April 5, 2011 in News, City

Joseph Duncan given two more life sentences

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Terry Pierson photo

Joseph Duncan as he appeared in April 2011 in an Indio, Calif., courtroom.
(Full-size photo)

Convicted serial killer Joseph Duncan received two more life sentences today for the 1997 murder of Anthony Martinez in southern California.

Duncan, 48, made what could be his his last appearance in Riverside County Superior Court during a sentencing hearing this morning in Indio.

Duncan pleaded guilty last month to the abduction and killing of the 10-year-old Beaumont boy outside his home 14 years ago.

Anthony was kidnapped at knifepoint April 4, 1997, when Duncan approached a group of children offering a dollar each to help him find a lost cat.

Anthony was driven to an area south of Joshua Tree National Park, where the boy was molested, tortured and beaten to death with a rock. His body was found by a ranger 15 days later bound in duct tape.

During today’s sentencing, both Duncan and Anthony’s family were given a chance to speak about the case.

A federal judge has already ordered Duncan to three death sentences, on top of nine life terms for the murder of four members of a family and kidnapping of two children in Kootenai County, Idaho.

In Idaho, Duncan was tried and, in 2008, convicted for the murders of Brenda Groene, her fiancé, Mark McKenzie, and her oldest son, Slade Groene. All three were bludgeoned with a hammer in their home. Duncan abducted Groene’s two youngest children, Dylan, 9, and Shasta, 8, and molested them before killing Dylan. Duncan was with Shasta at a Coeur d’Alene Denny’s when a waitress alerted authorities.

Upon his arrest, Duncan confessed to Anthony’s death and a partial thumb print was found on a piece of duct tape on Anthony’s body.

Riverside County prosecutors filed murder charges in 2007 and extradited Duncan to face the death penalty. Newly-elected District Attorney Paul Zellerbach accepted a settlement from Duncan’s attorneys to agree to the life sentence.

Zellerbach said the family requested he agree to the settlement. By not pursuing the death penalty, Duncan would likely face execution much quicker on the nation’s federal death row in Terra Haute, Ind. where he would await the death penalty for the Idaho murders.

For more than two years, Duncan has been held at the Indio Jail. Prosecutors said Duncan could be returned to federal prison as soon as Wednesday.

Seven comments on this story so far. Add yours!

• 

  nitro71 on April 05 at 11:08 a.m.

  The justice system is broken. It’s absurd that this guy is still alive after the heinous crimes he’s committed. It should not take this long to convict, try and execute him. This is not a case where it is questionable that he committed the crimes.

• 

  crader72 on April 05 at 12:10 p.m.

  Yeah that showed him.

• 

  Billy on April 05 at 6:14 p.m.

  Let’s execute him 3 times and be done with this scum.

• 

  bdr on April 05 at 6:33 p.m.

  Where in here is the budget savings……lumping 2 more sentences on top of a verbal confession for his first life sentence is just a waste…………

  He should have been Hung by now!

  HANG THE MORPH AND MOVE ON STATE!

• 

  Sweetfire on April 05 at 6:59 p.m.

  A roof over his head, a bed to sleep on and three squares a day. This is way to good for this scum bag. He needs to be taken out ASAP.

• 

  west on April 05 at 8:59 p.m.

  yawn!..along with Gates ad nauseam..society doesn’t have the guts or courage to execute them..that is our liberal leadership..

• 

  DemoDriver on April 06 at 1:14 p.m.

  bdr: perhaps ironically, execution is more expensive that a sentence of “natural life.”

  Hanging is attractive, so far as methods of execution are concerned. Lethal injection, firing squads, electric chairs, and gas chambers all render key organs unfit for transplant.

  Consent should not be needed, were a judge to order the hanging, and write in his/her decree that said organs shall be harvested in the name of the Victims’ Compensation Fund.