Max Wade was granted parole by a California panel in July 2024, but he has not been released. Governor Gavin Newsom asked the Board of Parole Hearings to take another look, and on August 19, 2025, the board voted to send Wade’s case to a rescission hearing over new institutional misconduct reported on May 31, 2025. He remains in state custody while that process plays out.
What the Parole Board Decided in July 2024
Wade appeared before the Board of Parole Hearings on July 11, 2024, by video from San Quentin. He was 29 and had served roughly a decade of a sentence of life in prison plus 21 years and four months for the attempted murder of Landon Wahlstrom, firing into an occupied vehicle, and possession of Guy Fieri’s stolen Lamborghini.1SF Standard. Max Wade Marin Bad Boy Granted Parole2Redwood Bark. Wade Sentenced to Life in Prison With Possibility of Parole
His eligibility came through California’s Senate Bill 260, the 2013 law that created a youth offender parole process for people whose controlling offense was committed before age 18. Under that law, the board must give “great weight” to the diminished culpability of youth and to any growth and maturity shown in prison.3CDCR. Youth Offender Hearings Overview
Wade acknowledged his full criminal history to the panel. He told commissioners he had suffered from an “addiction to criminality” and said the death of a close friend early in his prison term prompted “deep introspection” that changed him. He said he had earned a GED, was studying computer science, and hoped to work in cybersecurity, though he said he would take any job, including a CalTrans cleanup crew.1SF Standard. Max Wade Marin Bad Boy Granted Parole4SFGate. Marin Max Wade Granted Parole
Commissioner William Muniz noted that Wade had avoided serious rule violations during his incarceration, and a clinician had assessed him as a “moderate-low” risk for reoffending. The board granted parole. Defense attorney Charles Dresow said Wade had earned the decision through “good behavior and rehabilitation.”1SF Standard. Max Wade Marin Bad Boy Granted Parole5Marin Independent Journal. Marin Crime Spree Convict Max Wade Granted Parole
The Marin County District Attorney’s Office opposed the grant. Deputy District Attorney Cassandra Edwards called Wade a “wolf in sheep’s clothing” during the hearing, and District Attorney Lori Frugoli publicly condemned the outcome, saying her office was “evaluating their next steps.”4SFGate. Marin Max Wade Granted Parole6Mercury News. Marin Crime Spree Convict Max Wade Granted Parole
Why the Grant Was Not Final
Under California law, a parole grant is preliminary. It is subject to review by the board’s legal division and by the governor for up to 120 to 150 days.7The Ark Newspaper. Max Wade Convicted of Attempted Murder as a Teenager Is Granted Parole
Governor Newsom used that authority to request an en banc review, a process in which a majority of the board’s appointed commissioners reconsider the panel’s decision.8CDCR. Board of Parole Hearings Consent Calendar
The August 2025 Vote for a Rescission Hearing
On August 19, 2025, the full board conducted its en banc review and voted by majority to refer Wade’s case for a rescission hearing, citing new information about institutional misconduct dated May 31, 2025.9CDCR. Board of Parole Hearings August Motions
A rescission hearing gives the board the chance to withdraw a parole grant it has already issued. The specific conduct behind the May 2025 report has not been publicly disclosed. As of the August 2025 action, Wade’s release had not been finalized and he remained in prison awaiting the rescission proceeding.
The Convictions That Put Him In Prison
Wade’s parole review turns on two 2011–2012 crimes committed while he was a teenager in Marin County. In March 2011, at age 16, he broke into a San Francisco dealership and stole Guy Fieri’s lemon-yellow 2008 Lamborghini Gallardo Spyder, valued at about $200,000. Surveillance video showed him rappelling in from a high window in what prosecutors described as a “Mission Impossible”-style heist. He disabled the car’s Lojack with a radio frequency scanner and stashed it in a Point Richmond storage unit rented under a fake name.10NBC Bay Area. Guy Fieri Stolen Lamborghini Max Wade Trial Testimony1SF Standard. Max Wade Marin Bad Boy Granted Parole
On April 13, 2012, a black-clad motorcyclist fired five shots into a pickup truck in Mill Valley carrying 18-year-old Landon Wahlstrom and 17-year-old Eva Dedier. Both survived with minor injuries from flying glass. Prosecutors said Wade was jealous of Dedier’s relationship with Wahlstrom; at his 2024 parole hearing, Wade himself said he had tried to kill Wahlstrom over an online dispute weeks before the shooting.11Marin Independent Journal. Marin Teen Max Wade Sent to Prison for Mill Valley Shooting, Sports Car Ripoff1SF Standard. Max Wade Marin Bad Boy Granted Parole
A jury returned a split verdict on October 31, 2013. Wade was convicted of the attempted murder of Wahlstrom, shooting into an occupied vehicle, and receiving the stolen Lamborghini. He was acquitted of the attempted murder of Dedier and of the dealership burglary. On January 23, 2014, Judge Kelly Vieira Simmons imposed life plus 21 years and four months, including a gun enhancement and 16 months for the vehicle theft. The judge cited “extensive and careful planning,” saying, “He planned the attack perfectly, and that’s kind of scary.”12Patch. Max Wade Guilty of Trying to Kill One but Not the Other2Redwood Bark. Wade Sentenced to Life in Prison With Possibility of Parole
An Earlier Attempt at a Second Chance
Wade tried once before to have his case revisited on the ground that he was a juvenile. After California voters approved Proposition 57 in 2016, which moved the decision on trying juveniles as adults from prosecutors to judges, the 1st District Court of Appeal sent his case back to Marin County Superior Court for that reconsideration.13Mercury News. Marin Judge Denies Max Wade’s Bid for Juvenile Do-Over
In September 2019, Judge Beverly Wood denied the transfer to juvenile court. She found the gravity and sophistication of the crimes made juvenile treatment inappropriate, citing his documented conduct from 2008 to 2012 and a six-figure counterfeit ID enterprise he ran as a teenager. She acknowledged that in prison he had earned a GED and tutored other inmates, but concluded that rehabilitation within the juvenile system would have been insufficient.13Mercury News. Marin Judge Denies Max Wade’s Bid for Juvenile Do-Over
Where the Case Stands
Wade is still in prison. The July 2024 parole grant is on hold pending a rescission hearing referred by the board’s August 19, 2025 en banc vote, prompted by a May 31, 2025 report of institutional misconduct. If the board rescinds the grant, he stays in custody and would need to make his case again at a future hearing. If it declines to rescind, the release process resumes. The board has not publicly set a date for the rescission hearing or described the underlying conduct.