Death sentence for pedophile
A longtime sex offender was sentenced to death for the 2005 kidnapping, torture and murder of a 9-year-old boy.
A federal jury in Boise deliberated three hours after watching video of the child’s ordeal. The recommendation was binding on U.S. District Judge Edward Lodge, who sentenced Joseph Edward Duncan III.
Duncan also killed Dylan Groene’s mother, older brother and his mother’s fiance to kidnap him and his younger sister, who was sexually abused but survived.
Duncan, who acted as his own attorney, pleaded guilty in December to 10 federal charges involving the kidnappings and the murder of Dylan. He pleaded guilty to three murders in state court, where he also could be sentenced to death.
Start your day right
Sign up for Essential California for news, features and recommendations from the L.A. Times and beyond in your inbox six days a week.
You may occasionally receive promotional content from the Los Angeles Times.
