U.S. District Judge Edward Lodge has granted Joseph Duncan’s motion to act as his own attorney in his death penalty proceedings; read my full story here at spokesmanreview.com.

"Do you feel that you're ready to go forward with your trial on these sentencing issues?" the judge asked the convicted murderer. "Yeah, I believe so," Duncan responded. Asked by the judge if he had any reservations, Duncan said, "I'm not a perfect person, and I make mistakes sometimes ... My only reservation is that I'm a human being."

The judge ordered jury selection in the death penalty sentencing proceedings to resume next Wednesday. “We’re not going to delay this thing any further,” the judge declared.

Duncan faces a possible death penalty for murdering 9-year-old Dylan Groene, after kidnapping and molesting the child and his 8-year-old sister in 2005. Duncan has pleaded guilty to all counts, and also to killing the children’s 13-year-old brother, mother and mother’s fiancé at the family’s North Idaho home in order to kidnap the two youngsters.

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