Chelsea King -- Found Deceased 3/2/10 -- UPDATE: John Albert Gardner III admits he murdered Chelsea

Watch Chelsea's memorial service at the following link.

http://www.10news.com/video/22834155/

Masses Celebrate the Life of Chelsea King

In a heartbreaking display of courage, the Kings took the stage, bonded in tragedy

By MICHELLE WAYLAND
Updated 7:39 PM PST, Sat, Mar 13, 2010



Thousands gathered at Poway High to remember a beloved daughter, sister, friend, peer counselor and to some a stranger whose tragic death has shaken their soul.

“I just have to take this in for a minute,” Chelsea’s mom Kelly King said tearfully.

As she caught her breath, she told the crowd how she wakes up every morning and has to remember how to breathe and how to put one foot in front of the other.

“Just as I feel both these tasks are beyond my capabilities, I hear Chelsea. She’s saying ‘come on mom, we have important things to do’,” Kelly King said.

And so their conversation begins, she explained to the crowd.

“I tell her, ‘ angel, I don’t know how or where to begin. And she tells me, ‘mom, look around you. Take in all the beauty we have around us and help other people see it as well. Watch the sunrise and see all the hope it brings with each new day. Let the music that I’ve always found so much joy and beauty in raise your spirits and allow you to soar’,” she said.

Chelsea’s younger brother, Tyler King, said he’s been asked a question a lot this week.

“That is, ‘are you okay?’ I want to say I’m okay, but I’m not okay because the best thing in my life has been taken away from me, it was Chelsea. But her spirit is so large that it defeats death and so she’s still right here with all of us,” he said.

He stole hearts as he fondly recounted all the great times he had with his sister like Christmas, Halloween and Easter. He recalled that Christmas was their favorite holiday and remembered how they used to look for Santa.

“She thought she saw him out of her window, because we saw Christmas lights, so of course we thought that was Santa. So she gets really excited and starts running around the house going ‘Santa, Santa, Santa’,” he said.

Tyler recalled how Chelsea grabbed a plate of cookies for Santa but dropped it. She was devastated.

“Then last Christmas my dad got my mom home videos and we have that on film and the real reason for her dropping the cookies was me,” Tyler said laughing.

He had lifted his arms in excitement and hit the plate out of her arms.

The crowd chuckled as Tyler recalled his memories with a sparkle in his eye and love in his heart.

As Chelsea’s father took the stage, he made a gesture.

“To all the Poway kids that knew Chelsea extremely well,” Brent King said clasping his hands, twisting his arms and bowing his head. “Chelsea’s way of relieving stress and I needed a bit.”

Some of the crowd cheered and knew exactly what he meant. An inside joke, with those who knew her best.

“As a father, as a parent, you dream of watching your children grow, experience, learn, challenge and embrace life. You imagine their college days, wonder who the person of their dreams is and what type of life they will build together. You never realize that as a parent you also sign up for pain.”

He asked how do we as a community make sense of this senseless act. Chelsea could have run at a different park that day. She could have taken a different trail, at a different time.

“But that wouldn’t change the senseless act, just the victim. And we would never wish this pain on another family,” Brent King said.

When the tragedy began to unfold, he said he needed to make a choice.

“I could choose despair, probably the easiest choice. I could chose rage of which I have enough of that in me to walk through the deepest parts of hell a thousand times. Or I could choose hope. Because of you, I chose hope,” he said.

He promised to channel his rage and commit to spending his life making society safe from what he calls the incurable evil.

“Known sexual predators are not curable. The way in which as a community and a society, we have chosen to allow them to still live within our neighborhoods, is incomprehensible,” he said. “This issue is clear. It’s not defined by race, gender, age, religion, political affiliation or income. It’s about protecting our children from evil. Pure evil.”

Poway High School Principal Scott Fisher, speaking from a stage festooned with sunflower bouquets, told the crowd that the events of the two weeks since Chelsea's disappearance and the discovery of her body have filled the hearts of everyone at the school, and "millions who never had the privilege of knowing Chelsea."

“The events of the past two weeks have torn at the hearts and emotions of every one of us in this stadium and people across the country,” Principal Fisher said.

Family, friends, classmates and throngs of others sat beneath her giant image over the football stadium grandstand Saturday afternoon, wiping away tears and remembering a girl who has touched so many lives.



“To those who Chelsea loved so much, her friends and follow class mates at Poway High School, she loved you dearly and she learned so much from you. Memories she will cherish forever and ever and ever,” Chelsea’s uncle Chuck McCauley said. “On Feb. 25 our lives changed dramatically and will remain changed forever. Our hearts were shattered. Our spirits were dampened and our faith was tested. Because of each and every one of you who are here today and thousands and thousands of others around the globe, our hearts are mending. Our spirits are being lifted and our faith has been restored.”

He thanked a community he said is like no other community -- a community that tirelessly searched for his niece and surrounded his family with support and love.

“The outpouring of sympathy, assistance and support that has and continues to be unprecedented. You have touched our lives and will be in our hearts forever,” McCauley said.

He thanked the search and rescue team, the volunteers, law enforcement, care givers, churches, the media and the business community.

“You never lost your focus, you never gave up, you never lost hope and while we didn’t get the end result that all of us prayed for, Chelsea and her entire family will be forever grateful in your love and support,” he said.



Chelsea was a straight-A student who ran on the cross-country team, played French horn in the San Diego Youth Symphony and was active in her school's peer counseling program.

"Chelsea wanted to make a difference in this world and she clearly did. Look around you. This is the difference that a young woman like Chelsea King makes in this world. It is up to us, all of us, to ensure that the shining light that Chelsea brought to this campus, to this community and to this country will never be extinguished," Principal Fisher said.

Chelsea was a tireless volunteer in school and community activities, whether working at a prom for special education students or packaging food for needy families in Africa.

“Such was the magic that Chelsea brought to this world. A tragedy like this could easily tear apart even the strongest of communities, yet while we mourn, Chelsea’s passing has strengthened the bonds of this special community more than anyone could ever imagine,” Principal Fisher said.

She had applied to 11 colleges and aspired to a career that would combine her interests in writing and the environment. Although her aspirations were cut short, her parents say her light still shines strong.

“Chelsea loves words. The right word at the right time is so important to her. She chose a word for me to share with you today that personifies who Chelsea is. It’s a simple but complex word and a very challenging word, much like her,” Brent King said.

The word is give.

“I am asking each of you to think about Chelsea’s word. I’m asking each of you to give. Give your time, even if it’s one hour a month. Give your voice, even if it’s one email or vote or signature on a petition. Give your energy to help Chelsea’s light shine brightly," he said.

He finished up with four simple words for his daughter.

"I love you angel,” he said.

http://www.nbcsandiego.com/news/local-beat/Big-Crowds-Expected-at-Chelseas-Memorial--87341797.html

What a beautiful tribute to Chelsea.

She was a very special and beautiful girl. She wanted to make a difference in this world. And I believe in her tragic death, her family will make sure Chelsea will make a difference.

Parents Of Slain Poway Teen Launch Foundation

POSTED: 3:23 pm PDT March 15, 2010

SAN DIEGO -- The family of slain Poway High School senior Chelsea King announced today the creation of a nonprofit agency to serve as a vehicle for their efforts to tighten laws that are supposed to protect the public from sex offenders.

The Chelsea's Light Foundation will strive for legislative and law enforcement change in the name of the 17-year-old straight-A student, whose body was found in a shallow grave near Lake Hodges on March 2, five days after she went missing during a jogging outing in northern San Diego.

A registered sex offender has been charged with sexually assaulting and killing her.


With a "specific plan of action ... defined over the coming weeks and months," the organization will "work in concert with California Assemblyman Nathan Fletcher to develop a path forward, beginning with California and subsequently the nation," King family spokeswoman Sara Muller Fraunces said.

Chelsea's parents, Brent and Kelly King, issued the following statement regarding the fledgling agency:

"We know that the path to healing will be long and unsteady because Chelsea's absence leaves such a gaping hole in our hearts, our family and our community. We will reach past our grief and focus our rage to bring about changes that will make our communities safer. Establishing the Chelsea's Light Foundation is our first positive step in that direction. We invite global participation. As Chelsea loved to say, 'Go big or go home.'"

On Saturday, an overflow crowd of more than 6,000 people packed Poway High School's football stadium for a memorial honoring Chelsea, described by her principal as a "shining light" that the community must make sure is never extinguished.

The avid cross-country runner and San Diego Youth Symphony member disappeared Feb. 25 in Rancho Bernardo Community Park. A search by law enforcement teams from numerous agencies, aided by thousands of citizen volunteers, ended five days later with the discovery of her body.

Three days after the teen went missing, John Albert Gardner III, 30, was arrested on suspicion of raping and killing her. Police sources have said DNA found on the victim's underwear incriminated Gardner.

The suspect also is under investigation in connection with the disappearance and apparent murder of 14-year-old Amber Dubois of Escondido, who vanished while walking to school in February 2009. Her skeletal remains were found early this month on a hillside in Pala, near the Riverside County border.

Gardner pleaded guilty 10 years ago to sexually assaulting a 13-year-old girl in his mother's townhouse, which is located about a mile from the park where Chelsea disappeared.

http://www.10news.com/news/22847797/detail.html

Justice4all wrote:
Chelsea’s younger brother, Tyler King, said he’s been asked a question a lot this week.

“That is, ‘are you okay?’ I want to say I’m okay, but I’m not okay because the best thing in my life has been taken away from me, it was Chelsea. But her spirit is so large that it defeats death and so she’s still right here with all of us,” he said.

He stole hearts as he fondly recounted all the great times he had with his sister like Christmas, Halloween and Easter. He recalled that Christmas was their favorite holiday and remembered how they used to look for Santa.

“She thought she saw him out of her window, because we saw Christmas lights, so of course we thought that was Santa. So she gets really excited and starts running around the house going ‘Santa, Santa, Santa’,” he said.

Tyler recalled how Chelsea grabbed a plate of cookies for Santa but dropped it. She was devastated.

“Then last Christmas my dad got my mom home videos and we have that on film and the real reason for her dropping the cookies was me,” Tyler said laughing.

He had lifted his arms in excitement and hit the plate out of her arms.

The crowd chuckled as Tyler recalled his memories with a sparkle in his eye and love in his heart.

I feel so bad for her little brother, her parents too, but this part of the article about her brother is really sad. How awful for him to lose his sister, who he calls the best thing in his life.

Can Gardner's parents be blamed in Chelsea's death?

Posted: Mar 15, 2010 9:18 PM EDT
Updated: Mar 16, 2010 4:32 AM EDT

SAN DIEGO, Cailf. (CBS) - The man accused of murdering 17-year-old Chelsea King was staying at his parents' home at the time of her death. As a convicted sex offender, John Gardner is required to register his residence, but he never registered at the Rancho Bernardo home.

A picture of John Gardner inside his mom's Rancho Bernardo home, where he was living at times, despite never registering here as a sex offender. Authorities didn't know about Gardner's secret residence, but his mother did. So can police go after her?

"It's stretching the argument under criminal law that would be harboring a fugitive cause he's not really a fugitive," News 8 legal analyst Kerry Steigerwalt said.

Stiegerwalt says the only way Gardner's mom could be held criminally responsible for his actions is if police could prove she knew what he was doing.

"Somebody has to be able to establish knowledge on her part for her to have any exposure," he said.

If John Gardner was under 18, things would certainly be different for his mom, who lives in the home with Gardner's stepfather. Under something called vicarious liability they could be held responsible for their kid's actions, even if they weren't there when the crime was committed.

But Gardner is 30, so while his parents may have an ethical and moral duty to protect society from John Gardner, their liability ends there.

"At some point in time, your responsibility as a parent ends and that point in time is when the child turns 18," Steigerwalt said.

That extends to civil cases too. So Chelsea King's parents won't have much luck if they go after Gardner's parents for money.

Truth be told, they won't have much luck if they go after John Gardner either, even if he is convicted of Chelsea's murder.

"You're limited to what he had, even if he had insurance, no insurance coverage policy would cover that because it's an intentional act," Steigerwalt said.

The Kings haven't said if they plan to sue Gardner, but no amount of money can buy them what they really want - the safe return of their precious daughter.

Gardner has pleaded not guilty to the charges against him. His preliminary hearing is scheduled for Aug. 4.


http://www.cbs8.com/Global/story.asp?S=12146577

Truth be told, Gardner's mother MAY be just another victim here - i want to have compassion towards her as a mother, and we all know as parents, that there comes a time when we can no longer make choices for our children, as much as we want to, and esp when we see them do things as despicable as this, not that I speak from experience, because my children are still very young, but I DO believe that she knew what her son was CAPABLE of - she knew probably better than anyone - because let's face it, a mother KNOWS... they may want to ignore it or look the other way - but you know when your child is up to no good - you know their strengths and their weaknesses - as mothers, we can't ignore it anymore!! I DO think it's our duties as mothers to protect others from our own children when necessary. In doing so, you might protect your child as well - what if she had just had him register her home as one of his residences as well??? would that have changed things? maybe not, honestly... who knows? But if she had, she could have saved her son from killing Chelsea, and maybe saved him from a life behind bars. It may be far-fetched, but that's what I think... I dont' know if she can be held criminally responsible - it all depends on what she knew about what he was doing. I can't believe that she didn't feel something was wrong if he went home directly after attacking chelsea. He probably didn't look his mother in the eye - i don't believe him to be a pyschopath - if he was, he might be able to fool his own mother - (like btk, for example) - i believe him to be what he is, a violent sexual predator - and i'm sure he was giving off hints or clues that had his family been paying attention, they would know that he was getting restless or agitated, and then the day that chelsea went missing, he most likely would have been calm...

Also, on another note - i find this quote disturbing:
Oscar Hidalgo, spokesman for the department, previously said Gardner was considered to be a low- or moderate-risk sex offender, based on the assessment in use at the time.

how could they have classified Gardner as low to moderate risk if they had LISTENED to the qualified pyschologist who interviewed him and labeled him a threat to any neighborhood children??

The truth is that our LE will NEVER be able to properly check up on SO's. WE HAVE TO BE WATCHFUL OURSELVES... we have to educate ourselves as to who in our neighborhoods ARE SO's and we have to WATCH them - and REPORT when we see odd or unusual behavior - we have to help LE monitor them because SO's outnumber LE by far - they can't possibly keep up with them all...

It's my understanding his mother works in the mental health field. I think she knew how deeply disturbed her son was. Afterall, he's back in the same home (his mother's) where the rape that sent him to prison occurred. You have to wonder if she ever asked him, are you complying, are you registered at this address. I know she cannot be blamed for his sick and disturbing behavior. And anyone can lie to you. But it's a click of a mouse to find out.

Do I think she's criminally responsible, no. I think she is reckless and morally wrong to permit him back into her home where he committed a horrible crime against a young girl. Most of these SO's that are released go straight back home to their mom. And you're right Tish, she knew what he was capable of.

Do I think she can be sued, no. Would it have changed anything if he had registered at her address......we will never know I guess. Chelsea King was the last one, but certainly not the first, to be subjected to pure evil from Gardner.

Woman tells of attack similar to San Diego teen's

By AP News
Wednesday, March 17, 2010

A 23-year-old woman allegedly attacked by a registered sex offender at the same park where he is accused of killing a San Diego teenager two months later said Tuesday that she believed he was going to rape her.

Appearing on CNN's "Larry King Live," Candice Moncayo said she'll testify against 30-year-old John Gardner, who has pleaded not guilty to assaulting her in December and murdering 17-year-old Chelsea King in February.

King's parents also appeared on the show and said it was painful to hear Moncayo's story.

"I am so glad she was able to fight him off," said Brent King, Chelsea's father. "It was very painful to listen to, though."

Moncayo said her assailant tackled her at the end of her run, pinned her to the ground and threatened to kill her. She screamed and he told her to shut up, but she refused. Moncayo told him if he wanted to rape her, he'd have to kill her first, she said.

"He told me that could be arranged," she said calmly.

He swore at her and shook her "like you're not supposed to shake a baby," then she bashed him in the face with her elbow, she said.

"He grabbed his face and turned away from me and yelled some things, and I got up and ran faster than I think I ever ran in my life," she said.

She described her attacker as a large man who stood out in the neighborhood park because he wasn't wearing workout clothes. Moncayo didn't say on the program how she came to recognize Gardner as the man she said attacked her.

The day after the attack, she went running again, this time with a pit bull.

"I felt if I didn't get back on the horse right away, that I never would," she said.

http://www.710knus.com/article.aspx?id=81701745-5ae6-4556-a6df-6da016867900&catid=0

Candice fought for her life, thank God she was able to get away from him. This monster should never have been walking the streets.

She was one brave lady!!! Bravo for fighting back!!!

Good for her, and it gives some insight as to how brutal he really was - he obviously had no problem w/ killing this lady to get what he wanted and told her so. I'm glad she escaped, it's a slam dunk for the prosecution to have a LIVE victim on the stand.

I didn't know that his mother worked in the mental health industry, that's a horse of a different color.... She might be charged with criminal negligence? and possibly harboring a fugitive if she knew afterwards what he did and didn't report it...

Hundreds vow to finish Chelsea King's run

Posted: Mar 17, 2010 10:49 AM EDT

SAN DIEGO (AP) — Hundreds of people have signed up to run through the San Diego park where Chelsea King was attacked in a tribute that's being called "Finish Chelsea's Run."

More than 250 people have said they'll attend Saturday's three-mile run at Rancho Bernardo Community Park. Organizers have posted information on Facebook.

The 9 a.m. event will take joggers around trails near Lake Hodges.

Chelsea, a 17-year-old Poway resident, never returned from a run at the park on Feb. 25. Her body was later found buried near the lake.

Convicted sex offender John Gardner has pleaded not guilty to her assault and to the attempted rape of another woman.

Authorities also say he's a suspect in last year's murder of 14-year-old Amber Dubois of Escondido.

http://www.cbs8.com/Global/story.asp?S=12155165

It is great that the the prosecution has a live witness. I'm glad Candace was able to get away. Here is a video from her appearance on Larry King last night.

Thank God she got away! How terrifying would that be? I was mugged in broad daylight and couldn't stop shaking for hours. I would be fine and then all of a sudden it would engulf me. It was very scary. I can't imagine going through what this young girl did. And kudos to her for taking her pit the next day. I would go anywhere if Bella was with me.

Finish Chelsea's Run sounds like an awesome event! I wish I lived closer. Her parents are pillars of strength. They remind me of the Harringtons. God bless them all.

Calif. rape suspect lived by school for 16 months

03/18/10 11:01 pm

SACRAMENTO, Calif. - A convicted sex offender charged with murdering a California teenager lived near a preschool for at least 16 months before parole agents forced him to move, according to state corrections records released Wednesday. A regional administrator let John Albert Gardner III continue living within 126 yards of the San Diego County preschool until his lease expired in 2006, a top corrections official told The Associated Press. But no one noticed he was still living there until a year later.

Assistant Secretary Oscar Hidalgo said there was confusion in part because of a change in parole agents.

Gardner pleaded not guilty earlier this month to murdering 17-year-old Chelsea King, whose presumed body was found in a park near her hometown of Poway north of San Diego. He also is charged with assaulting a woman in the same park last year and is under investigation in the death of 14-year-old Amber Dubois in Escondido in early 2009.

Parole and prison records released to the AP under a records request and made public Wednesday show Gardner was living little more than a football field's length from the preschool on the Miramar College campus after he was paroled from prison in 2005 after serving five years for molesting a 13-year-old girl.

That violated a condition of his parole that prohibited him from living within a half-mile of a school.

On May 2, 2006, the district administrator authorized Gardner to remain there until his lease expired on Aug. 1, 2006.

However, Gardner was never told he had to move, according to the parole records. A parole agent noticed he was still living there in September 2007, and he was moved to a sober living program within days.

"The supervisor gave him some time to finish the lease out," Hidalgo said. "A new agent said he's out of compliance and he had to move."

The new agent referred Gardner to the parole board for a violation that could have sent him back to prison. However, the board continued him on parole, where he had six other less serious potential violations before he was released from supervision in September 2008.

If Gardner had been sent back to prison, officials say he would have been evaluated for commitment to a state mental hospital as a sexually violent predator. He also would have qualified for wearing an electronic tracking device for the rest of his life.

Hidalgo said the department is reviewing its parole agents' actions, and Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger has asked for a review by an advisory panel made up of law enforcement, victims and treatment experts.

Hidalgo said there is a question whether Gardner violated state law by living near the preschool. State law at the time set the half-mile restriction for high-risk sex offenders, while Gardner was considered low- to moderate-risk. Regardless, records show his parole conditions specified the half-mile residency restriction.

http://www.abc3340.com/news/stories/0310/717139.html

3,500 finish route that Chelsea started
Slain girl’s mother cheers participants

By Kristina Davis, UNION-TRIBUNE STAFF WRITER
Updated March 21, 2010 at 12:05 a.m.



The trails that had grown quiet after the killing of Poway teenager Chelsea King came back to life yesterday as thousands of people finished the run she never did.

They weren’t necessarily runners or even friends of Chelsea’s, but strangers once again drawn together by a tragedy that continues to resonate across the nation.

“This is a community thing,” said Dennis Caco, a member of a group called San Diego Running. “No runner is left behind.”

In a quintessential San Diego-style tribute, as many as 3,500 people resolutely walked and jogged the three-mile route, symbolically taking back the park as their own.

They said it’s what Chelsea would have wanted.

As they crossed the finish line at Rancho Bernardo Community Park, many were surprised to find Chelsea’s mother cheering them on.

“Thank you,” Kelly King told the many strangers who embraced her.

San Marcos resident Lori Balfour apologized for her perspiration before falling into King’s arms and breaking down into tears.

“I love this part,” King assured her. “Sweat is good!”

Balfour, a mother herself, said she felt anger and sadness during her jog through the trails south of Lake Hodges, where Chelsea, 17, had planned to run before disappearing Feb. 25. Her body was found in a shallow grave nearby five days later.

“It’s disheartening to be so wary of being in danger in a place so beautiful,” Balfour said, still wiping away tears after her talk with King. “Just to see her standing there greeting people and being so gracious is a true measure of strength. You can tell God is uplifting her and her family.”

The event yesterday morning was another opportunity for San Diegans to pay tribute collectively to the Poway High senior who ran cross-country and played French horn. In previous weeks, thousands joined in the search for her, and later mourned her death in a candlelight vigil and public memorial service.

Cross-country teams and running clubs wore their uniforms to honor their fallen competitor, while others did so by wearing orange, Chelsea’s favorite color, and blue, the color of her eyes.

Parents pushed children in strollers, mothers ran with their preteen daughters, and neighbors hit the trails with their dogs. Some carried yellow flowers to lay along the path.

Organizers accepted donations in exchange for powder-blue rubber bracelets with the words “Run for Chelsea.” All of the proceeds, more than $5,100, will go to Chelsea’s Light Foundation, the nonprofit organization started by her parents to strengthen laws against sex offenders.

“It’s an important thing to do this today as a team,” said Poway High junior Julie Gattenio, 17, who ran cross-country with Chelsea. “It’s important to remember that your team never leaves you. It’s always a part of who you are.

“We’re going to do everything we can so this doesn’t happen again, so people can run on our trails and be safe, so people can start a run and know they’re going to finish it.”

But it was too soon to return to the park for many of Chelsea’s teammates, said their coach, Dan Schaitel.

Schaitel is still sifting through the 100 or more letters on his desk from runners and alumni across the country who were stunned by the crime that brought an end to Chelsea’s bright future.

“She was idyllic. She was what every father would want for a daughter,” Schaitel said. “We feel like we’ve been violated. One of the most cherished parts of our lives has been violated.”

San Diego State University sociologist Jean Twenge, who studies the current generation of youth, said the response to the slaying of Chelsea, as well as the death of Escondido teen Amber Dubois, crosses generational barriers.

“In this case, Amber walked to school. Chelsea went for a run. They didn’t do anything wrong,” Twenge said. “I see the response as a human response.”

Amber vanished in February 2009, and her remains were found this month in Pala. A public memorial service for her is set for 1 p.m. Saturday at Escondido High School.

John Albert Gardner III, a registered sex offender, has been charged with rape and murder in Chelsea’s death and is the focus of the investigation into Amber’s slaying. He is also charged with assault with the intent to rape in an attack on a jogger in the Rancho Bernardo park in December.

Amber’s mother, Carrie McGonigle, walked the trail yesterday with a volunteer who had helped search for both girls when they disappeared.

The run grew in recent days from a small gathering into a community event. Dave Jewell, a designer of athletic apparel at Zoot Sports, suggested the run in an e-mail to Todd Velazquez, a friend who works at Roadrunner Sports, a running-shoe store. Velazquez ran on Poway High’s cross-country team in the late 1990s under Chelsea’s coach, and had briefly met Chelsea.

Word spread, and as the organizers realized they had a large event on their hands, Velazquez called friend Tommy Sablan, who had experience planning events as producer of the “Jeff and Jer” morning radio show. Soon they had a city permit, portable toilets, shuttle service and insurance for the run.

Sablan had helped search in Deer Springs hours before Chelsea’s body was discovered and attended her public memorial service. He said he was touched by the words of her father, Brent King.

“He said, ‘Let’s turn that anger into hope and with that hope do good things.’ I feel to finish this run is a good thing,” Sablan said. “It’s hope. It is to make a statement. We’re not going to take this anymore.”

http://www.signonsandiego.com/news/2010/mar/21/3500-runners-walkers-finish-the-route-that/

Relative of Gardner’s mom comes to her defense
Nurse described as ‘kind,’ ‘generous,’ ‘levelheaded’

Monday, March 22, 2010 at 1:20 a.m.

The garage of the Rancho Bernardo townhouse where the suspect’s mother and stepfather live was repainted after a vandal wrote, “Chelseas blood is on you move out.”



In the early hours before John Albert Gardner III was arraigned on March 3, someone painted in red on his mother’s Rancho Bernardo townhouse, “Chelsea’s blood is on you move out.”

Catherine Osborn, Gardner’s mother, didn’t attend court that morning when her son pleaded not guilty to charges of raping and killing 17-year-old Chelsea King of Poway.

Bloggers and talk radio hosts have skewered Osborn for allowing her 30-year-old son, a convicted sex offender, to visit her home. Osborn lives less than a mile from where Chelsea’s body was found five days after the Poway High School senior went missing Feb. 25 while going for a run in Rancho Bernardo Community Park.

Others have slammed Osborn for her membership in a running group partial to beer, crass jokes and nicknames of a sexual nature. They say it raises questions about her judgment, especially because she is a registered nurse involved in the psychiatric profession.

Osborn has not responded to the criticisms or acknowledged requests for interviews. Her friends and family followed her lead until Friday, when a close relative said Osborn has been the subject of outrageously unfair attacks.

“She is the backbone of this family,” said the relative, who asked that her name not be used because she didn’t want to anger Osborn or the family’s attorney. “She’s kind, levelheaded and a generous, nurturing person, extraordinarily good in a crisis. She not only gives good advice, she follows up.

“John was there to get into rehab, and she was trying to help him find a location. At the same time, he’s an adult and he was a little resistant.”

Asked whether the rehab would be for drug, alcohol or psychiatric treatment, the relative said, “probably all three.”

Osborn is active professionally in helping the mentally ill. Last year, she chaired the legislative committee of the state’s American Psychiatric Nurses Association chapter. She authored an article in the group’s May newsletter, which included a photo of her in the annual walk hosted by the local chapter of the National Alliance on Mental Illness.

After Gardner’s arrest, Osborn went on leave from her job in a behavioral health unit at Scripps Mercy Hospital in Hillcrest.

“She has not been at work for about two weeks, but she is still employed. She has gone through a lot and she’s been on leave,” said Don Stanziano, spokesman for the Scripps Health system.

Osborn is on leave for an indefinite period, Stanziano said.

Some hospital workers said administrators scheduled and then canceled a March 11 meeting with employees who had called for Osborn’s ouster.

As for the running club, the relative said Osborn was a “moral, ethical” person, and the accusations against her are ludicrous. The group has a Web site with photos and newsletters detailing their runs.

“You won’t see any pictures of her holding a beer or not fully clothed,” the relative said.

A former relative defended Osborn on Friday in a brief telephone interview. The niece of one of Osborn’s three former husbands said she knew the family well and has stayed in touch with them.

“She’s a very good person,” the niece said.

Osborn, 54, grew up in Lawndale, a suburb of Los Angeles, the oldest of four children.

As a teenager, she had two daughters. Then, in 1980, at age 25, Osborn married Gardner’s father. She became licensed as a registered nurse in 1985 and divorced in 1989, when John Gardner III was 10.

The father lived in Palmdale when Osborn moved back to Lawndale and received full physical custody of her son. She worked as a nurse at the UCLA Neuropsychiatric Institute earning about $36,000 a year at the time of the divorce.

Osborn remarried in 1990, lived in Running Springs near Lake Arrowhead and worked as a nurse at Community Hospital of San Bernardino. In 1996, she returned to court seeking back payment for the $70 a month in child support payments her son’s father had failed to pay. By that time, she was earning about $48,000 a year.

In her filings, Osborn said her son had been hospitalized three times for emotional problems. Other documents say Gardner was diagnosed with bipolar disorder and was prescribed lithium, although it was discontinued because of side effects. He also was treated for attention deficit hyperactivity disorder.

Osborn listed the usual childhood expenses for Gardner that included braces, school supplies, bus passes, ski team, baseball and transportation for a law enforcement job-training program.

She said she was seeking the back child support because her son had been asking whether his father sent any money.

Osborn wrote to the court that if she did not pursue child support, “the messages I give to my son are: (1) He is not that important; (2) That responsibility is not that great of a commitment if you decide it’s too much or if the consequence is not that bad.”

At Rim of the World High School in Lake Arrowhead, Gardner got involved in sports and sang in the choir. He had girlfriends. Some who knew him said he was moody and got teased for being unpopular.

Gardner said later in a court document that his stepfather was an “awesome dad,” unlike his father, who had beaten him with a belt when he misbehaved.

By 1997, Osborn and Gardner had moved to a new home in Running Springs and she filed for divorce again. Gardner was 18 and had graduated from high school. Five days before Christmas, Osborn sent her son to serve the divorce papers on his stepfather.

The next year, she and her son moved to Rancho Bernardo.

In 2000, at age 21, Gardner pleaded guilty to molesting a 13-year-old neighbor in his mother’s townhouse. He had beaten and fondled the girl before she escaped and ran to a neighbor.

Gardner could have been sentenced to more than 10 years in prison. His former psychiatrist in San Bernardino, Dr. Divy J. Kikani, wrote to the sentencing judge, saying Gardner had been treated for bipolar disorder but had not been in therapy for five years. Kikani re-evaluated Gardner in August 2000 and recommended probation so that Gardner could receive inpatient psychiatric treatment and medication for 90 days, followed by outpatient therapy. Gardner also needed counseling related to anger management and impulse control, Kikani said.

Osborn also wrote to the judge to support Kikani’s recommendation.

“All of the research that I have done regarding persons who have engaged in this type of activity indicates that intense therapy is the best solution,” Osborn wrote. “I love my son, he is a good person. I also realize that accepting the consequences is an important part of learning. I hope that this tragedy can be one from which a positive outcome is possible. Through treatment, my son can be rehabilitated and contribute something meaningful back to society.”

The county’s psychiatrist, Dr. Matthew Carroll, made no reference to the diagnosis of bipolar disorder, but said Gardner showed no evidence of a psychotic disorder.

Carroll said Gardner had shown no remorse for the assault, was not a good candidate for therapy and should receive the maximum sentence because he would remain a danger to underage girls in the community.

Gardner was sentenced to six years in prison and was released after five. He was on parole for three years.

In 2004, while her son was in prison, Osborn remarried and the couple lived in her Rancho Bernardo townhouse. According to the résumé Osborn posted on her LinkedIn Web page, she earned a master’s degree in nursing from the University of Phoenix and began working at Scripps Mercy in August 2005.

When Gardner got out of prison in September 2005, he was required to register where he lived. Records show he moved between San Diego and Riverside counties, most recently listing his residence as his grandmother’s house in Lake Elsinore.

Osborn has been criticized for allowing Gardner to stay at times at her Rancho Bernardo home. It’s unclear how long his visits there were and whether he would be required to register at that address as a sex offender.

Former San Diego County District Attorney Paul Pfingst, who is now in private practice, rejected the notion that Osborn shouldn’t have allowed her son to visit or that she was responsible for ensuring he had followed the state’s registry law.

“It’s his responsibility, and it’s not expected that she would know what the law requires,” Pfingst said. “Why would the mother of someone who is 30 years old be expected to research that?”

When Gardner was released, the law required sex offenders to register with the local law enforcement agency within five days of moving their residence.

In 2007, the law was changed so that more than one address could be listed.

As for whether Osborn should have recognized Gardner could be a continuing danger, that’s a complex issue, said licensed clinical psychologist Jonathan Gale, who specializes in men’s issues and adolescents.

“Certainly, if she saw signs that indicated someone’s life was in danger, she should have done something, particularly if she’s in the (medical) field,” said Gale, who is in private practice in La Jolla.

Typically, parents invoke self-defense mechanisms because it can be so painful to believe their child is capable of a violent crime, Gale said.

http://www.signonsandiego.com/news/2010/mar/22/relative-of-gardners-mother-comes-to-her-defense/

Chelsea King's parents back anti-sex offender law

By ELLIOT SPAGAT Associated Press Writer
Posted: 03/23/2010 11:17:09 AM PDT

SAN DIEGO—Parents of Chelsea King are backing a proposed California law to stiffen restrictions on sex predators after their 17-year-old daughter allegedly was kidnapped and killed by a convicted offender.

Brent and Kelly King said Tuesday that they support plans by Assemblyman Nathan Fletcher to introduce the so-called Chelsea's Law early next month.

Fletcher says he's still working on the law but preliminary discussions will focus on a "one-strike" provision, parole reform and better GPS tracking of registered sex offenders.

Convicted sex offender John Albert Gardner III has pleaded not guilty to assaulting and murdering Chelsea. The Poway girl never returned from a run at a San Diego park last month.

Gardner also is under investigation in the death of 14-year-old Amber Dubois of Escondido.

http://www.orovillemr.com/news/ci_14740527

Resources lacking for parole probe

Published By Daily Democrat
Created: 03/30/2010 02:32:07 AM PDT


SAN DIEGO (AP) -- A state board examining why the accused killer of a teenager wasn't returned to prison for parole violations before the slaying occurred has no formal budget and minimal staff, a member said.

Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger ordered the Sex Offender Management Board on March 12 to review the case of John Albert Gardner III, who spent time in prison for molesting a 13-year-old girl and committed seven parole violations in 2007 and 2008 that could have put him back behind bars.


Gardner has pleaded not guilty to murdering 17-year-old Chelsea King of Poway who disappeared on Feb. 25.


The 17-seat board was unable to get a quorum for a meeting this month, the San Diego Union-Tribune reported Monday.


Its lack of resources makes it uncertain when it will complete its review involving Gardner, even though Vice Chairman Tom Tobin has told the governor the work should be completed by May 1.


"We have the expertise, but not the resources, staff, power and ability to devote the energy to do something like this in a very rapid way," said Tobin, a San Francisco psychologist.


The volunteer board is comprised of experts, including psychologists, judges and probation officers. It was formed to devise a comprehensive state plan to manage sex offenders and was supposed to disband earlier this year, but the state Legislature instead made it permanent.


The board has operated without a formal budget since July and has only one staffer, who works part-time.

Schwarzenegger told the board to review why Gardner was not classified as a high-risk sex offender when he was released from prison in 2005 and whether his parole restrictions and violations were properly handled.


"The goal here is to look at this case and learn from this case," said Rachel Arrezola, a spokeswoman for Schwarzenegger. "The governor is not saying that this is the panacea for all things. He encourages and welcomes the Legislature and others to review the case as well."


The Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation and the state Office of the Inspector General are planning their own investigations.

http://www.dailydemocrat.com/news/ci_14784164

MySpace removes link to SoCal child sex predator


By ELLIOT SPAGAT
Associated Press Writer
SAN DIEGO —

The social networking site MySpace said Thursday that it removed the profile of a registered sex offender who is charged with murdering a 17-year-old girl.

The company said it worked with the FBI and the San Diego County Sheriff's Department to confirm the profile belonged to John Albert Gardner III, who used a false name, birthday and hometown to register for the account. It removed the profile Wednesday night.

A copy of the profile obtained by The Associated Press uses the names Jason Stud and Energizer Bunny. It uses sexually explicit language to describe his interests, names Playboy Mansion as his hometown and lists "CSI" and "Bones" among his favorite television shows.

Gardner, 30, has pleaded not guilty to murdering Chelsea King, whose body was found five days after she vanished Feb. 25 on a run in a San Diego park. He is a suspect, but has not been charged, in the death of 14-year-old Amber Dubois, whose remains were found March 6 in a remote area north of San Diego, more than a year after she disappeared walking to school.

MySpace said the account was set up on Dec. 22, 2007, more than nine months before Gardner ended parole on a conviction in 2000 for molesting a 13-year-old neighbor. The account would violate terms of his parole, which prohibited him from using a computer to connect to the Internet or communicate with others.

The California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation has not independently confirmed that the MySpace profile was created or used by Gardner, or that he used the site while on parole, said spokesman Oscar Hidalgo. He said the California Sex Offender Management Board, a panel made up law enforcement, victims and treatment experts, would investigate.

Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger has asked the board to investigate how the corrections department handled the case.

My Space said it was alerted to the account by law enforcement officials.

"MySpace has a zero tolerance policy against registered sex offenders and uses cutting edge technology to identify and delete such profiles from our site," said Hemanshu Nigam, chief security officer of MySpace and parent company News Corp. "For the past several years, MySpace has advocated and testified in favor of federal and state legislation that would empower Web sites to block sex offenders who utilize false identities, like John Gardner, from their communities."

The San Diego Union-Tribune first reported on Gardner's MySpace profile late Wednesday. It said the link was discovered by Robert Scott, a Los Angeles private investigator who operates an online data retrieval service called Skip Smasher.

Scott said he plugged Gardner's name into his search engines to get an e-mail account registered to the suspect.

"It was remarkably simple," he said Thursday.

Gardner's attorney, public defender Michael Popkins, declined to comment Thursday night. A judge has issued a gag order to bar attorneys from discussing the case publicly.

Gardner served five years of a six-year sentence for child molestation and was on parole for three years until September 2008.

MySpace said Gardner was an infrequent user who had two friends. A posting on the profile in May 2008 read: "I'm poor, homeless and living in my truck."

Another posting said "love is just one big ugly compromise of two people pretending not to know what the other is doing."

The profile's last login was on Feb. 24, the day before Chelsea went missing.

http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/nationworld/2011504232_apusmissingteen.html

More Gardner parole issues found

Sex offender lived near school longer than previously known

By Matthew T. Hall, UNION-TRIBUNE STAFF WRITER
Thursday, April 8, 2010 at 2:56 a.m

Convicted sex offender John Albert Gardner III lived for just under two years in a Mira Mesa apartment complex, 700 yards from Walker Elementary School.

That’s seven months longer than previously known — a timeline now acknowledged by state parole officials, though not apparent from incomplete records previously released. Gardner’s special conditions of parole barred him from living within 880 yards of such a school.

A review by The San Diego Union-Tribune shows the violation was apparently unrecognized for seven months, excused for three more, then ignored or forgotten for 13 more — until a new parole agent took over Gardner’s supervision.

Gardner served five years in prison for beating and molesting a 13-year-old Rancho Bernardo girl in 2000, and was on parole from September 2005 to September 2008. The handling of his parole has drawn criticism since he was accused last month of raping and killing Chelsea King, 17, of Poway.

While on parole, records show, Gardner committed seven violations that could have been used to send him back to prison and subjected him to tougher post-release monitoring under Jessica’s Law, which passed in 2006. The most serious was the residency issue.

Parole official Margarita Perez was asked about it at a legislative hearing in Poway last week.

“It’s important to understand he was approximately 2,100 feet away,” Perez said. “It’s not like he was across the street.”

Still, the distance was too close for Martha Mattson, a parent who says so many children cluster on city streets near Miramar College, Wangenheim Middle School and Walker Elementary that it’s a predator’s paradise.

“That they allowed him to be there is just unbelievable,” said Mattson, whose sons, now grown, went to the area’s public schools. “It seems unconscionable that he was there, steps away from vulnerable girls.”

Gardner, 30, who has pleaded not guilty in the Chelsea case, is also a focus of an investigation into the slaying of Amber Dubois, 14, of Escondido.

He was released from prison Sept. 26, 2005, and lived first at the scene of his 2000 assault, his mother’s townhouse in Rancho Bernardo. It was 437 feet from Westwood Elementary School, a parole violation that his agent did not let stand.

After 11 days, he moved into the Mira Monte apartments on Maya Linda Road. It’s unclear whether he moved with approval — and housing assistance — from parole officials. A public records request with the agency is pending.

Parole records released so far show a district administrator gave him approval in May 2006 to remain in his apartment for three more months until his lease expired, but he stayed 16 more.

Riverside County parole agent Tifani LaDuke said it was not uncommon at the time for an administrator to use discretion because state law on sex offender residency was undergoing a series of changes.

Ryken Grattet, a sociology professor at University of California Davis who has studied state parole violations, said sex offender residency issues aren’t as simple as the public might expect.

He said parole agents must balance the “blunt instruments” of distance requirements against housing stability or staying close to family or work.

“The trade-off is sometimes between keeping a person where they are even though they’re in violation or having them be homeless, which I think is even scarier,” Grattet said.

In 2007, the year after Jessica’s Law barred sex offenders from living within 2,000 feet of any school or park, 88 sex offenders were registered as homeless. In less than two years, that figure shot past 2,000.

At Miramar College, campus police Detective Cornelius Ashton said knowing where sex offenders live can be of limited use because they move around as much as anyone else.

“Anyone could be a victim of crime at any time,” he said.

To help guard against this, Ashton tracks the 46 sex offenders taking classes at Miramar College and other San Diego Community College District locations and also tries to keep track of sex offenders living near district sites.

One lives in the same complex that Gardner called home in Mira Mesa, according to California’s sex offender registry.

Gardner was still living there in August 2007, when his parole agent noted on a report that he was clear of parole violations and had “maintained a stable residence.”

Six days later, he got a new agent who flagged the residency issue. Gardner was forced to move the next month because he was living 125 yards from Miramar College’s preschool and 356 yards from Scripps Ranch High School. His proximity to the elementary school and an adjacent middle school was not mentioned on the charge report.

Officials with the state Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation at last week’s legislative hearing said they cannot answer why Gardner was allowed to stay in Mira Mesa or how many parole agents he had because they destroyed some of his records — a practice Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger has ordered halted.

The officials repeatedly called Gardner’s residency a parole offense only — not a more serious violation of state residency laws for sex offenders, as the agent had alleged.

Scott Kernan, the corrections department’s undersecretary of operations, said the second agent erred at the time. Perez, deputy director of the state’s Division of Adult Parole Operations, said the relevant law — Penal Code section 3003(g) — applied only to high-risk sex offenders, not those deemed low risks like Gardner.

Kernan said heavy caseloads and the complexities of changing laws make the jobs of parole agents difficult. He emphasized that parole conditions are assigned at the department’s discretion, and that any violation would be weighed against the conditions that are being followed.

“I don’t know how instructive it is for us to try to explain or justify why they misapplied these laws,” Kernan said.

http://www.signonsandiego.com/news/2010/apr/08/more-gardner-parole-issues-found/

Today We Start Our Race: The Kings

By R. STICKNEY, NICOLE WARD and PAUL KRUEGER
Updated 1:38 PM PDT, Mon, Apr 12, 2010

Choking back tears, Chelsea King's mother urged Californians to help pass a tough new law aimed at sex offenders who target children.

The proposed law was introduced just hours ago in Sacramento by Brent and Kelly King, whose daughter, Chelsea, was murdered last month near Lake Hodges, in northern San Diego.

It’s an important day for Brent and Kelly King. The couple packed their luggage Monday and headed to Lindbergh Field before 7 a.m. to catch the flight to the state capital.

“Today’s the day that we start our race. It’s a race that Kelly and I didn’t choose to run in. We were selected to run in it,” Brent King said to members of the media assembled at the airport.

“With the community’s strength and with Chelsea’s will and drive, we’re going to run this race and we’re going to run it hard and we’re going to run it to completion with all of your support,” he said.

As outlined by State Assemblymember Nathan Fletcher, "Chelsea’s Law" would:

• Create a new penalty of life in prison without parole for violent sex crimes against victims under 18 years old. The current law imposes sentences of 15 years-to-life or 25-years-to life for the worst of those crimes, and experts say in California, those "indeterminate sentences" are, in reality, a life term. But "Chelsea's Law" would change the wording of that penal code section to formalize a life in prison sentence." Criminals who commit violent, forcible sex crimes on victims under 14 years-old would be more like to get the life term.
  
• Require life-time supervision, with GPS monitoring, for certain violent sex offenders who are released from prison.
  
• Create "safe-zones" for children, that would be "off-limits" to paroled sex offenders. Those "safe-zones" would include parks that are popular with children and families. Any registered sex offender could be charged with a misdemeanor, and could have their parole revoked, if they are found in such a park. The sex offender's GPS device would alert law enforcement that the sex offender had entered the park.

"What it does, it allows us to take our serious violent sexual offenders -- those that commit violent sexual offenses against our children, and place them on lifetime parole,” said San Diego County Sheriff Bill Gore.

The threat of lifetime tracking would hopefully be enough to discourage parolees from re-offending, Gore said, and at the same time would help law enforcement catch them quickly if they do.

“The legislators who are responsible for putting better and stronger laws on our books will know what we already know in our hearts is the right thing to do,” said Kelly King. “We're ready for it and we appreciate your support."

Convicted sex offender John Albert Gardner III has pleaded not guilty to charges of attempted rape of a woman in December 2009 and charges of murder in the death of Chelsea King.

Law enforcement officials have also said Gardner is a focus in the investigation into the death of 14-year-old Amber Dubois of Escondido, who disappeared in February 2009. The teen's skeletal remains were found near Pala in a remote North County canyon shortly after Chelsea's body was discovered in Rancho Bernardo Community Park.

Parole officers should have done a better job watching Gardner, according to a report released two weeks ago but closer scrutiny may not have stopped the alleged attacks.

Assemblyman Fletcher acknowledged that the cost of this proposed crack-down on violent sex offenders could be a problem for the state, but said he will refine his proposal to minimize those costs, and will identify other parts of the state budget that can be cut to provide money for enforcement of "Chelsea's Law," if it is approved by the state legislature and signed by the governor.

"Chelsea's Law," as summarized at Monday's news conference, would not establish treatment programs for sex offenders in state prisons.

At least two of the speakers said violent sex offenders cannot be treated or rehabilitated, but some experts disagree with that position, and have urged the state to establish prison treatment programs for sex offenders, especially those who will eventually be paroled.

"We can say with almost certainty now that the treated sex
offender is less likely than the untreated offender to commit a new sexual crime," says James Reavis, a sex offender treatment expert who counsels hard-core offenders and pedophiles.

The proposed law will be introduced to the Assembly Public Safety Committee next week.

A rally is scheduled in Sacramento Tuesday at 11:45 a.m. for parents and other concerned citizens to show their support for the proposed legislation.

According to the Chelsea's Light Facebook page, there will be a bus leaving San Diego Monday night and returning Tuesday night that will allow San Diegans to travel along with the Kings to support them. Little Tommy from the Jeff and Jer Showgram is hosting the 57-seat bus. For more details and to reserve your seat, email Little Tommy at littletommy@san.rr.com.

Source: Today We Start Our Race: The Kings | NBC San Diego

http://www.nbcsandiego.com/news/politics/Today-We-Start-Our-Race-The-Kings-90627939.html

Gardner pleads guilty to murders of Chelsea, Amber
By Dana Littlefield, UNION-TRIBUNE STAFF WRITER
Friday, April 16, 2010 at 2:29 p.m.

John Albert Gardner III pleaded guilty Friday to the murders of Chelsea King and Amber Dubois, ending weeks of speculation as to whether he would be charged in the deaths of both teenage girls.

As a result, Gardner, a 31-year-old convicted sex offender, will avoid facing the death penalty, and instead be sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole.

San Diego Superior Court Judge David Danielsen accepted the plea Friday afternoon.

The high-profile Gardner case has drawn intense media coverage and captured the public’s attention since his Feb. 28 arrest in the disappearance of 17-year-old Chelsea King of Poway.

Thousands of volunteers and law enforcement officials searched for the girl over five days before her body was discovered in a shallow grave near Lake Hodges on March 2.

Gardner was arraigned the next day on charges he raped and murdered Chelsea. He was linked to the crime through DNA evidence found on a piece of Chelsea’s clothing.

On March 6, authorities announced they had found the skeletal remains of 14-year-old Amber Dubois of Escondido, who had been missing for 13 months.

Escondido police said Gardner was a focus in the investigation into Amber’s death, but would not discuss any further details. Amber disappeared Feb. 13, 2009 while she was walking to Escondido High School.

Citing a gag order, lawyers in the case refused to answer any questions about Gardner, including whether he had led authorities to Amber’s body.

Gardner was also charged with assault in connection with a Dec. 27 attack on a jogger near Lake Hodges.

http://www.signonsandiego.com/news/2010/apr/16/gardner-pleads-guilty-murders-chelsea-amber/

Thanks for the update pi-girl. I was surprised to hear this, but they must have had too much evidence against him. I'm glad there won't be a long, drawn out trial.

Here is the link to the 10News Live Stream. They are covering this story right now.

http://mfile.akamai.com/12922/live/reflector:21158.asx

Thanks, J4A for the link. I'm watching now and wondering what is going through his little mind.

He Killed Both of Them

John Albert Gardner III admits he murdered Chelsea King and Amber Dubois.

By MICHELLE WAYLAND, R. STICKNEY and PAUL KRUEGER
Updated 3:31 PM PDT, Fri, Apr 16, 2010



In a dramatic turn in two high profile murder cases, John Albert Gardner III pleaded guilty Friday to murdering both Chelsea King and Amber Dubois, ending weeks of speculation.

Charges in Amber's death were added at a status conference Friday at 2.30 p.m.

Gardner, wearing a dark blue jail jumpsuit with his shackled arms hanging at his sides, said nothing but "yes" repeatedly as San Diego Superior Court Judge David Danielsen asked him for his pleas. He pleaded guilty to both Amber and Chelsea’s murder.

In the plea deal, Gardner will avoid the death penalty and get two consecutive life terms without parole and a third life term with a minimum of 33 years. He relinquished his right to appeal.

He also pleaded guilty to attempting to rape another woman who was jogging in Rancho Bernardo Community Park on Dec. 27, 2009 last year.

At the hearing, Gardner admitted he raped, strangled and killed Chelsea within an hour before dragging her body to a shallow grave.
Gardner also admitted to raping and killing Amber one and a half hours after he met her.

Chelsea and Amber’s families were consulted in the plea bargain and understood and supported the deal.

Gardner looked and sounded composed and aware of what was going on during the hearing. He only consulted with his attorney one time when he was questioned by the judge about his plea.

Click here for details about the charges

After the hearing, District Attorney Bonnie Dumanis turned around to speak to Chelsea King's parents. Kelly King was visibly distraught as her husband comforted her.

Amber’s father, Maurice Dubois, waited patiently for the Kings to speak to Dumanis, before leaving the courtroom with the Kings.

Amber vanished in February 2009 and the investigation produced few solid leads until Chelsea disappeared Feb. 25 near the site where Amber went missing.

Gardner was arrested three days later and initially pleaded not guilty to murdering Chelsea.

Chelsea's body was discovered March 2 in a shallow lakeside grave after a massive search. Prosecutors say Gardner was linked to the crime by DNA found on Chelsea's clothing.

Amber Dubois' bones were discovered March 6 in a rugged, remote area north of San Diego. She vanished with a $200 check to purchase a lamb she was to raise for Future Farmers of America. The check was never cashed.

Search warrant documents posted online by Los Angeles radio station KFI640AM show investigators removed a number of items from John Gardner’s home on March 9, 2010 including shovels, pick axes, digging tools and articles of clothing -- just two days after police found the body of missing teen Amber Dubois.

The site got access to “tons of documents” according to a station employee and worked over the last week to sort through them and post them to the station’s website.

Among them are an affidavit where investigators listed specific items they were looking for in a search of Garner’s Lake Elsinore home including rope, tape, handcuffs and other restraining devices, human hair, tissues or fluids, jeans, sneakers, and several shirts including a black T-shirt with writing that said “Hard Rock Café Baghdad on the front with ‘Farsy’ script underneath the print.”

A receipt lists the items taken from the home. They include a pick ax and a shovel taken from the front of the house by the front door. From the shed in the backyard, officials took 10 shovels, two pick axes and a yellow plastic carrier with digging tools. They also seized a pair of Reebok shoes size 12, five pairs of jeans and a white T-shirt with “Hard Iraq Café Baghdad” size 2XL from Gardner’s bedroom.

Gardner will be sentenced June 1 at 1.30 p.m.

http://www.nbcsandiego.com/news/local-beat/Surprise-Hearing-in-Gardner-Case-Today--91044959.html

Charges against Gardner and his admission.

CHARGES

COUNT 1 - MURDER

On or about February 25, 2010, JOHN ALBERT GARDNER did unlawfully murder Chelsea K., a human being, in violation of PENAL CODE SECTION 187(a).

SPECIAL CIRCUMSTANCE

And it is further alleged that the murder of Chelsea K. was committed by defendant JOHN ALBERT GARDNER while the said defendant was engaged in the commission and attempted commission of the crime of Rape, in violation of Penal Code Section 261, within the meaning of PENAL CODE SECTION 190.2(a)(17).

COUNT 2 - ASSAULT WITH INTENT TO COMMIT A SPECIFIC FELONY

On or about December 27, 2009, JOHN ALBERT GARDNER did unlawfully assault Candice M., with the intent to commit rape, in violation of PENAL CODE SECTION 220(a).

COUNT 3 - MURDER

On or about February 13, 2009, JOHN ALBERT GARDNER did unlawfully murder Amber D., a human being, in violation of PENAL CODE SECTION 187(a).

SPECIAL CIRCUMSTANCE

And it is further alleged that the murder of Amber D. was committed by defendant JOHN ALBERT GARDNER while the said defendant was engaged in the commission and attempted commission of the crime of Rape, in violation of Penal Code Section 261, within the meaning of PENAL CODE SECTION 190.2(a)(17).

Gardner’s Admission

As to Count One, I admit that on February 25, 2010, I attacked Chelsea King while she was running. I dragged her to a remote area where I raped and strangled her. I then buried her in a shallow grave. I admit that this killing was done with premeditation and deliberation. I further admit that this murder occurred during the course of a rape, within the meaning of Penal Code Section 190.2(a)(17). This murder took place within an hour of my initial contact with Chelsea King.

As to Count Two, I admit that on December 27, 2009, I attacked Candice Moncayo while she was running and unlawfully assaulted her with the intent to rape her.

As to Count Three, I admit that on February 13, 2009, I took Amber Dubois to a remote area of Pala where I raped and stabbed her. I then buried her in a shallow grave. I admit that this killing was done with premeditation and deliberation. I further admit that this murder occurred during the course of a rape, within the meaning of Penal Code section 190.2(a)(17). This murder took place within an hour and a half of my initial contact with Amber Dubois.

Kings Tortured Over Plea Deal

By R. STICKNEY
Updated 5:21 PM PDT, Fri, Apr 16, 2010



The decision to give the district attorney the blessing to make a deal with the man who raped and murdered his daughter was “torturous,” according to Chelsea King’s father, Brent.

“There is nothing -- nothing -- satisfying about this moment,” he told members of the media shorlty after John Gardner entered a guilty plea for raping and killing his 17-year-old daughter,Chelsea, and raping and killing 14-year-old Amber Dubois of Escondido.

In exchange, Gardner escaped the death penalty.

“While our unequivocal first choice is the death penalty, we acknowledge that in California that penalty has become an empty promise,” said King.

Video: 'Nothing Satisfying About This Moment': Brent King

King also mentioned that avoiding a trial would help the community to heal as well as allow him and his wife, Kelly, to try and give their son, Tyler, 13, as much of a normal childhood as possible.

Another deciding factor for the Kings was the impact such a deal would have on the search for answers in the death of Amber Dubois. The King family became close with Maurice "Moe" Dubois and Carrie McGonigle immediately after Chelsea's disappearance, as the two sets of parents were drawn together in what Dubois has come to call an unfortunate club.

“The Dubois family have been through unthinkable hell the past 14 months,” said King. “We couldn’t imagine the confession to Amber’s murder never seeing the light of day, leaving an eternal question mark.”

King called Gardner's crime "a despicable, evil act committed against our beautiful daughter, Chelsea, committed against our family and committed against our community."

He vowed to work for change to protect children as a result of what's happened to his daughter.

There is no closure for the Kings, though, Brent King said Friday: “It’s only one more unbearably painful memory that we will have to carry in our memory as long as we live.”

http://www.nbcsandiego.com/news/local-beat/Kings-Tortured-Over-Plea-Deal-91109344.html

The murdering rapist is afraid of dying........he should never have been back on the streets to begin with. Her parents fight to change the laws has at least drawn attention from the Governor. Let's hope their efforts make a difference, keep the rapists behind bars. May you rest in peace, Chelsea....

Gardner's relatives fear there may be more victims

Updated: Apr 19, 2010 9:36 PM EDT

They call his actions bizarre around the time Amber Dubois and Chelsea King went missing. Now relatives of rapist and killer John Gardner are talking to News 8 about his odd behavior.

John Gardner's relatives say they don't have any proof, but have a gut feeling Amber Dubois and Chelsea King were not his only victims. Now they're pleading with the 31-year-old to come clean.

Gardner's cousin says he's cutting ties with the person he now knows is a cold-blooded killer.

"I just call him 'it' or 'creature' - it's really not human to me," he said.

Two of Gardner's family members agreed to speak with News 8 on the condition we wouldn't identify them. They describe Gardner as having two personalities, one outgoing and funny, and the other, mysterious and scary.

"I know there was this dark side to him. I know his anger-temper side. I didn't see it a lot, but when it came up it was scary. When I saw him angry it made me afraid," a relative said.

One relative worked with the 31-year-old last summer, and says he just would disappear for days at a time.

"There were just odd things that would occur, he'd show up at the house wearing pants only. No shoes, no shirt and drenched in sweat, like wondering what's going on," the relative said.

With so many bizarre and unexplained absences, relatives now fear Amber Dubois and Chelsea King weren't his only victims.

"I believe there are other cases that haven't been uncovered," a relative said. "I'm not satisfied that everything has been resolved, that there may be more and we may never know."

While neither relative has spoken to Gardner since his guilty plea on Friday, they have one final message before he's sentenced.

"The only thing I would say to him is please, you've confessed to the two we know about. Come clean on everything. That would be my message to him," Gardner's relative said.

Because of a gag order still in place, officials cannot discuss if Gardner is the focus of any other investigations.

http://www.cbs8.com/Global/story.asp?S=12338363

Judge Lifts Gardner Case Gag Order

By PAUL KRUEGER and ERIC S. PAGE
Updated 3:51 PM PDT, Thu, Apr 22, 2010



The double-murder case involving Chelsea King and Amber Dubois took another dramatic twist on Thursday.

San Diego County Superior Court Judge David Danielson set aside a gag order that has, with one notable exception, muzzled law enforcement agencies in connection with the case. He also refused the family's request to prohibit any public agency from distributing any photos or reports about Chelsea's death.

John Albert Gardner III will be sentenced for the murders of 17-year-old Chelsea and 14-year-old Amber on June 1.

In court for the hearing Thursday were Maurice "Moe" Dubois and Brent and Kelly King. Gardner, who admitted in court last week that he murdered and raped two teens, was not at the hearing but was defended by his attorneys.

In fact, there were six attorneys in the downtown court. Danielson said he had reservations about continuing the protective order and efforts by the families to seal the documents. In an unusual turn of events, the King family supported the defense's efforts to keep the documents involved in the case sealed.

Danielson also said on Thursday that while he felt for the teens' parents very much and would like to help them, he had concerns about what he could legally do. He told the court that he was unable to find anything in case law that addressed the issue but added that statutes do prohibit some of the information from being released. In the end, he did not authorize the release of any information, arguing that common decency would stop the release and that it was up to the responsible law enforcement agencies to determine whether to release any documents related to the case.

For example, any media agencies who want a copy of the medical examiner's report on King's death would have to contact that agency and let it decide if it will release the report.

"This request asks me to decide what is newsworthy," Danielson said, adding that he was not going to decide what should and shouldn't be released.

An attorney for the Kings said information about the case that has become public has already impacted the family and that the media should respect the family's request.

The ruling allows District Attorney Bonnie Dumanis and her office to discuss the case with the media if they choose to. After last week's guilty pleas were entered and accepted, Dumanis spoke about the case but only in the context of why her office had accepted the plea deal. Gardner had faced the death penalty in the case but took a plea in exchange for a sentence of life without parole.

Other Developments on Tuesday

A judge ruled earlier on Thursday that search warrants in connection Chelsea King would stay sealed until Monday.

NBCSanDiego and other media outlets have filed documents requesting that the San Diego County Superior Court lift the gag order barring authorities from discussing the evidence and release records related to search warrants. In the earlier Thursday hearing in the El Cajon court house, Judge Peter Deddeh heard arguments from attorneys representing the media as well as prosecutors, the Kings' attorneys and lawyers representing Amber's parents.

In the end, Deddeh, too, decided against ordering any agency to release documents.

Brent and Kelly King, who want the records sealed to preserve their daughter's dignity, have hired attorney Pat Swan to argue for suppression of certain documents under victims' rights statutes.

Amber's father, Moe Dubois, who attended the hearing and spoke outside court, said he doesn't think it's necessary to release any more information about the case. Gardner's attorney argued the information should remain sealed until his client's sentencing June 1.

"We feel that it is never a good precedent for the government in any capacity to withhold what is by law supposed to be public information," said NBC 7/39 Vice President of News Greg Dawson explaining the station's decision to file the request to unseal the court records. "Therefore we challenge these rulings on a consistent basis. We are also arguing against efforts to keep parts of John Gardner's case file sealed and a gag order in place for law enforcement - despite the fact he has pleaded guilty."

The district attorney's office submitted suggestions for what Judge Deddeh should remove or block out in the search warrants before releasing them.

Those elements could include graphic information that could be sensitive to the Kings. They could include photos of the crime scene or even information on a confidential informant who may have led detectives to John Gardner.

No one knows the content of the warrants that the district attorney's office is requesting remain sealed.

"The medical examiner's report contains a great deal of information about how the investigation was handled. That information might be of public interest. Then again, there might be nothing worthy of reporting. But we won't know if it remains sealed," said Dawson.

The judge told the five legal teams that he did not want to wait until Gardner's sentencing in June and preferred to announce his decision Friday but will wait until defense attorneys are present Monday.

http://www.nbcsandiego.com/news/local-beat/Judge-Lifts-Gardner-Case-Gag-Order-91854984.html

John Gardner issues apology to families of victims

Updated: Apr 26, 2010 12:34 AM EDT

SAN DIEGO, Calif. - John Albert Gardner, III, confessed killer of teenagers Amber Dubois and Chelsea King, has issued a public apology to the families of his victims for the horrific rapes and murders he committed.

Gardner's first public statement since the murders was given to News 8 by a source who asked not to be identified by name. The statement also includes important new information in the case.

The statement reads:

"I'm sorry. I wish I could take it back. I know that it doesn't mean anything to anybody but I really am sorry for everything. I wish that I was able to get help when I tried to get help. I tried to seek out help and was not able to get any."

The source also tells News 8, days before the murder of Poway teenager Chelsea King, Gardner tried to admit himself into a mental hospital but was denied.

News 8 has been unable to confirm whether Gardner actually tried to enter a mental hospital. He was a registered sex offender in Riverside County at the time.

Chelsea's parents, Brent and Kelly King, declined through a spokesperson to comment on Gardner's apology.

On his attorney's advice, the father of Gardner's other victim, 14-year-old Amber Dubois, also declined to respond.

Amber's mother did offer a short response. "To me it's just words. There's no meaning behind it," said Carrie McGonigle. "It doesn't bring Chelsea or Amber home or back to us."

http://www.cbs8.com/Global/story.asp?S=12373080

Details Emerge About Chelsea King Investigation

John Gardner pleaded guilty earlier this month to murdering Chelsa, Amber Dubois

By PAUL KRUEGER and ERIC S. PAGE
Updated 12:04 PM PDT, Mon, Apr 26, 2010

An East County Superior Court judge ordered the release Monday of four documents connected to the Chelsea King investigation.

Earlier this month, John Gardner pleaded guilty to the murders of 17-year-old Chelsea King and 14-year-old Amber Dubois. According to the terms of the plea deal, he will be sentenced in June to life in prison without the possibility of parole.

Among the details contained in the documents: On Feb. 26 at 12:33 p.m., searchers at Rancho Bernardo Community Park, where Chelsea went running prior to her slaying, found clothing, and a yellow and white Adidas running shoe, which Chelsea's parents said were similar to those worn by Chelsea. The information was included in the "probable cause" portion of the sheriff's department's request for a search warrant for Gardner's Lake Elsinore house.

In that same document, investigators said they later found a toothbrush, hairbrush and retainer belonging to Chelsea, and that physical evidence was found on the clothing. On Feb. 28 at 9 a.m., the DNA from the clothing was matched to Chelsea. A little less than three hours later, other DNA on the clothing was matched to John Albert Gardner.

Elsewhere in the court documents officials stated that after Gardner was identified by DNA, detectives set up surveillance at his grandmother's home in Lake Elsinore as well as at his mother's home on Matinal Road in Rancho Bernardo. Gardner was arrested at 4 p.m. that same day.

After his arrest, officers stated that they entered both residences to determine if "Chelsea King was being held captive in the residence(s).... She was not found."

The search warrants also reveal that a woman told a detective that on Feb. 26, she was jogging in the area when she stopped to talk with a man who matched Gardner's description. She later said she was "100 percent sure" that the man was Gardner and that she had encountered him near the Chelsea King crime scene. Another woman also told detectives she saw Gardner in the park the day Chelsea was attacked and that she also saw Chelsea that day.

Also described in the documents are details from an interview with an 11-year-old girl, who said Gardner stopped his car near her on Feb. 24 in the 12200 block of Paseo Lucido.

The detective also stated in the search warrant that the shallow gave in which Chelsea's body was found "could have easily been dug by hand or using sticks which were close at hand." He also stated that Gardner's behavior "leads me to believe he was stalking another victim" one day before he attacked Chelsea. The detective said any dirt might be found at Gardner's home "could be compared to dirt found in other locations where other unconnected victims have been found and would provide valuable evidence to show Gardner's participation in other crimes."

Judge Peter Deddeh ordered the release of the four search warrants shortly after 10 a.m. He made two "minor" redactions: one to keep private the identity of a minor, and the other to protect private information about Chelsea. The warrants are 30 pages long and were made available to the media shortly after Deddeh made his ruling.

A little later in the day on Monday. Judge Herb Exharos heard arguments regarding the release of approximately six other search warrants in the King case. He did, in fact, order them released. They will be made available to the public at 2:30 p.m.

In other court developments on Monday, a transcript of an April 14 ex-parte hearing in Judge David Danielsen's court, apparently regarding Gardner's plea bargain, will be released at 1:30 p.m.

http://www.nbcsandiego.com/news/local-beat/Details-Emerge-About-Chelsea-King-Investigation-92108739.html

Warrants suggest SoCal killer had other targets

By ELLIOT SPAGAT - Associated Press Writer

EL CAJON, Calif. -- Newly unsealed documents suggest John Albert Gardner III followed an 11-year-old girl home the day before the sex offender raped and murdered 17-year-old Chelsea King.

Search warrants unsealed Monday also suggest that two other women joggers saw Gardner Feb. 25 - the day he killed Chelsea as she went for a run in a park in San Diego County.

The 11-year-old told police Feb. 24 that a man in a black car drove slowly past her as she walked alone. A woman pulled up, told her the man looked suspicious, and offered to follow her home. The man drove away.

Gardner pleaded guilty April 16 to murdering Chelsea and 14-year-old Amber Dubois.

http://www.mercedsunstar.com/2010/04/26/1400487/warrants-suggest-socal-killer.html

I'm glad the woman noticed a potentially dangerous situation and took the time to intervene. She probably saved the 11-year-old girl's life.

You know, this is so damn scary. This beast was on the hunt. He was getting desperate and sloppy. That woman saved this child's life, I am certain of it.

Sentencing For John Gardner Moved To May 14
Admitted Killer's Sentencing Was Scheduled For June 1

POSTED: 4:01 pm PDT April 27, 2010

SAN DIEGO -- The sentencing hearing for the admitted killer of teenagers Chelsea King and Amber Dubois was moved up two weeks to May 14, a spokesman for the District Attorney's Office announced Tuesday.

John Albert Gardner III, 31, was supposed to be sentenced June 1. His plea agreement calls for a sentence of two consecutive life terms in prison without the possibility of parole, plus an additional 33 years to life for assaulting a woman last Dec. 27.

Paul Levikow of the District Attorney's Office said both sides agreed to move up the sentencing date.

Gardner, a convicted sex offender, pleaded guilty April 16 to murdering and raping both teens.

Chelsea, a 17-year-old, straight-A senior at Poway High School, disappeared Feb. 25 after going for a run at Rancho Bernardo Community Park. Her body was discovered five days later in a shallow grave near a tributary of nearby Lake Hodges -- not far from Gardner's mother's home.

Amber, 14, vanished while walking to Escondido High School in February 2009. Her skeletal remains were found last month in Pala.

On March 5, three days after Gardner was arraigned on a murder charge in the older girl's slaying, he led authorities to the younger teen's body, according to District Attorney Bonnie Dumanis.

Prosecutors -- with no other evidence to tie him to Amber's murder -- agreed not to use the fact that Gardner led authorities to her body against him when he offered to plead guilty to murdering both girls. In so doing, he avoided the death penalty.

http://www.10news.com/news/23283910/detail.html

What is Gardner going to do in the interview? Make excuses for what he did? Say he's sorry? This guy makes me sick. I wonder if he's going to be another Charles Manson and do interviews all the time. Hopefully they ask him some of the questions that Amber's mom is still looking for answers for, but he will probably refuse to answer them or he will have a lawyer with him telling him not to answer.

I don't get it either J4A. One of MY questions is WHY would the news station even WANT to interview him? I don't think there is anything he can say to justify what he did. His apology isn't worth hearing.

John Gardner: In His Own Words, Pt. 1

Posted: Apr 29, 2010 8:12 PM EDT

SAN DIEGO, Calif. - The man who admitted to raping and murdering Chelsea King and Amber Dubois broke his silence in an extended interview with News 8. John Gardner is making stunning allegations and offers new, behind-the-scenes details into his brutal crimes and the plea deal that saved his life.

For more than two hours, News 8 spoke to John Gardner in a recorded telephone interview. We realize this is a very sensitive issue for the families involved, and we did notify them in advance of airing this story.

News 8 got a response from Amber Dubois' mother, and will not be reporting graphic details of the attacks on Chelsea and Amber.

In our interview, Gardner speaks intelligently about the murder case against him, and for the first time he offers to sit down with the families of his victims.

"I was aware of what I was doing, and I could not stop myself. I was in a major rage and pissed off at my whole life and everyone who had hurt me and blew up and hurt the wrong people.

"I hate myself, I really do. There is no taking back what I did, and if I could, yes I would, are you kidding me? But I was out of control. If I was able to stop myself in the middle of it, I would have, and I could not. I was out of control," Gardner said.

Never in our two and a half hour conversation does Gardner go into detail about how he killed his victims. Those answers, he says, will be given only to the girl's families upon their request.

"I'm only answering questions to the family in regards to that stuff, anything involving those two and how things happened and whatever, I will not comment on any of that. I will answer questions to them and them only," he said.

Amber Dubois disappeared on Feb. 13, 2009 at around 7 a.m. as she walked to Escondido High School. Gardner says nothing about his interaction with Amber, but in a passing remark about protecting children by putting more money into schools, he says Amber would still be here if there was a bus schedule.

"If there was a bus schedule still, would amber still be here? Yeah, she would have, if there was a bus, so why don't they put that money toward the schools?" he said.

Gardner would not say if he offered Amber a ride to school. Another question we asked him is if he stalked his victims or if they were picked at random.

"It wasn't about their age with me. I actually didn't go out and look for them. I did not sit and wait for them. I go out and go for walks to calm myself. I'll go for a walk or go for a drive just to calm down," Gardner said.

It's what witnesses say Gardner was doing on Feb. 25, the day he attacked Poway teen Chelsea King near Lake Hodges. DNA tied Gardner to the scene, and he was arrested on Sunday, Feb. 28 for Chelsea's rape and murder. As the search continued for Chelsea's body, Gardner claims he was ready to confess to the murders of both girls.

"On Monday I was trying to get a hold of the attorney, I was going to tell them where she, where Chelsea was, and I was going to tell them where Amber was," he said.

On Tuesday, March 2, search teams found Chelsea's body in a shallow grave. The next day Gardner was arraigned in court for Chelsea's murder.

"As soon as I went to court on Wednesday, I had public defenders in that little box that they always put me in, and when they came after court -- because you have to plead not guilty for some reason to everything before you can even plead guilty, I guess -- I was telling them I just want to plead guilty and want everyone to know how bad that I felt," Gardner said.

Gardner adds that he didn't care if he received the death penalty.

After his arraignment Wednesday, Gardner says he told his public defenders he killed Amber and days later he led investigators to her remains in a remote area of Pala.

"The whole deal of 'Oh we'll take the death penalty off', that was all up on the lawyers and the DA and all that. I told them I don't give a [expletive]. I told them with no promise of taking life off. I had no promises and I showed them where Amber was because I felt bad. I had no promise of any deal when I did that," Gardner said.

But the district attorney says there was an agreement: Gardner taking authorities to Amber's remains would not be held against him in court.

In the following weeks, investigators looked for anything to tie Gardner to the crime scene, but the DA says nothing was found. In the meantime, Gardner says he was becoming increasingly frustrated that Amber's parents had not been told he was the killer.

"They were withholding information of the fact that I showed where she was, and they didn't even let the family know yet. And I was pissed they didn't let the family know.

"The reason why they waited so long to announce anything and to do the plea deal was because they had to give investigators time to try and build a case against me so that they did not have to make a deal. And I said, 'Well that's [expletive]. Let's just go into court and I'll plead guilty and then you guys figure out what you want to do later," Gardner said.

Gardner says he eventually called the state attorney general's office to report everything that was happening behind the scenes.

"I had some issues with what was going on in my case. I was pissed. I was calling the attorney general and they all came down here. My attorneys, both of them, showed up that day that I called the attorney general to report them and they showed up and said, 'What the [expletive] are you doing, blah blah blah. We had the DA call us to tell us to get you to shut the [expletive] up,'" Gardner said.

District Attorney Bonnie Dumanis declined to comment on Gardner's allegations. But former DA Paul Pfingst says Gardner's statements raise major issues.

"It's not the job of the DA to stand between him and law enforcement. It's the job of his defense team, not the prosecution team.

"If John Gardner called up the AG's office and confessed to killing Amber Dubois, and confessed that now he was a serial killer, the chances of him receiving the death penalty would go from high, to extraordinarily high," Pfingst said. "What the public would have to ask is 'Is this what we're having law enforcement do now? Telling serial killers not to talk to us?'"

As far as we know, Gardner never spoke at length with the attorney general's office, and in the end the plea deal went through.

"By accepting this guilty plea, we are obtaining a conviction for the murder of Amber that we would not otherwise have been able to obtain," Dumanis said.

The death penalty was dropped in exchange for Gardner's confession, something Gardner says he was willing to do from the beginning.

"I showed them where everything was. I showed them where [Amber] was before they made a deal," Gardner said.

John Gardner faces life in prison without the possibility of parole, but it doesn't mean he can't face future prosecution.

News 8 asked Gardner if there were any other victims.

"Ha ha, good try," he said.

We showed our full report to Amber's mother Carrie McGonigle in advance of it airing. McGonigle says she does plan on meeting with Gardner in private to get some of her questions answered.

"I was surprised he did an interview so close to sentencing, but he says he'll give us answers and I want answers.

"I find what he says kind of surprising. Like, did he really just want to have the death penalty? He murdered my child, he murdered Chelsea. He could have gotten help, he could have gotten help and he could have come forward, and you know what? Chelsea may still be alive if he would have felt guilty," she said.

Other family members had no comment on our report.

http://www.cbs8.com/Global/story.asp?S=12401580

I couldn't get the video to embed, but it is available at the link in the article I just posted. It was sickening to hear him laugh when he was asked if there were any other victims.

John Gardner: In His Own Words, Pt. 2

Posted: Apr 29, 2010 9:38 PM EDT

SAN DIEGO, Calif. - John Gardner says he was never trying to avoid the death penalty, in an exclusive interview with News 8.

Gardner showed remorse for his victims, and thumbed his nose at the death penalty when he spoke to News 8 from his jail cell. And for the first time, we're learning more about the plea deal that saved his life.

News 8 asked Gardner why he admitted to killing Chelsea King and Amber Dubois.

"Why would I drag it out? Why would I put those families through going through court and looking at all the evidence, and having them sit there and having the DA's, my lawyer, throw it up in their face?" Gardner said.

Gardner never goes into detail about how he killed 14-year-old Amber Dubois or 17-year-old Chelsea King, but he does say that as soon as he was arrested for Chelsea's murder he was ready to confess his involvement in Amber's death so her parents could also have closure.

"They sat wondering for a year. It just ate me up every single day. I have nightmares of them, and I'm sitting here feeling all this guilt for so long and it finally just caught up.

"I was telling them that I just wanted to plead guilty and I want everyone to know I have, how bad I felt and everything, and that I tried to get help beforehand," Gardner said.

When District Attorney Bonnie Dumanis came clean about who led investigators to Amber's remains, she said an agreement was made: Gardner shows investigators where the body is, and it won't be held against him in court. Despite more than a month of investigation, Dumanis told reporters they were unable to prove Gardner murdered Amber.

"There was no DNA and no evidence obtained in the search warrants that connected him to Amber's murder," Dumanis said.

But Gardner says all the evidence they needed was already behind bars, waiting to talk. He was willing to confess before the backroom deal was made.

"The whole deal of 'Oh we'll take the death penalty off', that was all up on the lawyers and the DA and all that. I told them I don't give a [expletive]. I told them with no promise of taking life off. I had no promises and I showed them where Amber was because I felt bad. I had no promise of any deal when I did that," Gardner said.

Gardner also claims that a large-scale search at Kit Carson Park in Escondido was a ruse so the media wouldn't find out he was leading detectives to Amber's body near Pala.

"You guys were given a false report to supposedly go to Kit Carson Park, so all of the media was trying to scour over Kit Carson Park when we went up there," he said. "I was en route, I saw your helicopters."

Gardner now faces life in prison, instead of the death penalty, but he's still not convinced that's the best option.

"If I got the death penalty I would be sitting in a single cell for 25 to 30 years before they ever decided to give me the death penalty. Now, with the sentence I have I'm going to be dead within the next five years," he said.

Out of respect for the families, we did tell Chelsea and Amber's parents about our interview with John Gardner. The Kings had no comment, and neither did Amber's father Maurice Dubois. But Amber's mother asked to watch our story before it aired, and gave her reaction.

"I was surprised he did an interview so close to sentencing, but he says he'll give us answers and I want answers," she said. "He said he wanted us to know, why did he wait 13 months? Because he got caught. He could have called the anonymous tip line if he felt so bad and given us some closure. So I found that hard to believe that he felt so bad, because he watched us suffer for a year and I'm sure he watched us."

http://www.cbs8.com/Global/story.asp?S=12401882

John Gardner: In His Own Words, Pt. 3

Posted: Apr 29, 2010 10:26 PM EDT

SAN DIEGO, Calif. - Why did John Gardner kill Amber Dubois and Chelsea King, and could the killings have been prevented? Those are questions only he can answer. News 8 spoke exclusively with Gardner about his long history of mental illness and the motivation behind his horrendous crimes. He says he has received many emails in jail, and everybody has the same question -- why?

"There are so many things that caused me to go into a spiral downhill that I went in," Gardner said.

Confessed rapist and murderer John Gardner tried to explain the unexplainable in his two and a half hour interview with News 8.

"You think I don't have guilt and I don't hate myself for what I did? I hate myself. I want to be dead," he said.

We asked Gardner why he killed Amber Dubois and Chelsea King.

"I was not in control," he answered.

The registered sex offender claims the attacks were not about sex, but rather anger and rage stemming from childhood abuse.

"When I was five I was molested, and it wasn't a male, it was a female," he said.

Court records confirm Gardner is diagnosed with attention deficit hyperactive disorder, and that he's bipolar with serious anger management issues.

"I've been on psych medications my whole life," Gardner said.

He claims his downward spiral began after an unnamed female family member started an incestuous relationship with him in late 2007.

"I had another person start raping me, the family member one, and then it's been continuous since then. It's been continuous since then," he said.

Gardner would not answer questions about the events that led up to the killing of Amber in February 2009, but on the one-year anniversary of Amber's murder, Gardner says he tried to commit suicide.

It was February 13th. I tried to kill myself. I did five triple-stack tabs of ecstasy, and I've never done ecstasy before. I was just hoping it would kill me. And I drank an 18-pack of beer," he said.

The alleged suicide attempt came less than two weeks before Chelsea King's murder. That's when Gardner says he tried to admit himself into a Riverside County mental hospital.

"I called all these mental health places saying I'm losing control. I need help and they said too bad, as soon as I said it was a sex offender," he said. "I said, 'I am 5150,' and they said, 'The fact that you say you're 5150, we know you're not,'"

Instead, he was given an antidepressant and medication for bipolar disorder.

"I asked to go into Patton State Hospital, okay? I asked the doctor I saw when I went and saw him for the medication and he said 'I don't even think you're dangerous.' Now, if I'm denied help am I fully to blame for my actions? Hell yeah, but could it have been prevented? Yeah, it could have been," Gardner said.

http://www.cbs8.com/Global/story.asp?S=12402002

He's claiming rape by a female at age 5.

He claims his downward spiral began after an unnamed female family member started an incestuous relationship with him in late 2007.

So he hates females, it's not about the sex. What about the first little girl he attacked and went to prison for.


What does 5150 stand for?