It’s time for me to take a week off; I’ll return to work on Sept. 8th. I plan to do some windsurfing and mountain biking, spend time with family, clean my house and get some rest. I still hope to speak with jurors, perhaps after they’ve had some time to recover, to fill in the final puzzle piece of the very unusual court case that’s just concluded. I’ll continue to follow developments in the case after I return, but I’ll also be shifting gears and turning back to what now seem much more tame subjects: Idaho politics and the fall election campaigns.

There are many aspects of this case that continue to nag. Did Duncan commit other crimes that have not yet come to light? Are there clues in the evidence that was presented in court that would lead to those? What about all the evidence that was sealed, including the extensive evaluations that ruled Duncan mentally competent? James Cohen, Fordham University law professor, told me this morning, “I think we have missed an opportunity to get a glimpse into who this guy is or was, and that may have some lessons for the criminal justice system.”

As I drove my son and his friend to the fair last weekend, the Doors song “Riders on the Storm” came on the radio, and the line about the killer on the road seemed chillingly apropos. Perhaps the most haunting aspect of this case is that Duncan’s crimes lashed out against innocent children he didn’t even know, strangers just living their lives in peace until his murderous rampage, without warning, randomly struck them and their families. It could have been any of us.

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