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Parole granted for murderer of Scripps Ranch teen in 1988

A man convicted of beating a Scripps Ranch teenager to death with a hammer in 1988, has been granted parole.

SAN DIEGO (CBS 8) - A man convicted of beating a Scripps Ranch teenager to death with a hammer in 1988, has been granted parole.

The sister of the 16-year-old victim, Kelly Rudiger, attended Thursday's parole hearing at San Quintin, and she is now asking the governor to block the inmate's release.

Jeffrey Rudiger was slashed with a knife and beaten to death with a hammer 26 times. His handcuffed body was found dumped behind a Scripps Ranch industrial park.

Mark Radke has spent the past 27 years behind bars for the murder.

"We were confident that because of the severity of the crime that it would be life. They felt that the person at the other end of the table was suitable to go ahead and get a job, start a family, made me sick to my stomach," said Jeffrey's sister.

The teenage victim had worked with then 21-year-old Radke at a Chuck E. Cheese restaurant in Scripps Ranch. No motive for the killing was ever revealed in court and Radke has never admitted his crime.

"He is emotionless. He is stoic. He looks like an old man and he still says it was not him," said Jeffrey's sister.

On Thursday, after a two hour hearing, two state commissioners recommended parole for Radke.

"We felt it was not reasonable or suitable to parole a person who murdered my Jeffrey in one of the most vicious crimes in 30 years the DA has ever seen," Kelly told CBS News 8.

The governor has 120 days to decide whether to approve his release.

"We have 120 days, me, you, the public, the DA's office, everyone who would like to write to the governor and beg him to overturn this decision that this was a horrendous crime. Who is to say he won't do it again," said Kelly.

CBS News 8 requested a current mug shot of Radke, but so far the Department of Corrections has not released any information about the inmate or where he might be paroled.

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