Something He’d Never Do for Anyone Else
Joseph Edward Duncan made his first move toward sparing his own life today.
Nice that he was able to. Hopefully, however, it will be a mistep.
In Idaho, jury selection in the heart-wrenching Shasta and Dylan Groene case, in which Duncan is charged with killing three people so he could kidnap siblings Shasta and Dylan, was set to begin this a.m. But then, at the last minute, Duncan pleaded guilty to murder and kidnapping in a deal that calls for him to receive three consecutive life terms without parole, but still leaves the door open for a possible death sentence.
According to KIRO-TV:
Sentencing on the three counts of first-degree murder was withheld until Duncan’s federal trial, Kootenai County Prosecutor Bill Douglas said. If the federal trial does not produce a death sentence, Duncan could be brought back for a death penalty hearing in state court, Douglas said.
Federal prosecutors have said they intend to charge Duncan with kidnapping Shasta and Dylan Groene, and with the killing of 9-year-old Dylan in 2005.
Shasta and Dylan were taken to a remote campsite in Montana where Dylan was later found dead. Shasta was rescued after Duncan walked into a Denny’s restaurant with her in Coeur d’Alene seven weeks later.
The agreement announced Monday slightly changes a plea deal Duncan’s lawyers offered last week in that it keeps the death penalty option in Idaho, should a federal jury not opt for capital punishment, Douglas said.
The deal also means that the only survivor, 9-year-old Shasta, will not have to testify. She was expected to be a primary witness against Duncan at trial.
Duncan pleaded guilty to three counts of first-degree murder and three counts of first-degree kidnapping in the slayings by hammer blows of Brenda Groene; her fiancé, Mark McKenzie; and Groene’s 13-year-old son, Slade, in May 2005 at their home outside of Coeur d’Alene.
Under the agreement, Duncan is to cooperate fully with law enforcement officers on the state charges and the anticipated federal counts. Duncan will also provide the key to unlocking coded files in his computer that could present additional evidence in the case.
It is fairly well known throughout true crime circles that Duncan is alleged to have murdered several other children.
Crime Rant would like to see Joseph Duncan fry for this, as many would. But we would also like to see those other cases solved so families can have some sort of closure. Chances are, Duncan would have spent a decade or two waiting to be executed. He’d be an old man, anyway. We’d much rather see the state get something out of his sentence. Plus, a guy like Duncan really doesn’t have much of a chance to stay alive for too long once he’s behind bars.
He’ll almost but certainly be shanked in some lifer’s bid for glory. OK by us.
Most important, though, Shasta will not have to face the monster who did those terrible things to her and her family.
October 16th, 2006 at 1:12 pm
I live here in Coeur d’Alene. Though there are mixed feelings in the area, I feel good about the decision. For one thing, he is looking at three life sentences without the possibility of parole for kidnapping. That is not harsh enough for what he did but if it went to a jury, there is a chance he would be acquitted (remember O.J.?). The case will now go to the feds where he could be sentenced to death. If he is not sentenced to death on the federal level, the case can come back to Idaho for a ruling on multiple murder charges.
Part of the agreement is for Duncan to turn over codes for encrypted files on his computer. That might solve other crimes throughout the country.
Shasta’s dad recently had his voice box removed due to throat cancer. As a child, Shasta has seen and endured atrocities that no one should ever have to think about. Reports are that the family is relieved that she won’t have to face Duncan or to testify. The Shasta and her family have enough to deal with!
Somehow, lethal injection seems too gentle for this freak. Let the prison population take care of him. (Or sentence him to death by belt sander.)
Personally, I’m breathing a sigh of relief.
October 16th, 2006 at 2:03 pm
Crime Rant would like to see Joseph Duncan fry for this, as many would. But we would also like to see those other cases solved so families can have some sort of closure. Chances are, Duncan would have spent a decade or two waiting to be executed. He’d be an old man, anyway. We’d much rather see the state get something out of his sentence. Plus, a guy like Duncan really doesn’t have much of a chance to stay alive for too long once he’s behind bars.
Very good point, I was very upset when I learned he may not fry, but you’ve made me feel better. I just got through reading all about this on Steve Huff’s blog and on the Cellar. Wonder just how many children he’s molested and/or killed?
I agree, let’s unencrypt (I’m sure that’s not a word) his computer and find all his additional deep dark little secrets. If he videotaped everything he did to those babies, he’s got way more info hiding. Oh, and if he isn’t on death row, the other inmates have a chance at getting at him. No tattoo on your forehead for you, Jet, let’s see what our inmates imagination can think up this time!
October 16th, 2006 at 2:21 pm
He is going to get the DP no matter what. The Feds are going for Death and if they dont get it he is automatically going to be sentenced to death in Idaho.
The deal is a good one because Idaho’s DP is a joke anyway.
My question is until the Feds take him into custody where is he going to stay? Will he be in G-pop? Or still kept sequestered?
October 16th, 2006 at 2:42 pm
I too, believe he will eventually fry. I don’t believe, however, that he’ll endure much hardship in prison, prior to that. He’ll be a good b*tch, just like he was before. And there isn’t anything the prisoners could do to him, that would be anywhere near what he deserves. I’m glad Shasta doesn’t have to testify.
October 16th, 2006 at 2:43 pm
This monster is as good as dead. I just hope that LE can use his info to close a few other cases before he goes. It would be nice to end the wondering for some other families that are suffering out there.
October 16th, 2006 at 5:59 pm
I think this was a wise decision all the way around, and sparing Shasta from having to face this monster is worth it, even though she was brave enough to be willing to testify against him.
October 16th, 2006 at 6:07 pm
Oh yeah, Nona….I will never forget OJ. From day one I felt he did it. His trial…and the “times” (prince) were on his side…well…not to mention money, power and prestige a well. Since 1994 I have not called orange Juice, “OJ”. If I did I would have to envision blood coming out of my Tropicana jug instead of Florida’s best. (hey OJ….SIT AND SPIN MF!!)… and yes….I am an angry citizen. I DO NOT LIKE when the rich and famous control everything…..everything down to the lowest dick on the roster.
I am an apple juice drinker at brunches since the early 90’s. I ONLY DRINK OJ if it is part of a mimosa with grenadine…
And yes, Nona….you said you sighed with relief. Can I join you? I am an alto with a BA in musical theatre and a BSN in nursing. I frequently entertain my patients with chicken sounds and renditions of SNL (FROM THE GOOD OLE’ DAYS…as well as other animal sounds. My cow is pretty good…but needs some work…).
Anyone have a good turkey gobble? I want to work on that one for Thanksgiving…
KimPossible….I LOVE YOU SISTA!!! You have such clarity and balance. When we all get a little verbose you reel us in with common sense (as do you Steve-O)..
KimP, you also mentioned ‘closure’ in terms of gleaning info on other cold cases he could be involved in… AMEN AGAIN SISTA.
Rack em up and crack em boys….we are in for a game of pool from hell.
And KimP…”un-encryption”….I hear you there too! If this maniac, kid-raping, torture master encrypted his ‘private’ journal we should be sailing easy. But Government moves slowly (I can tell you ALL ABOUT THAT…I am a wife of a Major in the US Army going on 16 years now……actually 15+ months and then another punch in the leather…(to keep the pants up when utilized)..
Melissa…I am with you on GPOP. Stick him out there. Right in the middle. If psychopaths aren’t able to feel shame and regret I challenge them to the test that awaits Duncan (or is currently underway?). Sorry…ya’ll nasty sex perverts need swept up like detritous lying on the street. Right into the trashbag of a parolee doing “clean up time” on the back 50.
Yeah Soober-boober (hey all…can you tell how much I LOVE MY SOOBS! HER ACERBIC LINES CRACK ME UP ON A DAILY BASIS AND TAKE MY MIND OFF OF MY HUSBAND WHO IS ONE STEP SHORT OF A BULLET IN IRAQ……thanks Soobs!!!), duncan is a beeaaatch. And he can play that role. I hope he brought along his A-Line skirt, camisole, and brown leather pumps as a secondary prison outfit. Oh…and JET-BABY….don’t forget your metro-sexual men’s skin care system (including facial wash…called, ‘power brut’, ‘clear this case’ toner..it moisturizes as you wipe away impurities, and last but not least, ‘co-Q 10 for men serum….apply this daily to all areas prone to wrinkles….
Someone stop the ride…..I am confused…
(JET…I DO NOT BELIEVE ONE WORD THAT COMES OUT OF YOUR PIE HOLE)
Last but not least, DP, you SAID IT BEST. Shasta does NOT have to testify now. Imagine a day in her shoes. Could you live though it? Would you try to leave this earth because you couldn’t take the memories? Who knows. But Shasta Groen is MY HERO. I am going to nominate her for the next Pulitzer Prize. Seeing her on that convenience store captured and melted me like a snowman at the base of a volcano.
DP…you are the DO-er of our little huff-board family. You are the voice of reason in a tide of insecurity and the unknown. You mentioned the important fact about CLOSURE in this case. NOt just for the adults…but for SHASTA AS WELL. For one, I hope today she is doing okay and able to assimilate what has happened to her inside of her mind. The assimilation does NOT make it RIGHT but rather acknowledges her fear, pain and suffering. From that point she may have encapsulated it…much like Jet’s fucking encrypted journal (someone out there can crack it…so please step forward…).
So how did we get back on Jed? DANGIT!!!!
ahhhh..just figured it out…. WE NEED TO GO TO HIM (over my DEAD body).
the rest is history. It is cold, raw, and “like it is”.
May God bless those on the edge tonight…
~Becky
October 16th, 2006 at 6:21 pm
oh yeah…and JET….if you, with our computer-smart ways are reading this right now…GO F$CK YOURSELF. I am sure it is not hard and something you already do on a regular basis. But just in case you FORGOT….having sex is a consensual act on the part of the “lock” and the “key”. Anything outside of that…body parts that don’t fit in designated areas….need to vacate the premises. In a few months you will make bail again and be out running like a crazy man on crack…but for today you belong to us, your local community.
Oh..and Jet…enjoy your green beans and five-day-old meatloaf. It sure can pack a punch. The onions do it every time.
And watch out! I am the nuclear bomb of female farters (ask my husband…who one summer while we were camping, zipped his head OUTSIDE of the tent to breathe (and no…I don’t stink all the time….just in the midst of a fart storm which usually happens one to two times a year LOL).
Here’s to you….
~Becky (in mother-fuckin-cock-suckin-throw-em-over-your-shoulder-trumpin’ land…otherwise known as mannheim military community in germany)
October 16th, 2006 at 6:48 pm
Becky, he isnt going to be making bail EVER.
October 16th, 2006 at 9:26 pm
I sure hope Shasta grows up to able to at least cope with this horrid experience. I feel for that whole family…poor Dylan! For some reason Slade always sticks in my mind – apparently he was crashed on the head and came out of the home stumbling….I just can’t get that out of my mind. In a Criminal Justice class I took some years back, I remember reading the statistic that at least 70% of those incarcerated suffered childhood sexual abuse – no wonder there is no tolerance for that in prisons – not to mention the intolerance regarding the murder of children. I’m glad to hear about the plea if other murders are solved and it can help bring closure to families. Other than that – Duncan looks like a jail girlfriend to me….the receding chin and the Tom Selleck wannabe moustache. Plus he has the body of Barney Fife – I can hear the soap hitting the shower floor as we speak (and I can still sleep well tonight). I’m just glad Shasta doesn’t have to go through the trial, God bless her.
October 16th, 2006 at 9:26 pm
At least under the deal, Duncan will live the rest of his life behind bars. If the Federal gov. gets a crack at him, I hope he fry’s. Someone said the DP was a joke in Idaho. Wow, I thought that CA had the worst execution rate. Condemned inmates on death row in CA are really serving life sentences b/c they are seldom executed.
If we’re all lucky, the genaral population will do Duncan in.
October 17th, 2006 at 1:17 am
I just want to say that my prayers are with Shasta and her family (what’s left of it). Thank God she has been spared having to relive it all as she surely would have in giving testimony.
As for the fiend? I have a relative that works in prisons here in the Northwest. Offenders that have committed crimes against women, but especially children don’t live long. As sick as this sounds, criminals (some large percentage of them) get peeved at that, and they issue forth their own sentence (so to speak) and carry it out. They seem to have their own sort of code of what is acceptable or not.
That piece of sh-t will meet his maker, and I think it will be many years before he thinks he will, many more years.
I agree with all of you when you say that you hope and want the law to find evidence to solve more cases possibly and give closure to many more families, I hope for that too!!!
October 17th, 2006 at 7:02 am
I am glad to hear about the deal. The deal does not benefit Duncan. The deal benefits Shasta. the one who was traumitized and if she was forced to testify at trial would be traumatized all over again.. Duncan will be sentenced to fry from the federal trial and if, by some small chance, he is spared a death sentence from that trial (I cannot see how that could happen) he will be sent back to have a death penalty phase for these murders taht he just pleaded. So, Shasta doesn’t have to testify, We get to unlock his personal files on his computer and possibly solve more crimes, plus he probably still going to fry. Seems like EVERYONE won on this deal. God Bless Shasta and all of the families who have been hurt by Duncan.
October 17th, 2006 at 7:04 am
Laura Duncan IS a jail girlfriend. In fact he used to send pictures to his pimp in jail dressed in drag because he missed him.
Jazzy Jet. Jet has no problem being a prison bitch.
October 17th, 2006 at 7:05 am
Matt – how did you put it before? “Only in America”, or “God Bless America”, something like that. No wonder other countries make fun of us, and no wonder I never turn on the tv anymore except for Law and Order.
Becky – I swear it, I think I spit my drink several times reading your post. Girlfriend, you CRACK me up!!! I think I mentioned before on some post that you truly need to write – you need to get a blog started. I’ll be a reader of it, that’s for sure.
Back to topic though. Shasta is an amazing little girl. Absolutely amazing. After going through the horrid experience with pure evil, she was still able to show the police where jd had her, tell them all the stories he told her that led to other missing children (or was it one missing child, I can’t remember). I love her, I really want to sit with her and just hug her all day long and tell her how loved she is.
If you haven’t visited the Cellar, you really should, it’s an amazing site tracking all of JED’s activities and current news. And – for those of you that don’t know, JED has some pics of him dressed as a woman, they’re quite interesting to say the least. If you go to the Cellar, be sure to bring your puke bag.
October 17th, 2006 at 7:09 am
It breaks my heart to think of the memories Shasta has to face every day. At least she can sleep at night knowing this guy will never get out.
I didn’t watch the JMK interview. He’s delusional, so nothing he says can be trusted anyway. If he’s not delusional, and did this just to get attention, it worked.
October 17th, 2006 at 7:13 am
I really shoulda put a comma after Laura. lol
October 17th, 2006 at 7:14 am
And called you Lauren. Sorry guys, I am in morning.
October 17th, 2006 at 10:08 am
Shoot Melissa, I was trying to figure out if you knew something we didn’t know, another JET alias
Love the “I am in morning” comment, I’m going to use that one for sure!
October 17th, 2006 at 4:41 pm
haahahaha! Just when I was wondering who the hell Laura Duncan was!
October 17th, 2006 at 7:11 pm
Lauren (and not offend anyone else here as I would hate to do that), but THANK YOU for not saying LOL. It’s truly a pet peeve of mine
October 17th, 2006 at 7:23 pm
If you haven’t had enough of this story, here’s a link to a Spokane television station. On the right hand side there are links to videos. At the end of the video of Duncan in the courtroom, the camera pans to Shasta’s father and then to her brother.
http://khq.com/Global/story.asp?S=5542791
I drive by the Kootenai County courthouse on my way to work every morning. Yesterday, the street and lawn were covered with news crews. Today, there were none. In our little community, that’s a very good sign.
October 18th, 2006 at 12:16 pm
As a former correctional officer, let me say that from my observation that the death penalty is way over-rated, never once heard a con say he was glad to be there, death is the easy way out, time is a good thing, and many of them I wished a very long life for…………..the guilty hate it…….
May 10th, 2007 at 10:46 pm
I certainly hope Shasta will be getting some serious counseling due to her role in murdering her own brother with Duncan.
I may have been mistaken, but she did cry at having to leave Duncan in Dennys, and she did have a major happy a glow on her face in those pictures taken by the media shortly after she helped place Dylans charred bones in a a culvert with Duncan.
If society does not see her close identity with her captor, society will have to fear her even more than Duncan one day…