Topics
Joseph Duncan
Summary
Joseph Edward Duncan III is the murderer and kidnapper who attacked a Wolf Lodge Bay family in May 2005.
Kootenai County deputies discovered three dead on May 16, 2005. Brenda Groene, 40; her fiance Mark McKenzie, 37; and her son, Slade Groene, 13, were bludgeoned to death. An Amber Alert was issued the next day for Brenda Groene’s two youngest children, 9-year-old Dylan Groene and 8-year-old Shasta Groene.
The murders and children’s disappearance launched the biggest investigative effort in Kootenai County’s history, at one point involving more than 100 FBI personnel and more than 80 investigators from several other agencies.
Shortly before 2 a.m. on July 2, Shasta was recognized by workers and patrons at the Denny’s in Coeur d’Alene, and her kidnapper, Duncan, was arrested without incident.
Duncan, 42 at the time, was a federal fugitive and a Tacoma native who had spent much of his adult life in Washington state prisons for sex crimes against children. He was on the run from a child molestation charge in Minnesota when he drove past the Groene home on Interstate 90 east of Coeur d’Alene and spotted Shasta and Dylan playing outside.
Over the July 4 weekend, investigators found Dylan Groene’s remains at a campsite near St. Regis, Mont.
On Oct. 16, 2005, Duncan pleaded guilty to three counts of kidnapping and three counts of murder in the deaths of Brenda Groene, Mark McKenzie and Slade Groene. He was sentenced to three consecutive life sentences for the kidnappings. The sentences for the murders were undecided, pending federal prosecution.
More than two years later, after numerous legal delays and psychiatric evaluations, Duncan acted as his own lawyer as he pleaded guilty to 10 federal counts, including the kidnapping of the two children and Dylan’s murder, on Dec. 3, 2007.
On Aug. 27, 2008, a federal jury sentenced Duncan to death. The decision ended the state’s earlier case, with a judge imposing three more life sentences for those murders. Later, Duncan was given three more life sentences, for a total of nine, for his federal crimes.
Duncan pleaded guilty in the death of Anthony Martinez, a 10-year-old California boy, adding his 10th life sentence on March 15, 2011. Duncan has also been linked to the 1996 slayings of two young half-sisters in Seattle.
Key people
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Joseph Duncan
Joseph Edward Duncan III is the murderer and kidnapper who attacked an Idaho family in May 2005. Duncan was 42 at the time, was a federal fugitive and a Tacoma native who had spent much of his adult life in Washington state prisons for sex crimes against children. On Dec. 3, 2007, after numerous legal delays and psychiatric evaluations, Duncan acted as his own lawyer as he pleaded guilty to 10 federal counts, including the kidnapping of the two children and Dylan Grone’s murder.
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Brenda Groene
Brenda Groene, 40, was found at her home by Kootenai County deputies on May 16, 2005, bludgeoned to death, along with her fiance Mark McKenzie; and her son, 13-year-old Slade Groene. Her 9-year-old son Dylan Groene and 8-year-old daughter Shasta Groene were kidnapped by Joseph Duncan.
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Mark McKenzie
Mark McKenzie, 37, was found by Kootenai County deputies May 16, 2005, bludgeoned to death, along with his fiancee, Brenda Groene, 40; and her son, Slade Groene, 13, were bludgeoned to death.
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Steve Groene
Steve Groene is the father of Shasta Groene. His sons, Dylan and Slade Groene and his ex-wife, Brenda Groene, were killed in 2005 by Joseph Dundan. Shasta was kidnapped and was found two months later.
Key places
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Wolf Lodge Bay
Latest updates in this topic
Shasta key to Duncan plea deal
Kootenai County Prosecutor Bill Douglas said Wednesday he feels bad for family members of Joseph Duncan’s murder victims if they misunderstood key points in the plea deal that Douglas crafted …
Duncan admits guilt
Justice and closure. The words were repeated again and again Monday morning as investigators, attorneys and victims’ relatives reacted to Joseph Duncan’s admission that he murdered three members of a …
Password is key bargaining chip
Joseph Duncan didn’t throw in all his cards when he accepted a last-minute plea deal that short-circuited the need for a jury trial. As part of the unique plea bargain, …
Duncan deal in works?
Jury selection in the triple-murder trial of Joseph Edward Duncan III has been canceled, fueling speculation that a plea deal has been reached with Kootenai County prosecutors. Kootenai County sheriff’s …
The case against Duncan
Joseph Edward Duncan will be tried in Kootenai County without two key pieces of evidence: The murder weapon and physical proof that in May 2005 he was in the Wolf …
Death sentence would be first for prosecutor, defender
If Joseph Duncan is convicted and sentenced to death, it will be a first for both Kootenai County Public Defender John Adams and Prosecutor Bill Douglas. In the dozen years …
Duncan jury selection closed
The public and news media will not be allowed to watch jury selection in the Joseph Duncan murder-kidnapping trial that begins Monday in Coeur d’Alene. First District Judge Fred Gibler …
Duncan jury pool gets questionnaire
A hefty jury questionnaire was mailed recently to 800 Kootenai County residents summoned for the jury pool in the Joseph Duncan triple-murder trial. The prospective jurors, who are scheduled to …
Duncan case gets gag order
Joseph Duncan’s attorney and the Kootenai County prosecutor want to pick the accused killer’s jury out of view of the public and news media. Duncan’s lawyer, Public Defender John Adams, …
Shasta competent to testify, judge says
Shasta Groene, the key witness in the case against accused killer Joseph Duncan, has been declared competent to testify in his triple-murder trial. First District Judge Fred Gibler spent 90 …
Prosecutor rejects Duncan plea offer
Joseph Duncan says he will plead guilty to four murders, kidnapping and other crimes against a Coeur d’Alene family if he’s promised life in prison with no chance of parole. …
Groene leaves Seattle hospital after surgery
The father of kidnap victim Shasta Groene was released from a Seattle hospital on Monday after his vocal cords and a cancerous tumor were removed, the University of Washington Medical …
Steve Groene files lawsuit against Duncan
Steve Groene is suing to keep the man accused of killing two of his sons and kidnapping and molesting his daughter from profiting from the crimes. The lawsuit was filed …
Feds want death penalty
The U.S. attorney general’s office has given federal prosecutors the green light to seek the death penalty for murder suspect Joseph Duncan. It’s a development some hope will lead to …
Duncan’s statements ruled admissible
Jurors in Joseph Duncan’s triple-murder trial can hear incriminating statements the suspected killer made following his arrest, 1st District Judge Fred Gibler ruled Thursday. Gibler denied a motion by Duncan’s …
Shasta worries as trial nears
Shasta Groene is “pretty scared and nervous” about having to testify against Joseph Duncan at his triple-murder trial next month, the Idaho girl’s father said Thursday. Now the 9-year-old has …
Groene case prompted attacks
OLYMPIA – Nearly a year after he was arrested, Michael Anthony Mullen says it was an infamous North Idaho case – Joseph Edward Duncan’s alleged kidnapping, sexually abusing and killing …
Feds plan to seek execution for Duncan
Federal prosecutors want to seek the death penalty for Joseph Duncan, the U.S. attorney’s office confirmed Friday. The ultimate decision on whether Duncan could face death for alleged crimes against …
Shasta can’t face away, lawyer says
Because Joseph Duncan isn’t charged with crimes against Shasta Groene in Kootenai County, his attorney says the 9-year-old must face Duncan in court when she testifies against him later this …
Shasta may testify in person
If 1st District Judge Fred Gibler finds the 9-year-old is capable of taking the stand, Shasta Groene will be in the same room as Joseph Duncan when she testifies against …
Lawyers clash over Duncan statements
Public Defender John Adams fought passionately Tuesday to keep statements Joseph Duncan made about Shasta Groene and crimes against her family from being used against the triple-murder suspect at his …
Prosecutors reply to Duncan motion
Kootenai County prosecutors filed a reply to Joseph Duncan’s attorney late Thursday afternoon to keep the death penalty on the table in the homicide suspect’s case. Duncan is accused of …
Duncan won’t attend arguments
Homicide suspect Joseph Duncan is not expected to appear in court next week during two days of arguments over motions in his triple-murder case, according to the Kootenai County Sheriff’s …
Duncan lawyer investigating state’s execution protocol
Joseph Duncan isn’t set to be tried on triple-murder charges until October, but his attorney is already asking for the state’s protocol for lethal injection. Public Defender John Adams sent …
Duncan’s brother was a victim, too
Bruce Duncan, 41, the brother of murder/child-rape suspect Joseph Edward Duncan III, has died in Western Washington. The cause of death was a heart aneurysm. But a good case can …
Huckleberries: Shasta Groene rescuer waiting for husband, not money
Denny’s was proud of Amber Deahn and other employees after they helped rescue Shasta Groene from the clutches of sadistic Joseph Edward Duncan last July – so proud that it …
Sexual predator ballot proposal falls short
Washington state voters will not get a chance in November to decide whether certain sexual predators should face life in prison after a single offense. Initiative 921 – also known …
Duncan: ‘It had to end’
Joseph Duncan laughed at times and cried at times in the hour after he was booked into the Kootenai County Jail nearly one year ago, according to recently filed court …
Living’s difficult for sex offenders
When the 30-day eviction notice arrived last month, he was upset but not surprised. After nearly two years on Idaho’s sex offender registry list, the Coeur d’Alene man is accustomed …
Killings spark action
In Washington, the state capitol is more than 300 miles from the Idaho home where the Groene-McKenzie family members were attacked, slain and abducted. But echoes from the horrific case …
What’s next
State v. Duncan “ Joseph Duncan, sitting in a Kootenai County jail cell since his arrest last summer, will face the death penalty if he is convicted for the May …
Shasta’s best interest is his only interest
Coeur d’Alene attorney John Sahlin became disenchanted with the legal process early in his career. He specialized in family law, an area he said many attorneys consider “one of the …