California, among its other foibles is noted for a commitment to 'rehabilitation' of convicted sex offenders. Sadly, the normal outcome ends up like this:
Sex offender John Albert Gardner pleaded guilty Friday to murdering two teenage girls in San Diego County after prosecutors agreed not to seek the death penalty.
Gardner, 31, faces life in prison without parole for killing 14-year-old Amber Dubois and 17-year-old Chelsea King.
He also pleaded guilty to attempting to rape another woman who was jogging in San Diego last year.
Gardner, wearing a dark blue jail jumpsuit with his shackled arms hanging at his sides, said nothing but "yes" repeatedly as the judge asked him for his pleas.
District Attorney Bonnie Dumanis said Gardner led authorities to the skeletal remains of Dubois two days after authorities charged him with the murder of King.
He did so on the condition that prosecutors not go public with the information or use it against him in court. However, officials could use any evidence obtained from the crime scene to build their case, Dumanis said.
"This was a somber decision," she said. "To end the anguish of the unknown for the Dubois family and to bring Amber home, we agreed."
The article doesn't mention it in detail, but Gardner's last conviction was for the rape and brutal beating of a 13-year-old girl. Her injuries were so horrendous that the DA handling the case at that time made the decision to plea bargain in order to spare the traumatized victim having to testify in court.
Gardner got eight years and served less than five.
According to the prosecutor both the victims' families agreed to the plea agreement.
Brent King, Chelsea's father, said his family made the decision in order to avoid the pain of a protracted trial and endless appeals, which prosecutors said could drag on for decades.
"While our unequivocal first choice is the death penalty, we acknowledge that in California that penalty has become an empty promise," he said.
In prison, Gardner will be allowed to continue with the privilege he denied his two victims and who knows how many others..the privilege of life.
Amber Dubois
Chelsea King
Some good may actually come out of this, believe it or not. It may actually lead to to strengthen California's lenient laws on sex predators.
Brent and Kelly King have been working the legislature in Sacramento to announce the introduction of "Chelsea's Law," which would mandate a 'one-strike' policy of life imprisonment for some child molesters after a first conviction and the electronic monitoing of others with tracking technology for the rest of their lives.
1 comment:
inmates have their own code.
i'm just curious if they know better than the DA and/or the general population of ca?
nnaaaaaaaaahhhhhhhhh
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