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Death penalty sought in Groene killingsDuncan suspected of kidnapping, killing 4 members of Idaho family
 Duncan, shown in a video image during a court appearance in July, is charged with three slayings. YOUR E-MAIL ALERTS(CNN) -- An Idaho prosecutor said Tuesday he will seek the death penalty for Joseph Duncan III, a convicted sex offender suspected of beating to death three people in May in order to kidnap two young children for sex. One child was killed. Idaho prosecutors have opted to let federal authorities prosecute for the crimes against the children because they were taken across a state line. The child's body was found in the Montana woods. Kootenai County, Idaho, Prosecutor Bill Douglas said he would file paperwork Wednesday seeking capital punishment. "We'll put on our evidence and let the facts speak for themselves," Douglas said. "We're going to let a jury of good and decent Idahoans decide this case." Earlier Tuesday, Duncan's attorney entered not guilty pleas to charges he bound and beat to death Brenda Groene; her 13-year-old son, Slade; and her boyfriend, Mark McKenzie. Their bodies were found in the home May 16. Duncan, wearing a red jail jumpsuit and sporting a beard and disheveled hair, did not speak during the hearing. The killings captured national headlines and prompted a massive search for two other Groene children, 8-year-old Shasta and her 9-year-old brother, Dylan. Six weeks later, on July 2, alert restaurant workers at a Denny's in Coeur d'Alene, Idaho, recognized the girl with Duncan and called police. Dylan's remains were found in the Lolo National Forest in western Montana. (Full story) Speaking to reporters after Tuesday's arraignment, Steve Groene, the children's father, said: "We have all the confidence that the prosecutors have a very strong case and that they're totally confident. And they're going to do their jobs and see that justice is done." According to an investigative document filed in the case, Shasta Groene told police she saw Duncan tie up the family members the day they were killed and that he kidnapped her and Dylan before repeatedly raping them. (Full story) Earlier this year, Duncan was charged with child molestation and attempted child molestation in Minnesota. After being released on bond, he fled Minnesota and was at large until his capture in Coeur d'Alene. In 1980, when he was 16, Duncan was convicted of raping a 14-year-old boy at gunpoint in Washington state. He served most of a 20-year-sentence. 
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