Posted on 07/06/2005 12:16:49 PM PDT by GPBurdell
By NICHOLAS K. GERANIOS, Associated Press Writer. 9 minutes ago
Authorities believe the man accused of kidnapping an 8-year-old girl and her brother is also responsible for the May killings of three people at the family home, a sheriff's spokesman said Wednesday.
"We believe Joseph Duncan is the only one responsible for these crimes," Kootenai County Sheriff's Capt. Ben Wolfinger told a news conference.
Joseph Edward Duncan III was arrested Saturday at a Denny's restaurant with Shasta Groene, the sole survivor of the May 16 attack.
He has only been charged with kidnapping in the abduction of Shasta and her 9-year-old brother, Dylan. Wednesday marks the first time authorities have said they believe Duncan is responsible for the bludgeoning deaths of the children's mother, older brother and mother's boyfriend.
Wolfinger said officials likely would not be able to conclusively identify human remains found in western Montana, believed to be the boy, until next week.
Duncan was never a suspect in the attacks on the family and his name never came up until his arrest, Wolfinger said. He could not explain why Duncan's fingerprints were not found at the scene.
Wolfinger declined to say whether Duncan had a gun or to speculate on how he might have overpowered the five people at the house.
Officials still have no motive for the crimes, nor have they found a connection between Duncan and the family, Wolfinger said, raising the possibility the attack and kidnapping were random.
"When we get the pieces together, we'll find out what the motive is," he said.
Shasta told police her nightmare began when she was awakened, tied up and carried with her brother to a waiting pickup truck on May 16.
Police said that by the time her ordeal ended six weeks later, Shasta would be repeatedly molested by Duncan, who also allegedly assaulted Dylan.
"This little girl really went through more than any little girl should ever have to think about," said Tuesday.
Misty Cooper, Shasta's aunt, said Shasta "seems to be doing really good right now," but that the family has not spoken to the girl about her ordeal.
"We just go on with every day, normal things," Cooper said.
Shasta's ordeal finally ended Saturday morning when people at a Denny's here recognized her and called police.
"Shasta and Dylan were repeatedly molested," Kootenai County Sheriff's Sgt. Brad Maskell wrote in a terse, handwritten affidavit released Tuesday. "Shasta saw Mr. Duncan molest Dylan."
While it is the Associated Press' policy not to identify alleged victims of sexual assault in most cases, the search for the children and Shasta's recovery were so heavily publicized that their names were already widely known.
Duncan was shackled and appeared unshaven and choked up as he quietly answered Judge Scott Wayman during a brief appearance Tuesday via video link.
Duncan had spent more than a decade in prison for sexually assaulting a 14-year-old boy at gunpoint in Tacoma, Wash., and was a fugitive at the time of his arrest after he was charged with molesting a 6-year-old boy in Minnesota.
Police in Fargo, N.D., had been looking for Duncan since May, when he failed to check in with a probation agent.
"Really, is it possible not to be frustrated at the way events have unfolded in this case?" Fargo Police Chief Chris Magnus asked Tuesday at a news conference.
Duncan was described as relaxed and clean-cut when he stopped at a store in the western Montana logging community of St. Regis more than a month ago for gas and a 12-pack of Bud Light.
He chatted with attendant Jackie Allen for nearly 15 minutes, peppering her with questions about area parks and campgrounds and asking for directions to nearby communities.
Allen said she was "shocked and stunned" to learn that the man she said visited her store was Duncan. "I know people can fool you, but he was a really clean-cut and relaxed guy," Allen said. "It's just kind of shocked me. I still don't know what to think."
___
Associated Press writers Sarah Cooke in St. Regis, Mont., Christopher Smith in Boise, Idaho, and Dave Kolpack in Fargo, N.D., contributed to this report.
Buzz
Buzz Blog
Someone on Fox was asked if they had an idea for a national registry or some way to keep track of these guys.
He said, "Yeah, grave markers."
Given the nature of the justice system in this country (bleeding heart liberl judges) how soon can this guy be back out on the street to molest/kill another kid
All he needs is a couple I's not dotted and a couple T's not crossed and with a little help from the ACLU he could be out in no time
I wouldn't be surprised if lynching comes back into vogue.
Why can't he be hung in a public square tomorrow? Why? Anything less is not civilized.
I am to angry about this for words. I don't know what to say except for prayers for the little girl.
Parole, probation and sex offender registeries are farces, jokes and a failure of BOTH parties to do the honest thing and lock up these individuals for LIFE or execute them if they've killed. All we hear is we can't afford it...parole cost them pennies as does probation whereas a prison cell is $50+ a day depending on which state and how cushy their prisons are. Then no one wants a prison in their back yard. We have plenty of unsuable space i.e. desert in the USA we could utilize for prison building. It would also help in preventing escapes.
That's an understatement. But people never cease to amaze me with their resiliency. By the grace of God, people live through wars and go on to lead normal lives.
Misty Cooper, Shasta's aunt, said Shasta "seems to be doing really good right now," but that the family has not spoken to the girl about her ordeal. "We just go on with every day, normal things," Cooper said.
The best approach. Steer clear of the shrinks.
He said, "Yeah, grave markers."
Sounds good to me.
Someone posted a comment on Duncan's blog about Dylan's injuries. The cops need to be sure they aren't missing a suspect.
Paradoxically true.
Shasta and Dylan Groene's aunt, Wendy Price, told FOX she wants the judge who released Duncan to be held accountable and she also said future cases similar to this one must be prevented.
"I believe every judge who lets these people out of jail with these low bails, slap-on-the-wrist convictions ... something has to be done. We have to start looking into the records of these judges," Price told FOX.
She is right. All of these deaths and Shasta's ordeal was entirely preventable. This monster never should have been out on the streets, and there should be hell to pay.
A thought occurred to me this past weekend while watching the news coverage about this case.
This Duncan animal was a Level III sex offender in MN, who had resided in Fargo, ND. A judge in MN decided he was okay to let out onto the streets.
Wasn't the animal who kidnapped and killed Dru Sjodin (who lived in Fargo while attending NDSU) also a Level III sex offender in MN who was let go by a judge who also decided that he was okay to let back out?
There is something about these judges in MN that really, really bothers me. And, is there something about Fargo that "attracts" MN Level III sex offenders? JMHO.
BTW, if this subject has already been addressed, I apologize for the repetition. I keyword-searched "Minnesota" and "Dru Sjodin" before I posted.
I have personal experience with some bombing/gunnery ranges out in Nevada that would be perfect.
Prayers going out for Shasta. She'll need tremendous love to heal, and it sounds like she may have it. Poor baby.
Perfect! All the states could go private on prisons and ship the prisoners off to these desert prisons. Only other place and cost would make it to expensive is under the ocean.
BTW it's been a year this past June since they let my Jeremy's killer out of a TN prison. He served 16 out of 20 because we fought tooth and nail to keep him there.
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