Parole denied for Burlingame eviction killer

(KRON) — A convicted killer who shot a father and son in Burlingame over a home eviction dispute was denied parole this week.

Balbir Singh Lally has served three decades in state prison for murdering a Bay Area realtor, 63-year-old William Britton, and shooting Britton’s son in the face in 1993. Lally was 39 years old at the time of the murder. He was sentenced by a San Mateo County judge in 1995 to serve 45 years to life in prison.

Lally’s parole hearing was held Wednesday at Folsom State Prison. During the hearing, he admitted to helping fellow inmates hide money under his name so that the inmates would not have to pay their victims restitution.

The surviving victim, John Britton, and ten other family members participated in the parole hearing and opposed his release from custody.

“The Board found the prisoner remains an unreasonable risk of danger to the community if released and concluded that he is unsuitable for release on parole. The Board in a separate decision found the prisoner unsuitable for parole for a period of five years,” the San Mateo County District Attorney’s Office wrote.

In September of 1993, Lally was bankrupt, his house went into foreclosure, and he was evicted from his South San Francisco home. William Britton and his son were realtors who bought the house.

Before deputies arrived at the house to force Lally out, he demanded that the realtors allow him to stay, but they declined.

Lally bought a gun and went to the victims’ real estate office in Burlingame. William Britton was hiding under his desk when Lally fatally shot him, prosecutors said. The killer “said nothing as he executed William Britton,” the DA’s office wrote. Britton’s son was shot in the face and survived.

District Attorney Steve Wagstaffe prosecuted the case during a jury trial. The jury found Lally guilty of murder and attempted murder. Jurors rejected defense attorneys’ claims that their client was insane at the time of the killing.