Computer Files Key in Joseph Duncan Case
According to court papers filed this week, three forensic computer experts are scheduled to testify at the federal trial of Joseph Edward Duncan III for the murder of nine-year-old Dylan Groene and the kidnapping of Shasta Groene. The experts will testify about a laptop computer found in the vehicle Duncan was driving when he was arrested.
Duncan pleaded guilty in state court to the murder of the children's mother, her boyfriend and her teenage son. They were killed in May 2005 so that Duncan could take the younger children and use them to make child pornography, court records show.
Findings of the three computer experts were outlined in the court documents filed this week, but they were filed under seal and not released to the public.
The Encrypted Computer Files
Also at issue in the case, are encrypted files on Duncan's computers which may provide evidence of other crimes the convicted sex offender has committed. Duncan's court-appointed attorney claims to have the key to the encryption code and reportedly plans to use it as a bargaining chip in the federal death-penalty case.
In October 2006, Duncan pleaded guilty to the murders of Brenda Matthews Groene, Slade Groene and Mark McKenzie in a deal that spared him from the death penalty in those cases. At the time, it was reported that part of his plea agreement called for him to give investigators access to his encrypted computer files.
See Also:
Computer Experts to Testify at Duncan Trial
Background:
The Trial of Joseph Edward Duncan
Forum:
Discuss The Duncan Case
Comments
1997, Banning/Beaumont, California. April of ‘97, Anthony Martinez was kidnapped, raped and killed. His body was found under rocks off of a remote road east of Palm Springs. Joseph Duncan has been linked to that crime by a partial palm print lifted from the duct tape that bound Anthony’s hands. Duncan had never been in that area before yet was able to remain hidden and getting on with his rape without detection. In 2003, 2 years before Duncan’s name became known to me I had linked a local person to that killing using what I have termed,”Loose Ends” in the case. There were at least 7 of those loose ends, and all pointed to this same local person. The location of Anthony’s body shows a local knowledge was in play and Duncan had no local knowledge. This rapist and killer has been only 2 places in his life. Jail, and on the way back to jail. That appears to be the reason for knowing he could not have enough local knowledge to drop Anthony’s body where he did. And why was he in the area at all? It has always been a mystery to me that no one has raised that issue. In 2003, I was telling friends that Anthony was victimized for the production of a snuff film. It was made, not for sale, but rather, for the personal collection of the person behind the idea. Duncan was contacted through the local person’s Child Pornography production and distribution network. This conclusion comes from a lot of little puzzle pieces put together over a number of years. That part is too long to present here. But I believe the Minneapolis man who gave a large amount of money to Duncan did so as a delivery boy for the same person responsible for Anthony Martinez’s murder. The 2005 Duncan case has some pieces that potentially point directly at that same person. And Duncan had in his possession a video of the torture and murder of Dylan Groene. Most of the issues I have come up with are circumstantial, but that is not to say they are wrong. And due to the large number of these pieces coincidence has been off the table long before 2005. Duncan, if(Trying to be legally fair)did these murders he should be exterminated, with all due respect to the anti-capital punishment folks. But based on my view, Duncan is keeping his mouth closed and not ratting out the rat behind all of this. I do not want to list all of the reasons for my conclusions here but will gladly give them to any law enforcement department that would pursue the issue. I can be contacted at the e-mail address listed and give the site administrator permission to give it to those departments investigating both cases.
SJS
Palm Springs, CA.