KILLER'S PAROLE REVIEW EXTENDED.

Byline: Jordan Smith  Staff Writer

In a rare move, the committee that reviews state parole board findings has delayed deciding whether to support the release of Calabasas murderer Robert Rosenkrantz, officials said Thursday.

Committee members said they want extra time to review documents in the controversial and complicated case.

``It is rare, and the extension is somewhat open-ended by statute,'' said Stephen Green, a spokesman for the California Youth and Correctional Agency. ``But I wouldn't expect it to be more than seven to 10 days.''

Rosenkrantz, 33, was convicted of the 1985 murder of high school classmate Steve Redman outside Redman's home in Calabasas. A week after Rosenkrantz said Redman ``outed'' him as homosexual on the evening of their high school graduation, Rosenkrantz shot Redman 10 times at close range with an Uzi.

Rosenkrantz was convicted of second-degree murder and sentenced to 17 years to life.

Deputy District Attorney Larry Diamond, who prosecuted the case and strongly opposes parole for Rosenkrantz, said he believes the state Court of Appeal made a hasty ruling in insisting the board find Rosenkrantz eligible, so he is happy the parole review board wants more time.

``I agree there is a voluminous amount to review, and I've always said what should be done is understand the actual facts of the case,'' he said. ``Whatever time it takes to understand those facts is the time it should take.''

On June 30, the three-member parole board found Rosenkrantz suitable for parole, but only after the state Court of Appeal threatened the panel with contempt charges.

The appellate court decision came after Los Angeles Superior Court Judge Kathryne Stoltz ruled that the board had abused its discretion by finding Rosenkrantz not suitable for parole although District Attorney Gil Garcetti did not oppose parole.

``All of this has been brought about because Garcetti didn't do his job,'' said Chief Deputy District Attorney Steve Cooley, who is running against Garcetti for the top spot in the office.

Garcetti and his spokeswoman could not be reached for comment. For four years Garcetti said he did not oppose parole for Rosenkrantz, then abruptly came out against parole two days before the June 30 hearing.

In another development, Rosenkrantz's attorney, Rowan Klein, has filed a motion in Superior Court asking that the parole board's comments about its reluctance to grant parole be stricken from the record.

Klein's motion also claims that the parole board incorrectly calculated Rosenkrantz's parole eligibility date as March 2001 rather than March 2000.

The case is scheduled to go before Stoltz on Sept. 8. If Stoltz finds in Rosenkrantz's favor, he would be eligible for immediate release if Gov. Gray Davis approved the parole. The governor declined to do so when it last came across his desk in November 1999.