- Isiah Vos, 39, seeks parole after 20 years in Utah State Prison.
- Convicted of murder, Vos cites a year without disciplinary write-ups.
- Vos aims to work with at-risk youth if released.
SALT LAKE CITY — Isiah Bo'Cage Vos has gone a year without any disciplinary write-ups at the Utah State Prison, but admits "there was a hot streak there for a little while."
Vos, now 39, was sentenced to prison a little over 20 years ago for shooting and killing Jeffrey L. Maestas, 21, in the driveway of a Salt Lake home in 2004. Vos was convicted of murder, a first-degree felony, and sentenced to a minimum of six years and up to life in prison with the possibility of parole.
According to the state's nonbinding sentencing guidelines, Vos could be released now. But as Greg Johnson, a member of the Utah Board of Pardons and Parole, pointed out to Vos during his parole hearing on Tuesday, the board will have to weigh his streak of having no disciplinary write-ups with his many violations, which include new criminal convictions.
"That's a problem," Johnson told him.
On Tuesday, Vos was very knowledgeable about his prison record as he answered questions about his successes, write-ups and various psychological evaluations prepared by professionals. Vos says he has tried to take as many classes as he can while in prison and believes he has learned many of the tools needed to be successful if he is released.
"If I would have had this as a kid, I believe it would have helped me to change my behavior a long time ago," he said.
As for his disciplinary violations, he says he never wakes up looking to cause trouble. But he says the rules are different in prison than in the outside world, and some corrections officers are quicker to do "petty write-ups" if an inmate doesn't have a good relationship with that officer.
Vos was asked about an incident last year that also involved his brother, Terence Trent Vos. Terence Vos, a former Public Enemy No. 1 of the Salt Lake Metro Gang Unit, who was convicted in the brutal 2021 murder of his girlfriend, 32-year-old Shandon Nicole Scott. Just days after being convicted of that crime, Vos was informed that he and his brother, Isiah, would no longer be cellmates.
"(Terrence) Vos became agitated and began arguing with officers, telling them he was being 'targeted' by them and stating, 'Do you want to go to war with us? I've got people on the streets. They will come after you,'" the charges state.
Vos was again recorded making threats during a phone call from prison, which included talk of gang-style retaliation, according to the charges.
After Vos and his brother were reunited in a sub-dayroom, they "proceeded to barricade themselves" and blocked the door, the charges say, while also breaking a shower, causing the floor to flood.
On Monday, Vos was convicted of rioting and assault by a prisoner, which were originally charged as first-degree felonies and reduced to third-degree felonies.
As of Tuesday, Isiah Vos had not been charged in connection with the incident. He says it is because he did not assault anyone. He also contends the "standoff" was the result of "a lot of things piling up," including his family "basically in crisis" at the time and a "personal feud with a deputy warden."
"We tried to work through every option that we thought we had," Vos said.
Several members of Vos' family attended Tuesday's hearing in support, and several people also wrote letters to the board advocating for his release.
Vos says he wants to work with teenagers and pre-teens when he is released, to help those at risk make better choices than he did. He says he has already spoken with Salt Lake City Police Chief Brian Redd, who used to head the Department of Corrections, about the possibility of speaking to high school students.
As for his current gang involvement, Vos said, "I'm a member, but I haven't participated in any active gang activity in 10 years," while adding that he gets along with members of many different gangs in prison.
At the end of the hearing, Vos publicly apologized to the Maestas' family and his own family and said he wanted to now make an impact in positive ways.
"I hope I can get my start out there in society sooner than later," he said.
The full five-member board will now vote on whether to grant parole or hold another hearing.
