Chelsea King and a California Sex Offender
Email
Martin Bashir has an inside look tonight at the tall task of monitoring sex offenders in California and the danger these criminals often pose. The Jaycee Dugard case and sex offender Phillip Garrido thrust the issue into the spotlight in August when she was freed after more than 18 years of alleged captivity at his California home. Now it’s the disappearance of 17-year-old San Diego high school senior Chelsea King, pictured above, and arrest of sex offender John Albert Gardner, who police suspect raped and murdered the teen, that is raising some uncomfortable public safety questions. Here is the top of the latest ABCNews.com story about the Chelsea King case from Russell Goldman and Sarah Netter: Police believe a convicted sex offender arrested in the disappearance of San Diego high school student Chelsea King raped and murdered the girl, prosecutors said today. Arrested on suspicion of first degree murder and forcible rape, John Albert Gardner III, 30, was taken into custody Sunday after police found what they say is physical evidence linking him to King, a 17-year-old high school senior who vanished Feb. 25 while jogging in a park north of San Diego. Police have yet to find King or her body and San Diego County Sheriff Bill Gore said Gardner was not cooperating with the investigation. No bail has been set for Gardner, but he is scheduled to be arraigned Wednesday when he could formally be charged with murder even if King’s body has not been discovered. “There are murder cases that get tried without a body. There is one going on now,” said Paul Levikow, spokesman for the San Diego County District Attorney. Embedded below is Martin’s segment, entitled “How Safe Is Your Child?” Click HERE for more information about the search for Chelsea King.
RSS
Twitter
Facebook
I would like to know what physical evidence links this guy to the crime.
Posted by: johnny boy | March 1, 2010, 6:37 pm 6:37 pm
Her mother said it was her panties.
Posted by: jp | March 1, 2010, 6:42 pm 6:42 pm
ABC news (San Diego) reported both last night and this morning that a pair of her panties was found with his “DNA” on them. I can not find that information anywhere else on the internet and it was not on any of the other local news stations. But it makes sense. As a registered sex offender, they would have his DNA on file. I agree, these pedophiles and sex offenders generally don’t rehabilitate and something much more drastic needs to be done to stop this type of thing from happening! Chelsea, you and your family are in our thoughts and prayers!
Posted by: concerned mom | March 1, 2010, 7:06 pm 7:06 pm
Oh brother, some people express themselves and about seven comments get erased. Can you blame us for feeling this way?!
Posted by: Aaron | March 1, 2010, 7:26 pm 7:26 pm
Oh boy, about seven of us express how we feel and our comments get erased. Can anyone blame the people of San Diego on how they feel?
Posted by: Aaron | March 1, 2010, 7:28 pm 7:28 pm
we are praying 4 u chelsea
Posted by: thomas | March 1, 2010, 7:28 pm 7:28 pm
These types of brutal rapes and murders of the human beings is tragic,for families,society,and the victims innocence
Can we all seek change in our laws on the these sick sexual predators who are showing us in instance after instance that
they cannot be rehabilitated and that we are looking at civil liberties and not the signs that they must be better controlled.
Posted by: Lea Floyd | March 1, 2010, 7:36 pm 7:36 pm
Why do they suspect he murdered her? I realize they haven’t found her yet (or a body) but to publicize that he’s being charged with first degree murder? I feel like they’re right; just curious why they went right to that…? Obviously they have more evidence that we can’t know about…
Posted by: jojo | March 1, 2010, 7:39 pm 7:39 pm
how do they know shes dead? i dont understand? if they havent found her body why r they sayn shes dead.
Posted by: concious | March 1, 2010, 7:53 pm 7:53 pm
They found her underwear, which had her blood and his sperm. They also found blood at the scene where her underwear was found. Which was how they linked the two. They also found a shoe of hers. All clues point to her being murdered. I really hope she is alive somewhere, this poor family has gone through enough already. I really hope this man rots in jail.
Posted by: anonymous | March 1, 2010, 7:59 pm 7:59 pm
Keep your thoughts focused on Chelsea and her family. Pray that they get closure and justice.
Posted by: BIGGIE | March 1, 2010, 8:02 pm 8:02 pm
There are detailed batteries of tests, including some double blind, that show whether sex offenders actually have a taste for younger victims or for force situations.
Where they have committed a crime and are convicted beyond a reasonable doubt and the testing shows they have a taste for this sort of thing, they should either be locked up forever or executed.
Posted by: Gonzo | March 1, 2010, 8:22 pm 8:22 pm
My heart and prayers are with the King family — we had a missing child. Nothing in this world is worse… I hope your extended family and friends are helping to encourage you.
Posted by: Ki | March 1, 2010, 8:25 pm 8:25 pm
This clown had just been released from confinement and has a history of similar sexual offenses (but not murder), which is how he got to be a registered sex offender. He should be executed, that’s a given. But what about the idiot(s) who want to rehabilitate these animals? Shouldn’t they be imprisoned for manslaughter or negligent homicide – reckless disregard leading to death of another?
Posted by: predurok | March 1, 2010, 8:31 pm 8:31 pm
first things first, there is no way that they could analyse his DNA that fast.
and the media has absolutely no right to say she’s been raped AND murdered, that is jumping to conclusions.
Posted by: a | March 1, 2010, 8:36 pm 8:36 pm
sex offenders should be castrated!
Posted by: pebbles02 | March 1, 2010, 8:50 pm 8:50 pm
pebbles02 – I completely and wholeheartedly agree.
Seriously, some people are just sick.
Anyhow, I’m praying hard that Chelsea will return safely. No individual, or parents should have to go through any of this.
Posted by: anon | March 1, 2010, 9:03 pm 9:03 pm
i am hoping and praying for her family. this is a horrible occurrence. we need the death penalty for sex offenders. why do they keep letting them out? they are psychologically unable and unfit to be healthy members of soceity- how many innocent lives will be lost before lawmakers realize this?
Posted by: socal | March 1, 2010, 9:03 pm 9:03 pm
Yeah, that is some mighty fast DNA work.
I do find it odd that there is an assumption she was murdered. Hopeless, so soon?
If it is proven he is the scum that took her, then throw him in the loins den with a bunch of crazed prisoners!!
Ladies, its time to lock and load…it’s called the 2nd amendment!
Posted by: lucia | March 1, 2010, 9:11 pm 9:11 pm
Chelsea we are praying for you
Posted by: Katie | March 1, 2010, 9:17 pm 9:17 pm
He should not get away with this. She is a beautifulyoung lady. I hope that she is just hidden, but safe.
Posted by: Katie | March 1, 2010, 9:18 pm 9:18 pm
It is so wrong to allow people who commit crimes of any form to “get off easy”. Convicted murderers, where there is absolutely no doubt should be terminated. We shouldn’t have to pay for them to rehab, live, eat or get an education. They get a lot of benefits to commit crimes. They should be afraid to commit a crime! Jail and life should be horrible where they don’t want to go.
Posted by: LH | March 1, 2010, 9:23 pm 9:23 pm
Pebbles02 and anon: castrating a sex offender, though would take care of part of the problem, would not solve the real problem of male sex offenders (and also female sex offenders)…..removing their brain would, however, because a sex crime is not the cause of the part that you wish to be castrated—-it is the brain that directs the other parts of the body to commit such acts…..
Posted by: LOU | March 1, 2010, 10:01 pm 10:01 pm
they found his DNA in her underwear near the lake
Posted by: stef | March 1, 2010, 10:35 pm 10:35 pm
Do you have any clue about what you are posting about?
Based on your comments the answer is a resounding- No!!!
The two cases are both tragic but there is nothing to suggest That there is a common denominator out the fact a young child/teen was the victim
Posted by: peter | March 1, 2010, 11:04 pm 11:04 pm
Why do we always have to have this talk about “prayer”? Many people think prayer is pointless and irrational and solves nothing.
Better to depend on reason and constitutional police procedure (rather than railroading suspects, a la “CSI”, a very creepy TV show).
Posted by: Morgan Stewart | March 1, 2010, 11:05 pm 11:05 pm
Morgan,
I take your comment to mean, careful, scientifically verified lab results.
I think thatin the coming days, weeks, months you will find that in fact, that was done.
Peter
Posted by: Peter | March 1, 2010, 11:22 pm 11:22 pm
Unconscionable…..
Posted by: me in colorado | March 1, 2010, 11:33 pm 11:33 pm
How many women have to be brutally attacked in parks and woods, before the lesson is LEARNED?
NEVER GO RUNNING OR HIKING ALONE.
PREDATORS ARE A FACT OF LIFE.
PROTECT YOURSELF.
RUN WITH A
PARTNER. RUN AT THE GYM.
DON’T GO ALONE.
Posted by: lyn | March 1, 2010, 11:58 pm 11:58 pm
for sex offenders, cut his penis off. maniacs don’t need penises.
Posted by: Chief Quitoriano | March 2, 2010, 12:03 am 12:03 am
This is soo sad :( I can’t even imagine how her family feels right now.
Posted by: angela | March 2, 2010, 12:05 am 12:05 am
They have charged him with murder and rape, because it had to be mentioned in the incarceration documents (and the police wanted the charges to carry considerable weight, to justify a large bail amount), so the police provided those charges, but the DA has not yet filed formal charges. Arrest charges are not the same as DA charges.
I hope that this information clears up why they charged him with murder.
Posted by: julia | March 2, 2010, 12:07 am 12:07 am
What a shame this whole mess is. Such a beautiful girl with a bright future. When the FBI is involved Lab results come back quick. DNA technology has changed quite a bit i the last few years. DNA can now be replicated from a single DNA cell to produce enough samples for testing in a matter of days. Too soon for an exact match but it is probably 98%or higher. The police have found a large quantity of blood/ and or internal organ or muscle tissue samples which lead them to believe that she has died. I would bet money that they have found the scene of her rape and murder including evidence of blood loss exceeding a quart or two. At that point a murder conviction can be achieved due to the fact that humans cannot produce enough blood on our own to make up a deficit of blood that large. One cannot survive without medical attention and the Local hospitals have no record of a transfusion of that size in the last few days. In short she is presumed dead.
Posted by: Brandon Bolic | March 2, 2010, 12:14 am 12:14 am
i like cereal
Posted by: Cmoney | March 2, 2010, 2:45 am 2:45 am
Need a waterboard to get the information to find Chelsea, and then start removing parts of his anatomy.
Posted by: RehabCircus | March 2, 2010, 2:55 am 2:55 am
While i don’t believe she is alive, there is no way they, even the FBI gets DNA results that fast. They also have to announce any blood really is HER DNA definitively, and if her DNA is NOT on that pair of underwear, that would not add up period.. and it could be any females’ pair that the Mom is mistaken about. if only HIS DNA is on what could be any females underwear would lead to some other explanation. If there’s blood as some are saying here, and none of HIS clothes have HER blood and HIS DNA is not on them, it wouldn’t add up, the police would have a half baked case full of holes and any real killers would be out their marveling at how they fooled everyone. Let’s say some other guys did it; removed her clothes; brought them BACK to the scene to throw around before anyone knew she was missing, so someone would find them… a Stephanie Crowe case, again. They better be absolutely sure the pieces match or the real killers are still out there that really do know where her body is.
Posted by: asdf | March 2, 2010, 3:31 am 3:31 am
Maybe they had consensual sex and then, later, a whole different person hit her which caused the bleeding and the amnesia that prevented her from returning home. That’s about the best a criminal defense lawyer is going to do. Death Row.
Posted by: Robert Aberger | March 2, 2010, 6:07 am 6:07 am
We need to start putting these Devils to death that way they will not rape and molest our children any more
just wait till hit happens to your sister daughter mother wife then you will wake up
call you state senator today and DEMAND that they write legeslation that will put rapist and molesters on death row make there crime a death penalty offense
act now call your state senator now matter what state you live in
Posted by: dennis sil | March 2, 2010, 10:39 am 10:39 am
We toss around “sex offender” like they’re all the same. Some are just people 18 and over who happened to get involved with a minor . . . often out of sheet ignorance of the law. So we throw them right in there with the bona fide whackos, predators, parasites, and pedophiles. When will we wake up and not lump people all together? I agree that people like Phil Garrido should be castrated and worse, but don’t be stupid about the “registered sex offender” moniker.
Posted by: WakeUp | March 2, 2010, 3:17 pm 3:17 pm
So someone is “registered.” Does that really help? We don’t register drug dealers, drug manufacturers, wife beaters, burglars, robbers, or even murderers . . . so how does this great “registration” process help? Why don’t we make other offenders register. Why don’t we distinguish between dangerous people and those who just “get caught with their pants down” because of some oversight or ignorance? The truth is that the government and the system will NEVER protect you from predatory people–you need to do that yourself.
Posted by: WakeUp | March 2, 2010, 3:23 pm 3:23 pm
My prayers to the King’s family. May you all stay strong.
Posted by: Lin | March 2, 2010, 4:37 pm 4:37 pm
They found a body in the lake this afternoon. It is believed to be that of Chelsea King. RIP
Posted by: Justin | March 2, 2010, 6:24 pm 6:24 pm
i dont get why people think she’s dead
Posted by: hula | March 2, 2010, 6:55 pm 6:55 pm
Its now marsh 2 and they belive they found her body near a pond! I feel so bad b/c tht guy tht killed chelsey tried to in december 27 in the same place!!!!! That other girl should have spoken up so they could worn ppl in tht area! But nooooo chelsey got the brunt of it!!!!!!!!!! I’m not saying its the other girls fault but it would have been nice!
Posted by: Lola | March 2, 2010, 11:18 pm 11:18 pm
In response to the “there is no way that they could analyse his DNA that fast.”
if he is a registered sex offender, he would be on file…
Posted by: VT | March 3, 2010, 2:37 am 2:37 am
who is the dam judge that gave the ok to let this scum out he is responsable for this girls death
Posted by: big al | March 3, 2010, 9:38 am 9:38 am
Another girl had been attacked at that same park in December. That girl new martial arts and was able to escape after elbowing her attacker in the nose. Police were able to gather the attacker’s DNA in that case (likely from the bloody nose). That girl has now identified Gardner as her attacker from a line-up. Why wasn’t the DNA in that case used to arrest Gardner before he ultimately murdered Chelsea King?
Posted by: whootowl | March 4, 2010, 2:03 am 2:03 am
Couldn’t sleep last night…so angry!
BRAND THEM!!! He looks “normal” – how would anyone know he is a predator? Tattoo Sex Predators Face or hands!!! It is cheap! Why spend millions to feed, shelter and educate these monsters! Brand them and let society shun them…Hopefully then they will elimate themselves from society and spare us!
I do not feel safe. I do not feel safe for my daughters.
The time for child molesters and sexual predators having rights should be over! Leniency towards them and lack of punishment or consequences allows this behavior to fester. There shouldn’t be so many “red dots” in my neighborhood on the Megan’s Law map. Our society is failing to protect our children….It is not acceptable!
Posted by: LL | March 4, 2010, 9:51 pm 9:51 pm