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CA Dept. of Justice Says it Failed in Monitoring Paroled Sex Offender

State lawmakers early this monthy voted to pay Jaycee Lee Dugard and her family a $20-million settlement for the state's failure to rescue Dugard earlier than the 18 years she was held captive by a paroled sex offender. California's Department of Justice prepared a report for lawmakers with legal analysis of the case prior to the vote. The report concluded that the California Department of Corrections and Rebabilitation and parole agents did meet Dugard on a supervised visit with her captor and could have rescued her, but failed to identify her.

Dugard was kidnapped by Phillip Garrido in 1991 while she walked to school. Garrido kept her for 18 years in a shack in the back of his ramshackle compound outside of Oakland. Dugard was raped repeatedly and gave birth to two daughters, now 12 and 15. Dugard, now 30, and her daughters were all denied access to school and medical services. Garrido was eventually arrested after a UC Berkeley police officer became suspicious when he saw Garrido with the two young girls passing out religious fliers on campus and called police.

Southern CA Jury Convicts Rodney Alcala on 5 Counts of Murder

An Orange County jury convicted Rodney Alcala today of murdering five women in Southern California between 1977 and 1979. Prosecutors say he sexually assaulted and strangled his victims. He had previously been twice-convicted for the 1979 murder of twelve-year-old Robin Samsoe and sentenced to death, but both times the convictions were overturned. Later, DNA, blood and fingerprint evidence linked Alcala to the four other women, Jill Barcomb, 18; Georgia Wixted, 27; Charlotte Lamb, 32; and Jill Parenteau, 21.

Alcala opted to act as his own criminal defense attorney. One item he offered into evidence was a tape of his 1978 appearance on "The Dating Game." Alcala was Bachelor #1 and won the show. He told the jury to look for two gold ball earrings he said he was wearing at the time. Prosecuters claimed these earrings belonged to Robin Samsoe and found them in a locker of Alcala's after Samsoe's death. Alcala conceded that the earrings were difficult to see in the footage, if at all.

Jury Deliberating for San Diego Area Teacher's Sex Scandal

In the late 1990's, there was Mary Kay Letoureau, the infamous 35 year old Seattle area teacher who had a sexual affair with her then 13 year old student. 

Unfortunately, San Diego now has a teacher-student sex scandal of it's own. This morning, the jury reconvenes in the trial of San Diego area school-teacher Carmina Lopez in a trial that began on January 12.  The closing arguments were made on Friday and the jury began deliberations on the fate of Ms. Lopez. 

Lopez, a Chula Vista teacher who allegedly had a four-year sexual relationship with her godson and former student, began her alleged affair with the boy when he was just eleven years old, according to prosecutors. 

In opening statements, the boy, known only as Christopher R. and now sixteen years old, testified that he had sexual intercourse with Lopez 30 to 40 times in her bedroom.  He also testified that she would buy him things in exchange for sex, including a dirt bike and even marijuana.   

While the prosecution accused Lopez of sex crimes, alleging that she began molesting the then 11 year old boy after a domestic dispute with Lopez's on-again off-again boyfriend, Lopez's San Diego criminal defense attorney had a different take on the events.

Location

Law Offices of Bill O'Connell
110 West C Street, Suite 1300
San Diego, CA 92101
Phone: 619.677.1429
Toll Free: 866.936.4689
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