Joseph Edward Duncan III charged in U.S. District Court with kidnaping, Murder & Sexual Assault in Dylan and Shasta Groene case
Joseph Edward Duncan is already serving life sentences for pleading guilty to the murder of three people, Shasta’s mother, brother and a family friend. Now with this indictment, a death sentence cannot be too far down the line. Duncan has been charged with murder, kidnapping and sexual assault of Dylan and Shasta Groene. Some people truly earn the right to be executed, Joseph Edward Duncan III is part of that select group.
The indictment against Joseph Edward Duncan III, issued by a federal grand jury in Coeur d’Alene, will allow the government to seek the death penalty, U.S. Attorney Tom Moss said.
The indictment accuses Duncan of kidnapping Dylan Groene, 9, and his sister Shasta, then 8 years old, sexually abusing them both and later killing Dylan in Montana. (Yahoo News)
Convicted Murderer Indicted In Idaho Abductions
An indictment charged Duncan with kidnapping 9-year-old Dylan Groene near Coeur d’Alene, Idaho, in 2005 for the purpose of sexual assault, and for intentionally killing the boy after torturing him.
Duncan was also charged with kidnapping Shasta Groene, who was 8 at the time, for the purpose of sexually assaulting her. Shasta was rescued at a Coeur d’Alene restaurant seven weeks after her abduction.
The grand jury also charged Duncan with aggravated sexual abuse of the children and for taking them across a state line into Montana. He was also charged with making visual depictions of his sexual assaults on Dylan Groene. (KSBW8)
Federal Charges Filed Against Duncan
In charging Duncan with Kidnapping Resulting in Death, the grand jury made special findings that Duncan intentionally killed 9-year-old D.G. after substantial planning and premeditation, and that he did so in an especially heinous, cruel, and depraved manner. The grand jury also found that the child’s killing involved torture and serious physical abuse, that Duncan intentionally inflicted seriously bodily injury that resulted in death, and that he intentionally engaged in a act of violence he knew created a grave risk of death to a particularly vulnerable victim.
These special findings will allow the government to file a notice of intent to seek the death penalty, which the United States Attorney General has already authorized the government to do.
The indictment also charges Duncan with kidnapping and sexually assaulting 8-year-old S.G.
The 13-page indictment includes ten counts of criminal activity and six pages of special findings. Specifically, Count One charges Duncan with Kidnapping Resulting in Death, Count Two charges him with Kidnapping, Counts Three and Four charge him with Aggravated Sexual Abuse of a Minor, and Count Five charges him with Sexual Exploitation of a Child Resulting in Death.
He is also charged with being a Felon in Possession of a Firearm, Using a Firearm During and in Relation to a Crime of Violence Resulting in Death, Transportation of a Stolen Firearm, Possession of an Unregistered Firearm and Transportation of a Stolen Vehicle.
In their special findings, the grand jury also noted Duncan’s previous convictions for rape, first-degree murder and kidnapping.