He’s still there. If you’re looking for the short answer to whether Robert Walter Scully is still alive in 2026, the answer is yes. He remains on California’s death row, or what’s left of it, decades after the crime that put him there.
Most people who search for his name are either true crime buffs or locals from Sonoma County who haven't forgotten the night of March 29, 1995. It’s one of those cases that sticks to a community like tar. It’s been over thirty years since Deputy Frank Trejo was killed, and yet the legal gears are still grinding away, albeit very slowly.
The Reality of Robert Walter Scully Today
Robert Walter Scully is currently incarcerated within the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation (CDCR) system. Specifically, he’s been a long-term fixture of the condemned population. As of early 2026, there have been no reports of his execution—which isn't surprising given California’s moratorium on the death penalty—nor have there been any notices of his death from natural causes.
He’s in his late 60s now. Time does that to everyone, even the "cold-blooded animals," as Barbara Trejo, the deputy's widow, once called him in court.
Honestly, the "death row" he lives on isn't exactly what it used to be. Back in 2019, Governor Gavin Newsom signed an executive order instituting a moratorium on executions in California. Then came the move to dismantle the formal death row at San Quentin, relocating inmates to other high-security facilities. Scully is part of that aging cohort of prisoners whose death sentences have essentially become life without parole by another name.
👉 See also: Effingham County Jail Bookings 72 Hours: What Really Happened
A Quick Refresher on Why This Matters
To understand why people are still checking in on him, you've got to look at the sheer brutality of what happened in '95.
Scully wasn't just some random guy who made a mistake. He was a hardened felon, a reputed member of the Aryan Brotherhood, and he’d been out of Pelican Bay State Prison for exactly five days. Five. He was supposed to be heading to San Diego for parole. Instead, he ended up in a pickup truck with Brenda Kay Moore in a darkened parking lot behind a saddle shop in Santa Rosa.
When Deputy Frank Trejo pulled up to check on the "suspicious vehicle," Scully didn't run. He didn't hide. He stepped out with a sawed-off shotgun.
The details from the trial are still chilling:
✨ Don't miss: Joseph Stalin Political Party: What Most People Get Wrong
- Scully ordered the 58-year-old deputy to his knees.
- He claimed the gun went off by accident.
- The prosecution proved it was a shot "literally right between the eyes."
- After the killing, Scully and Moore took a family hostage for hours before finally surrendering.
The Never-Ending Appeals
If you think a death sentence means a fast track to the end, you haven't looked at the California legal system lately. Scully’s case has been a merry-go-round of "affirmed" and "denied."
As recently as 2021, the California Supreme Court officially affirmed his conviction and death sentence. They looked at every claim his lawyers threw at the wall—issues with jury instructions, the admission of old photos, claims of "accidental" discharge—and they swiped them all away. They basically said the evidence was overwhelming.
Even after that, his team tried to take it to the U.S. Supreme Court. In early 2022, the state filed a brief in opposition to his petition for a writ of certiorari. Basically, the state told the high court, "There’s nothing new here, don't bother."
Is He Ever Going to be Executed?
Probably not.
🔗 Read more: Typhoon Tip and the Largest Hurricane on Record: Why Size Actually Matters
That’s the hard truth for the Trejo family. California hasn’t executed anyone since Clarence Ray Allen in 2006. With the current political climate in Sacramento and the ongoing dismantling of execution chambers, Robert Walter Scully will likely die in a prison infirmary rather than an execution chamber.
It’s a point of massive frustration for the people who remember Frank Trejo as a father of four and a respected veteran lawman. For them, the fact that Scully is "still alive" isn't just a factual data point; it’s a reminder of a perceived lack of justice.
What Most People Get Wrong
People often confuse this Robert Walter Scully with other men of the same name. If you saw a recent obituary for a "Robert Scully" who owned a seafood restaurant or was a beloved grandfather in the South, that’s a different guy.
The Robert Walter Scully we're talking about—the one from the 1995 Sonoma County case—has spent the last quarter-century behind bars. He hasn't been "quietly released," and he hasn't escaped. He’s just another number in the CDCR database, aging alongside the very system that sentenced him to a death it seems unable to carry out.
Actionable Insights and Next Steps
If you are following this case for legal or personal reasons, here is how you can stay updated without sifting through junk news:
- Check the CDCR Inmate Locator: This is the only 100% reliable way to see his current housing location and status. Use his full name or his CDCR number (which can be found in public court records).
- Monitor the California Supreme Court Docket: Since his direct appeals are largely exhausted, any new movement would appear in habeas corpus filings, which are public record.
- Look for "In Memoriam" Updates: The Sonoma County Sheriff’s Office maintains a memorial page for Deputy Frank Trejo. They often post updates or tributes on the anniversary of his death in March, which sometimes include mentions of the legal status of his killer.
The case of Robert Walter Scully serves as a grim case study in the intersection of violent crime and the gridlock of the American capital punishment system. For now, he remains alive, incarcerated, and a permanent part of California’s criminal history.