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Blog: Duncan had 'seen the light' Posted: Wednesday, Nov 02, 2005 - 11:49:53 pm PST By DAVE TURNER Staff writer
Alleged letter written to brother says sex offender was bringing Shasta home COEUR d'ALENE -- An Internet Web log has reported that accused triple killer Joseph Edward Duncan III said he decided to turn himself in before he was arrested with 8-year-old Shasta Groene early the morning of July 2.In the blog "The Cellar," Webmaster Jules Hammer said Duncan's brother, Bruce Duncan, provided to her over the phone a portion of a letter he said he received from Duncan, who is being held without bail in the Kootenai County jail. That portion of the letter, the blog said, suggested Joseph Duncan had "seen the light" and decided to end the girl's nearly seven-week ordeal. "It was the hardest thing I ever had to do! Compared to 'facing the light' -- dying will be easy," the fragment of the letter said. Hammer's blog entry said she and the brother decided to make the statement public "because of all the discussion in the Cellar forums concerning Joseph Duncan's capture or surrender." She said Bruce Duncan was concerned about what kind of light his family has been shown on other Web sites following the case. Hammer said she recognized Bruce Duncan's voice from earlier contacts with the man. She said she thinks Joseph Duncan was sincere in his letter to his brother because she believes he knows his brother can see through any untruths he might make. Duncan's lawyer, county Public Defender John Adams, said he hasn't seen the posting. But Adams said the claim he was going to turn himself in "corroborates Shasta's statements that he was taking her home." Also, other published reports said Joseph Duncan spoke with his Florida pediatrician benefactor, Richard Wacksman, over the phone just hours before his arrest. During that conversation, Wacksman reportedly told Duncan to turn himself in. Duncan, 42, from Fargo, N.D., pleaded not guilty and is awaiting a Jan. 17 trial on charges he bound and bludgeoned to death Shasta's mother, Brenda Kay Groene, 40, her 13-year-old brother, Slade Groene, 13, and mother's boyfriend Mark Edward McKenzie, 37 on May 16 at their Frontage Road home near Wolf Lodge Bay. He's also waiting on an almost certain federal indictment for kidnapping Shasta and her brother, Dylan, 9, then allegedly taking the pair to Montana where Shasta said he sexually abused them. Authorities believe Dylan was shot and killed by Duncan and the boy's remains abandoned in a remote Montana camp site. Don Robinson, the FBI's supervisory senior resident agent in Coeur d'Alene, said there's nothing concrete to substantiate Joseph Duncan's jailhouse claims he was going to turn himself in. "It might have been his intent," Robinson said, "but before Denny's he had a lot more opportunities." Hours earlier, Duncan and Shasta were captured on video surveillance tapes at a Kellogg convenience store. A review of that tape and witnesses statements said it appeared Duncan tried to hide from a passing police car as his stolen Jeep Laredo was parked near the gas pumps. But Robinson said even though Duncan didn't try to flee or fight with police who took him into custody, it was the third-party call which led to the arrest. "The facts speak for themselves," Robinson said. If Duncan's claim that he planned to return Shasta to her family is determined to be accurate, it would go a long way toward answering one of the major questions which arose following his arrest: After nearly two months of nationwide alerts for the two children and numerous false sightings, was it planned or just plain lucky that Shasta was found less than 10 miles from home? "If it was his intent to turn himself in, I can't say," Robinson said. "I can't speak to his state of mind or his intentions." Dave Turner can be reached at 664-8176, ext. 2009 or at dturner@cdapress.com.
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