next day my husband and I went out for aaron and we came back. I went upstairs to take a nap, and then Glenn can answer it from there, if that's okay, Yes, mister Sincularly, Claudia had taken a nap and I heard someone at our door, so I was upstairs and I went downstairs and two people in all black suits of men in black type said are you Drunson Coolly and my heart, my heart seat Marta fell to my feet. If I felt something left me, something was gone. So they had formed me something's happened. They told it, and then I called Claudia down and and Claudia got on the phone and I called his parents. I call this parents and I told them what his son had done to our wonderful, beautiful daughter, one of my wonderful, beautiful daughters. So I believe Kelly was that one of those people at the door on my right. Kelly, Yes, I was. Um. I was the lead detective on the case, and myself and my sergeant decided that we would make notification to the family. And that was the first time I met Claudia and Glenn, and it was horrible. I felt bad. I had to keep it together at the time, but I really felt bad for the family knowing that what I was about to tell him, and they were obviously upset, and I think they know. Um, I just I felt horrible giving that news to them that day, and knowing that I was the person had to tell him that what happened to their daughter and just how violent it was is what bothered me so much. It's easy, It's not easy, but it's almost easier to tell somebody that your son's or your daughter's been shot. But when you have to tell them how they were killed in this manner is it's horrible and I should have say my heart breaks for this and Cool Time Stories with Nancy Grace join to me. Samantha Looney bow k SQ News three. Samantha, I never get used to investigating our reporting on violent crimes. I never get used to it. I think about it, I dream about it, I worry about it. Can you tell me how what we what we know of how the parole board has come up with the idea that this guy should be released. What is their thinking? What do we know of this parole board? You know, as of right now, what we know the last time I discussed with the Syncolies is that I mean, I guess he's been just showing that he's now gooded and that he's been acting, you know, within a certain range that should allow him to be released. But you know, speaking with the Syncolies back when we did the story, you know, they said he is manipulative. He is someone that you know, did this to their port of whole, was able to, you know, use his words and his actions to persuade. And I'm not shocked if you know. Obviously I don't know, but I'm not shocked that he's using the same thing right now while he's serving time to show that he's remorseful, because you know, speaking with some coolies, he never showed any remorse to them. He never apologized for the crime that he did. Oh wait, I didn't know that, Samantha loom me vow hold on just a moment. Is that true? Gland Seculi. He never apologized, he never showed remorse. In fact, didn't he blame all this on drug and alcohol addiction and God? And God? How did he drag God into it? I can't answer that. There's a twisted mind involved, and I can't understand anything about him. The more I know, and we're learning a lot more, it's he's he's been a sick man for a long time. Why do you say that, I can't be revealed right now? I don't believe in this format. Well, I mean, the trial is however, he's about to get set free. Is there something? It's just you know, I Nancy this is Claudia and he presents with a flat attitude and um, it's he's like a robot. And if you look up, it's not attitude, but at that person. Yes, and if you look that up, it's pretty scary. And he m in fact when we had this hearing, in the last hearing, Um, John Cross could not he still can't get over how robotic, the robotic nature the mindset. Let's talk about that, John Cross, what did he observe? I observed a man with no remorse. He was a motionless, cold, old, stone faced When the victims family gave their impact statements at the end of the hearing, he sat with his arms crossed and his head down for about an hour without moving. He did not seem to show any remorse whatsoever. Granted parole was just a miscarriage of justice because we've got a man who who is still dangerous. I thought that was part of parole, John Cross. I mean, you're the expert everybody, John Cross joining me San Diego County Deputy District Attorney. You can find him at San Diego DA dot com. John Cross, I thought that was part of getting release, was that you admitted to what you did. You take responsibility and you show remorse. That's true, Nancy. All of those are factors the Pearl Board takes in. But this was just a miscarriage of justice. They got it wrong. He should not have been released, should not be up for release. He's still got issues going on. He does not realize the severity of the domestic violence that happened before the murder of Nicole. He still blames much of the murder on the use of methamphetamine and what he calls a meth psychosis that he was in at the time. He doesn't realize the domestic violence aspect of it and how serious it was. The dominion, the control, the power and control he was trying to exert over Nicole. He has parole plans that are very grandiose and borderline delusional. He wants to win an Oscar. He wants to write a Netflix series. He wants to be a published author. He wants to win a Pulitzer Prize. He wants to go hunting with his dad, even though in the state of California, convicted cannot own nor be around far. I was just thinking this guy with a gun in his hands, or well, isn't it true? John Cross isn't it true that when asked specifically what if anything he regretted, he didn't even mention Nicole. He mentioned he regretted that he had used drugs. He does blame a lot of all of this on the drugs, and he overlooks the domestic violence portion of it. And if someone does not understand what led them to do such a horrific crime, which he still can't explain, why this was so brutal, why he hit her thirteen times, why he used a hammer, why he used a claw and of the hammer, he can't explain those things. He can't explain those things. He doesn't understand what motivated him to do it makes him dangerous. Samanthelomibo, what if anything can we do the pro boarder, I believe it's two out of three people voted for him, Eric Nathaniel marm forty one to be released. What can we do now? Well now, at this point, I mean, the signatures on the petition have our gaining steam and I think it's all up to the people to bring it to their state lawmakers to try to get Governor Galvinuem to make sure that Mariam isn't released anytime soon, because after speaking with the Syncoulies. I mean, he's definitely going to be a threat, even coming out of even coming out of jail. I mean you've had your sister move out of state because she's afraid. Absolutely exactly. Fancy this is yes, Kelly Garcia. Yes. One thing I can add to what's being said right now. Also when they're talking about his flat affects is, in my opinion, whether he's on drugs or not, because at the Pearl hearing he was allegedly not on drugs. When we arrested him, he was on drugs, and during that interview he had zero remorse or emotion when he talked about why he killed Nicole, and his answer was that God made him do it. So his personality and his affect has not changed in sixteen years. Whether it's on drugs or off drugs, he's just it. It's absolutely the same. Her injuries indicate that she had a gaping hole in her skull and thirteen impact holes in her head. In a search warrant and I'm going all the way back to trial, he said he had thought about murdering Nicole for some time because he quote felt she was evil at the time, missing cried, holding tissues to her face as Judge John Einhorn asked about the factual basis of this guy's guilty plea. Remember he pled guilty under oath. There's no question that he murdered Nicole. That is not a question. So you have the mom reduced to tears in court, and now again she is reduced to tears because two a holes on pardoning parole have decided this depraved killer who murdered a twenty five year old angel, they're letting him walk free. That's my understanding of the injuries to her. Did I miss something to Sergeant Kelly Garcia or John Cross or mister and missus Sincoole, Did I understand and that I was at the autopsy unfortunately as well, and her head injuries were so and the synchols have heard this before. It's the only reason I'm they know I will bring this up is her head injuries were It was at least thirteen impacts, that's all the medical examiner could count at the time, but her head was so exploded that they could not figure out how many times she had been blunted. Correct And they normally have to open up your during an autopsy to take your brain out, They have to open up your head with a saw. Yes, in this situation, all the doctor had to do was use her hands to pull apart Nicole's skull. I want to remind everyone and commit correct me if I'm wrong, Samantha loa me bow because joining us k EESQ because you know the facts much better than I do. But isn't it true that he had already played guilty to misdemeanor charges in connection with violence against Nicole? He had pled guilty up several times to other charges, and not only that, there was a protective order in place to keep him away from her that had been lifted just four months before he murdered her. Isn't that true? Samantha Lomibo, Yes, that is true. Isn't it true? Also, Sergeant Kelly Garcia that just about three hours before she was murdered, police Oceanside Police had been called to the residents because he Eric Nathaniel Morim was creating a ruckless and argument, a violent argument, and police had to come and calm everybody down. The minute they leave, he murders her. That is corrected. He left after the first officers arrived, they spoke with him and then he left the scene and then it was about an hour after that that he returned to the house. Masters. Think, Hilly, what is your message to Governor Gavin Newsom today? My message would be that murderers, not people that just kill, not people that just do drugs, but murderers should remain in prison a life for a life. This man wants to get out and get married and had children. Whose child is he going to marry? Do you want him in your community. I'm fearful of my life because i'm his mother's age, and he has contempts for her and contempt for women, and I testified in front of him five times. I'm fearful for my older daughter, then I don't get to see very often because she has She's fearful for her her life, and fearful for my family and the community he will live in. My husband shouldn't have to worry about protecting us at our age. And I just asked that you find it in your heart you look over all the facts. This murderer didn't pass one test that he had on the outside, but yet she's passed all the tests in prison. Please look at all the facts and please keep him in to Kathleen Maloney joining US definite chief medical exam or joining us out of Erie County because you describe the injuries to this young girl well as I understand it, she had the minimum of thirteen impact sites. But as a detective would saying earlier, oftentimes, if impacts are in the same place, it's difficult to distinguish exactly how many there are. So oftentimes what you'll say is, as a forensic pathologist is you have a minimum of thirteen impact sites, but it can be difficult to say how many there actually were because the injuries are so there's so much overlapping. Unfortunately too. Mister glance Akuli, what is your message to you? Have a Nissan today, have a conscience, read what we know. I'm sure you have the ability to know more than us in your connections and look at the facts. And would you want this guy hanging out with your daughter? Do you have any daughters? So? Do they sleep at night? We ask him these questions, And do you have nieces? Do they sleep at night? And that's all my daughter was doing is sleeping, So d'll wake up and do the right thing, do the right thing. And I don't want to go an you further, but do the right thing, and that's chief this annibal locked up. If you want to help the Sinkouli family, there is a change dot org petition reverse recommended Parole for murderer, Repeat reverse recommended Parole for murderer. If you need more information, please go to crime online dot com. We have a full article including all of the links you need to help keep this killer behind bars. Nancy Grace Crime Story signing off, Goodbye, f