The Trial of Joseph Edward Duncan

Joseph Edward Duncan III was out on a $15,000 bond in Minnesota for molesting a 7-year-old boy, when three people were killed in an Idaho home and their two children kidnapped. Six weeks later, Duncan was arrested after he was spotted in a restaurant with eight-year-old Shasta Groene.

Duncan has been charged in Idaho state court with three counts of first-degree murder and first-degree kidnapping in the deaths of Brenda Groene, Slade Groene, and Mark Mckenzie. He will also face federal charges for the kidnappings of Dylan and Shasta Groene and for Dylan's murder.

Latest Developments

Duncan Jury Hears Details of Family's Murder
Aug. 13, 2008
A federal jury that will decide whether Joseph Edward Duncan III lives or dies covered their mouths and shook their heads as prosecutors outlined the gruesome details of the murder of an Idaho family and the kidnapping, torture and abuse of Dylan and Shasta Groene and the murder of Dylan.

Duncan Allowed to Represent Himself
July 28, 2008
U.S. District Judge Edward Lodge ruled that Joseph Edward Duncan III is competent to act as his own attorney during the proceedings.

Duncan's Attorneys Want Him Declared Incompetent
July 18, 2008
Confessed killer Joseph Edward Duncan III wants to represent himself during the penalty phase of his trial, but his court-appointed attorneys want the judge to find him incompetent to do it.

Previous Developments

Jury Selection Begins for Joseph Edward Duncan
April 14, 2008
A pool of more than 300 potential jurors has been called to a make-shift federal courtroom in Boise, Idaho, to determine whether or not confessed killer Joseph Edward Duncan III will get the death penalty or life in prison.

Duncan's Attorneys Try to Delay Sentencing
Feb. 8, 2008
Attorneys for Joseph Edward Duncan III have filed several motions in federal court to delay the death penalty sentencing hearing scheduled for April in connection with the abduction of Dylan and Shasta Groene and the murder of Dylan.

Joseph Duncan Pleads Guilty to Federal Charges
Dec. 3, 2007
Joseph Edward Duncan III has entered guilty pleas to 10 federal charges in connection with the kidnapping of Dylan and Shasta Groene and the murder of Dylan in a move that will spare Shasta from having to testify. Duncan entered the pleas without a plea deal, which means there will be a penalty trial in his case.

Joseph Duncan's Lawyers Want Case Dismissed
Nov. 14, 2007
As the trial of Joseph Edward Duncan III approaches, his attorneys have filed motions asking that the entire federal case against him be thrown out along with statements he made to investigators and a jailhouse chaplain after he was arrested.

Computer Files Key in Joseph Duncan Case
Sept. 18, 2007
According to court papers filed this week, three forensic computer experts are scheduled to testify at the federal trial of Joseph Edward Duncan III about a laptop computer found in the vehicle Duncan was driving when he was arrested.

California Wants to Extradite Duncan
Feb. 23, 2007
Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger wants Joseph Edward Duncan extradited to California to face trial for the 1997 murder of a 10-year-old boy, but federal prosecutors in Idaho said they plan to pursue their case against the convicted sexual offender first.

Duncan Confesses to Three More Murders
Jan. 24, 2007
The man charged with kidnapping Dylan and Shasta Groene and killing Dylan has confessed to the murders of three other children in Washington State and California.

Duncan Indicted on Federal Charges
Jan. 19, 2007
Joseph Edward Duncan III has now been indicted in federal court for the kidnapping of the family's two children and the murder of one of them.

Duncan Pleads Guilty, Shasta Avoids Testifying
Oct. 16, 2006
Joseph Edward Duncan III pled guilty to the murders of Shasta Groene's family in a last-minute plea deal that spared him from the death penalty in Idaho and spared the young victim the trama of having to testify in his trial.

Prosecutor's Reject Duncan's Plea Offer
Oct. 12, 2006
Prosecutors have rejected an offer to plead guilty from Joseph Edward Duncan III, who publicly offered to plead guilty, to spare Shasta Groene the ordeal of testifying against him, if prosecutors would not seek the death penalty.

Feds to Seek Death Penalty for Duncan
Oct. 3, 2006
Federal prosecutors have decided to seek the death penalty against Joseph Edward Duncan III. Duncan also faces the death penalty in a state court trial on murder charges, which is scheduled to begin October 16.

Joseph Duncan's Murder Trial Delayed
Mar. 5, 2006
Attorneys for Joseph Edward Duncan were able to gain a delay of his trial for the murder of three people in an Idaho home so that the U.S. Supreme Court can rule on the constitutionality of the state's law prohibiting an insanity defense.

Sex Offender Duncan Blogging from Jail?
Jan. 27, 2005
Convicted sex offender Joseph Edward Duncan III is blogging again, by writing messages to someone who is posting them on the Internet.

Earlier Headlines

• Duncan's Lawyers to Challenge Idaho Law
  
• Shasta Groene May Have to Testify
  
• Joseph Duncan Trial Delayed in Idaho
  
• Prosecutors Won't Use Duncan's Tapes
  
• Duncan Photographed Himself With Shasta, Dylan Groene
  
• County Sued for Mishandling Groene Case Suspect
  
• Duncan to Face Death Penalty in Idaho
  
• Seattle Police Investigate Duncan for Two Murders
  
• Evidence Mounts Against Joseph Edward Duncan
  
• Report: Sex Offender Stalked Idaho Children
  
• Remains Identified as Dylan Groene's
  
• Idaho Children Abducted, Repeatedly Molested
  
• Search for Dylan Turns Up 'Human Remains'
  
• Shasta Groene Found in Idaho, Brother Presumed Dead
  
• Still No Clues for Missing Idaho Children
  
• Three Killed, Two Idaho Children Missing