Idaho suspect’s records show violent history

COEUR D’ALENE, Idaho - Idaho kidnapping suspect Joseph Edward Duncan III committed his first act of sexual assault 30 years ago, preying on a 5-year-old boy when he was just 12, according to a report published Wednesday.

Duncan’s records reveal a history of inflicting violence and sexual torture upon others, particularly young boys, with his crimes escalating in their seriousness. His past shows a series of failed treatments and refusal to comply with therapists and law enforcement officials who tried to correct his behavior, which mental health evaluators diagnosed in 1980 as consistent with an antisocial personality and a sexual deviant, the Seattle Times reported.

On Tuesday, Duncan was charged with two counts of first-degree kidnapping in connection with the abduction of Shasta Groene, 8, and her brother Dylan, 9, of Coeur d’Alene, Idaho. The two children had been missing since May 16, when the bound and beaten bodies of their mother, older brother, and mother’s boyfriend where found in their rural home.

In addition to kidnapping the children, authorities believe Duncan is also responsible for killing the children's brother, mother and her boyfriend at the family home, a sheriff's spokesman said Wednesday.

Duncan the ‘only one responsible’
"We believe Joseph Duncan is the only one responsible for these crimes," Kootenai County Sheriff's Capt. Ben Wolfinger told a news conference.

Duncan was never a suspect in the attacks on the family and his name never came up until his arrest, Wolfinger said. He could not explain why Duncan's fingerprints were not found at the scene.

Wolfinger declined to say whether Duncan had a gun or to speculate on how he might have overpowered the five people at the house.

Officials still have no motive for the crimes, nor have they found a connection between Duncan and the family, Wolfinger said, raising the possibility the attack and kidnapping were random.

Still no clear motive
"When we get the pieces together, we'll find out what the motive is," he said, adding, "A sense that we got the right guy permeates through the investigators as they work diligently."

Duncan, of Fargo, N.D., was charged Tuesday in 1st District Court in Coeur d’Alene with two counts of first-degree kidnapping.

Shasta safely returned home after being spotted with Duncan in a Denny’s at 2 a.m. Sunday in Coeur d’Alene. In an affidavit released Tuesday, Kootenai County Sheriff’s Sgt. Brad Maskell disclosed that Shasta told authorities Duncan repeatedly molested her and Dylan during their six-week nightmare.

“Shasta and Dylan were repeatedly molested,” Maskell wrote in a terse, handwritten affidavit released Tuesday. “Shasta saw Mr. Duncan molest Dylan.”

The intent of the crimes, court documents said, was to rape, seriously injure or commit a lewd and lascivious act on a child under 16 years old.

While it is the Associated Press’ policy not to identify alleged victims of sexual assault in most cases, the search for the children and Shasta’s recovery were so heavily publicized that their names were already widely known.

Dylan is believed to be dead by authorities, and Wolfinger said officials likely would not be able to conclusively identify human remains found in western Montana, believed to be those of the boy, until next week.

One of five children born into a military family in Fort Bragg, N.C., Duncan moved frequently when he was growing up. The high school dropout often felt lonely and displaced, particularly after his parents’ divorce in 1979, the Times reported.

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