Chelsea King was 17. She had strawberry blonde hair, sparkling blue eyes and a smile that went from here to tomorrow. She was a senior at Poway High School near San Diego who disappeared when went for a jog last Thursday afternoon.
Thousands helped search for her.
She’s dead now. What is most likely her body was found in a shallow grave near a tributary of Lake Hodges, about half a mile from her locked car and cell phone.
Her life ended in fright and violence. Her family and friends are devastated.
John Albert Gardner III, 30, a registered sex offender, has been charged with murder during a rape or attempted rape in Chelsea’s slaying. He pleaded not guilty in court Wednesday.
The San Diego Union Tribune says that Gardner was identified from semen that was found on a piece of Chelsea’s clothing. Authorities ran it through a national DNA database Sunday, and arrested Gardner later that day. Two days later, Chelsea was found.
In 2000, Gardner pleaded guilty to sexual molestation charges involving a 13-year-old neighbor. He served five years of a six-year sentence, wore a global positioning system tracking device until his parole ended in 2008, and registered his address and his grandmother’s address as residences.
Dr. Matthew Carroll was the court-apppointed psychiatrist in that case. He said that Gardner denied the evidence and showed no remorse. Carroll warned the court Gardner would be a "continued danger to underage girls" and urged the maximum sentence of 30 years. From People magazine:
"He's frustrated and angry they didn't listen to what he said," says Dr. Mark Kalish, a psychiatrist who shares offices with Carroll and spoke on his behalf. "He said: 'Give him the maximum sentence,' and psychiatrists generally don't do that."
Kalish says the prosecutors agreed to the plea deal to avoid the time and trouble of a trial and to spare the victim the trauma of testifying.
Gardner is also being investigated in connection with two other recent incidents, a Dec. 27 attack on a 22-year-old female jogger in the same park, and the Feb. 13, 2009 disappearance of a 14-year-old girl while she was walking to school in the area.
Something is not working here. And experts say it is the nation’s sexual predator laws. From the Union Tribune:
“Calls to action already are ringing across San Diego County and the nation for tougher legislation after the rape and murder of 17-year-old Chelsea, whose body is believed to have been found near Lake Hodges on Tuesday and whose accused killer appeared in court Wednesday to answer the charges.
“But legal experts note that California already has a litany of laws named after child victims adopted in the heated aftermath of terrible crimes. Too often, the rules fail to deter pedophiles and other sexual offenders who may never be reformed.
“Virtually every study done of the subject has concluded that Megan’s Law hasn’t reduced sex offenses,” said Shaun Martin, a law professor at the University of San Diego. “So it’s pretty clear at this point that the law doesn’t reduce crime.”
WHAT CAN WE DO? Do you believe we can change anything? If so, what? How do we prevent this from happening to another girl like Chelsea?
This is a picture of Chelsea:
http://www.signonsandiego.com/photos/galleries/2010/mar/02/photos-missing-teen-chelsea-king/6790/
The San Diego Union Tribune Story:
http://www.signonsandiego.com/news/2010/mar/03/experts-predator-laws-not-working/
The People magazine story:
http://www.people.com/people/article/0,,20348451,00.html?xid=rss-topheadlines