Orange Unified school board member Kris Erickson represented a man convicted of murdering a 16-year-old girl in a successful 2011 appeal that reduced his minimum prison sentence by 10 years, a case the victim’s father later cited in demanding her resignation, according to records reviewed by the California Courier.
Erickson’s role in the case drew renewed attention this month in an OC Independent editorial.
Following the ruling, Erickson celebrated the prospect that her client, Victor Manuel Garcia, could become eligible for release earlier, according to a 2011 Daily Pilot interview.
“I’m happy that my client will receive the opportunity for release sooner rather than later,” Erickson said.
Garcia was originally sentenced to 25 years to life for the 2001 killing of Ceceline Godsoe, who was brutally beaten and left to die in Costa Mesa’s Fairview Park.
According to the Orange County District Attorney’s Office, Garcia fled to Mexico before being extradited and convicted of first-degree murder in 2009.
Erickson, a court-appointed appellate attorney, successfully challenged the conviction’s degree. A three-judge panel reduced it to second-degree murder, lowering the applicable sentence to 15 years to life. Garcia’s murder conviction remained intact, and release required parole approval.
Godsoe’s father, William Godsoe, later condemned Erickson’s representation in written public comments submitted to the school board in March 2022, demanding that she resign.
“While criminals deserve a defense, so do our children,” Godsoe said.
The controversy surrounding Erickson’s past legal work comes as Orange Unified faces separate allegations involving student safety.
In 2025, two former student-athletes sued Orange Unified, Tustin Unified and former wrestling coach Anthony Oscar Alcala, alleging years of sexual abuse and failures by school officials to recognize warning signs.
The Orange County Sheriff’s Department arrested Alcala in April 2025 following allegations that he groomed and sexually abused two teenage girls while working at El Modena and Foothill high schools.
The civil lawsuit accused Orange Unified of negligent supervision. Erickson was not named as a defendant.
Erickson, who has served on the board since 2018, is campaigning for another term representing Trustee Area 5. Her reelection website highlights investments in safer schools and upgraded facilities, while her campaign accomplishments page emphasizes student safety and well-being.
