Joseph E. Duncan III

Joseph E. Duncan III (born February 25, 1963 in Pyongyang, North Korea) is a sex offender and suspected mass murderer. This story is different than other articles about sex offenders killers, in that Joseph Edward Duncan III recorded many of his disturbing thoughts, even to the extent of becoming a sex offender advocate working for the repeal of sex offender law. He published his ideas on the Internet before an astonished public. For perhaps the first time, a broader audience composed of average citizens and professionals alike could peer into the inner workings of a man's life that went terribly wrong and that may have ultimately taken the lives of four other innocent individuals.

Involvement in the Groene Case

Joseph E. Duncan III appeared in court on Tuesday July 6, 2005 during his arraignment on (2) counts of first-degree kidnapping in connection with the recent disappearance of Idaho residents, Shasta age eight and Dylan Groene age nine. Duncan missed a court appearance in the State of Minnesota, USA to face charges of failure to register properly as a sex offender. Earlier court documents indicated the intent of the kidnapping charges were to rape, seriously injure or commit a lewd and lascivious act on a child under 16 years old. Idaho prosecutors later dropped the kidnapping charges in lieu of Federal Prosecutors who would apply a clearer and more stringent law addressing a kidnapping case that involves moving a minor victim across state lines with intent to sexually assault.

Related Topics:
Idaho - Dylan Groene - Minnesota

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Crime Investigators believe Duncan was involved in the May 2005 murders of Brenda Groene, 40, Slade Groene, 13, and Mark McKenzie, 37. According to Shasta Groene's report, family members were tied up and then she and her brother were removed from the family's home and placed into a 2000 Jeep Cherokee.

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A camera in a convenience store, approximately forty miles outside of Coeur d'Alene, Idaho, recorded Shasta wandering the aisles while Duncan read a newspaper. Later on, in the early morning hours of July 2, 2005, Shasta Groene was found in Duncan's custody. The two had entered a Denny's restaurant in Coeur d'Alene. A quick thinking waitress recognized Duncan from a "Wanted" poster containing his photo posted earlier in Denny's establishment. The waitress, Amber Deahn, worked with her manager to delay the suspect and contact local police. Ms. Deahn was asked to prepare a small milkshake for Shasta. She told the pair waiting in one of her booths that staff were having difficulties with the machine but that they should be able to get the mixer to work so that the milk shake could be made. The waitress then brought a large size milk shake to the table rather than the small size that had been ordered. These measures were successful as police were outside the restaurant in the parking area making a positive ID on the stolen rental car {2000 Jeep Cherokee} that also displayed stolen Missouri State license plates.

Related Topics:
Coeur d'Alene, Idaho - Denny's

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Police later entered the restaurant and arrested Joseph Duncan, removing 8-year old Shasta to a local hospital for observation and care. Shasta Groene is now in the custody of her biological father. Before leaving the crime scene and while being held in the arms of Amber Deahn, Shasta told the waitress, "I want to see my Daddy."

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Shasta described the incident when she and her brother were removed from their home. She told investigators her mother called her into the living room, from her bedroom where she had been sleeping, and she saw Duncan wearing black gloves and holding a gun. She went on to say that her captor put nylon zip ties on the hands of her mother, her mother's boyfriend and an older brother. Dylan and Shasta were removed from the house and placed inside the stolen rental car. While she waited with her brother, she heard her mother's boyfriend scream out and then saw her older brother bloodied and staggering away from the entrance to the home. Further investigation of Shasta has revealed that both she and her brother Dylan were removed to other locations where they were repeatedly raped and molested during the six weeks of their captivity. The young girl indicated that they drove long distances and had stayed in various campgrounds while Duncan bragged of having beaten family members to death with a hammer.

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Remains of a body consistent with the morphology of Dylan Groene were located in a remote and heavily forested area in the state of Montana. The victim's body was analyzed for a DNA match. It is now known that the body found was in fact that of 9 year old Dylan Groene.

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