A man convicted in 1976 for the rape and murder of a five year old San Rafael girl has been denied parole.

The hearing was held yesterday at Avenal State Prison, where Randall Lee Melton is imprisoned. Melton agreed to the denial after he was promised another hearing next year.

A Marin County prosecutor says Melton says he accepted the denial because he was not ready with a plan if he was paroled. But he says the real reason is that a psychiatric evaluation shows Melton is still a danger to society.