Our View: Though federal case remains, Duncan’s plea a win
For one of the few times in his adult life, Joseph Duncan did something with others in mind.
At least he said he did. Who knows what truly motivates this killer and child molester?
By striking a plea bargain Monday to admit his guilt in the murders and kidnappings of Mark McKenzie, his fiancée, Brenda Groene, and her 13-year-old son, Slade, Duncan has spared the lone survivor of his carnage from testifying and reliving her nightmare for now. Concern for 9-year-old Shasta Groene was paramount after District Judge Fred Gibler decreed Thursday that she was competent to take the stand in the triple-murder trial that was to begin Monday.
As a side issue, Kootenai County saved additional trial expenses that already have reached $400,000 for Duncan’s defense alone.
In agreeing to the deal, which still includes a possible sentencing phase for the death penalty, Duncan spared Shasta, her family, family friends and Kootenai County residents an emotional roller coaster that had been expected to last into the holidays. He also gave Prosecutor Bill Douglas everything he wanted. Douglas, who was roundly criticized for not accepting a similar plea bargain offer from Duncan’s attorneys last week, deserves credit for winning a game of legal brinkmanship against Public Defender John Adams and possibly the most manipulative psychopath ever to face trial in North Idaho.
Douglas couldn’t have asked for much more from Duncan, other than that he also agree to plead guilty to federal murder and kidnapping charges in the abduction of Shasta and her brother Dylan Groene, and the killing of Dylan in northwest Montana. Among the most important issues Douglas won for the state were:
“Duncan pleaded guilty to three counts each of first-degree murder and first-degree kidnapping. He faced kidnapping charges because he bound his victims before bludgeoning them to death with a framing hammer at their Wolf Lodge Bay home in mid-May 2005.
“Duncan will return to Kootenai County to face a local jury for sentencing if he doesn’t receive the death penalty for his alleged federal crime.
“Duncan will provide the password and/or keys to his encrypted computer files to his federal public defender.
“Duncan’s guilty pleas are irrevocable.
No matter what happens at the federal level, Duncan has run out of options. Yesterday, he was sentenced to three consecutive life terms without possibility of parole on the first-degree kidnapping charges. He’ll never be free again. All that hangs in the balance now is the death penalty. If Duncan really wanted to spare Shasta Groene and the families of the survivors any further hurt, he’d plead guilty to the federal charges and face the sentencing consequences. The little girl could still testify at the federal trial about what happened to her brother and her.
Meanwhile, the thoughts and prayers of the community should be focused on Shasta Groene, her father, Steve, who recently had his vocal cords removed as part of treatment for throat cancer, and their extended families. They put a human face of suffering on Duncan’s crimes. Shasta’s ability to heal is an inspiration to all who face tragedy. Maybe her ability to survive horror at Duncan’s hands pierced the killer’s cold heart and prompted him to finally do the right thing.