Sandra Cantu Case: Huckaby Arraigned for Kidnapping, Murder, Rape, Molestation

Tracy, CA- This afternoon at 1:3o PM PST, Melissa Huckaby, 28, was arraigned for Kidnapping, Murder, Rape, and Lewd and Lacivious acts in the murder of 8 year old Sandra Cantu. 

The Aunt of Sandra Cantu, Angie Chavez, and Sandra’s Uncle were in attendance and did not display any outward emotion towards Ms. Huckaby. The Family of Melissa Huckaby was also there, and for the first time, left hurriedly without speaking to reporters.

 Ms. Huckaby declined to enter a plea through her attorney, and requested a continuance until April 24th.  The Public Defender who represented Melissa on the earlier theft charge, Ellen Schwarzenberg represented her in her arraignment. She also requested a gag order which the court is reviewing, and a second request for a medicine evaluation; leading some to assume she has been denied a form of mediation since being incarcerated. 

Huckaby appeared disoriented and wept through most of the proceeding. When the Judge announced the Rape charges in the commission of Felony kidnapping, she closed her eyes and grimaced.

(Editor’s Note: Unless this is a new breed of psychotic, pedaphillic, homicidal sociopath, there is more to this crime than we are being led to believe. Either her family knows alot more than they are willing to admit, or someone (s)else is involved.)

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117 Comments

  1. Tracyite says:

    If what the grandmother said is true and MH was gone for only an hour, I believe there must have been someone else involved. That is a mighty short time frame to accomplish all that happened, dispose of the suitcase and return home without having to explain wet, muddy shoes and pant legs. I have no doubt that she’s completely capable of getting the suitcase into the pond on her own but unless this wasn’t a molestation gone bad and she actually had the whole thing planned down to the very last detail, I don’t see how it’s possible that she had enough time.
    Personally, I think she put the suitcase in the shed until it was dark
    B

  2. fedupmom says:

    i registered at SM couple days ago but when i go to log in it tells me ‘Your account is still awaiting admin approval’ wow–must be an elite group. any suggestions?
    did you use same email as on here? Yes, it is an elite group in my opinion, awesome people and awesome thinkers, and welcome new members.

  3. Tracyite says:

    Also, I asked myself why on earth she’d take the fall alone if anyone else were involved and I could only come up with one reason. Her daughter. If she was threatened with her daughter meeting the same fate as Sandra, that could be a reason to keep quiet.

  4. brokenheartedmom says:

    Learned today from a removed but reliable source that Melissa’s “internal bleeding” has been self inflicted when she has twice tried to commit suicide by swallowing a razor blade. She most certainly has psychiatric issues and I am certain that the insanity card will be played in her defense. SICK!

    Whether or not her family knows the nature of her hospitalizations would depend on her consent to release that information to them. So far they seem as shocked as everyone about the charges, but have all been open to the possibility that she could have done this. I think that their disbelief and denial is normal at this phase of coping with her arrest and the charges that have been made. If the grandparents were involved, I don’t think that they would have been as open to comment to the media when their home was searched the first time. It would also seem normal to become more withdrawn from the media and the public as the investigation became more focused on their home and church. That would make anyone uncomfortable, involved or not.

    I have a few observations that don’t seem to have gotten much attention lately:

    I am still unclear as to whom and when the stolen suitcase was first reported. How would Fred Williams know about the suitcase unless he and Melissa had a discussion about it. It seems as though he was attempting to corroberate her story, but neighther has been consistant. His access to the church and the fact that it has been searched so many times leads me to believe that he is an undisclosed suspect. I also found his remarks about how much fun he (pastor Lawless?) is to hang out with and that more people should come to church out of context. I am not sure if that implicates pastor Lawless or not, but it was just a very strange comment to make.

    I agree with the comments the LE are calling the bluff of any other perps to let down their guard, and Melissa must be under an enormous amount of pressure to confess if she did not commit this horrible crime alone. I am sure that little Madison has been examined for sexual abuse and drug exposure. No guess as to whether that information will ever be released or would be admissable in court. I am certainly not an expert in profiling sex offenders, but it would seem logical to me that she would be the most accessible victim. Do sex offenders ever spare their own and exploit other children instead?

    Lastly, having grown up in a rural area myself, it is very common for teenagers to meet and party in remote and hard to access areas such as orchards, along canals, electrical towers, etc. I don’t imagine the smell of the drainage pond would be too appealing, but drunk, high, and sexed-up teens probably don’t care about the ambiance. If Melissa spent time growing up in Tracy, this location may have been a hang out for her. Maybe a local can comment on this.

    If this case goes where we all hope and pray that it doesn’t (child porn, sex trafficking), I hope that honest Americans will rally together to put pressure on law enforcement and the judicial system (greater emphasis on the judicial system) to make and enforce laws that protect our children and not these evil pedophiles.

    On that last note, we should all be asking our local LE how they are handling underaged prostitution. Most are arresting the girls and boys (victims), but are not going after the consumers and suppliers (perpetrators).

    To learn more please visit:

    http://www.citizenlink.org/content/A000007670.cfm

    http://www.sharedhope.org

    Pray for our children.

  5. Tracyite says:

    For sad #41 – The local news tonight reported that LE is concerned about the amount of children MH has had contact with through her Sunday School and is asking parents to contact them if they have any reason to believe there has ever been any inappropriate conduct with their children.

  6. Nancy says:

    I just read (KTVU.com) “Late Monday, police also confirmed that Huckaby had gone on a date with a man who also lives at the mobile home park. Police have searched the man’s home and towed three vehicles linked to him.”

    Does anyone know who this man is? This is probably who she is covering for. I’m not saying she’s not guilty or that she didn’t do it. But I do think she didn’t do this alone. Either way, she was involved in this horrendous act and needs to pay. I just don’t understand why or how anyone can do something so disgusting and cruel.
    Christian Sinclair, POI named early on, and his home, vehicles were searched
    B

  7. deena says:

    MH’s grandmother was reportedly at the home when Melissa went to the church. I wonder where her grandfather was at the time?? Could he have been at the church? It’s hard to imagine that she alone would’ve had enough time and premeditation to get this all done. The whole mysterious Silverado at the irrigation canals makes me think that if the area is rarely traveled, wouldn’t someone have noticed the Kia driving down the road in the evening?
    Just sheer speculation, but perhaps Melissa took Sandra to the church for someone, and since she participated she feels like she will go down anyway so why bring someone else down with her. I am sure she could’ve acted completely on her own but the timeline just doesn’t make sense if indeed she was only gone an hour or so.

  8. Cathy says:

    VIDEO CLIPS

    4/14/09 CBS13 news report on 2 new search warrants for church & Huckaby/Lawless home: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TlIacafT5JI

    4/11/09 NECN interview of 19 yr old Stephen Memory who saw a suspicious man in tan truck near water: http://www.necn.com/Boston/Nation/2009/04/11/CA-Teen-says-he-saw-man/1239445378.html

    4/7/09 WCBSTV raw interview with Lane & Connie Lawless: http://wcbstv.com/national/sandra.cantu.missing.2.979073.html

    Praying for the Truth…

  9. Cheryl says:

    Sgt. Sheneman asked Tracy parents to come forward if their children may have nad any “inappropriate” eposure to MH. I wonder what kind of can of worms that will open. Do not take this the wrong way, cause she is a sick person, but at least she showed EMOTION in court, whether it be for her or her victim or just the circumstances…. at least there was something. Not a stonewall jackson, like Casey. We’ll probably get the whole story from MH, but CMA will never speak a word. By the way that whole Lee Anthony thing at the memorial “CMA” was so stupid… sorry off track. I still just cannot believe that this is all of her own doing alone… I can’t wait to hear what they pull off the computer they confiscated with the first search. Ok, I have to go to bed. I’ve been getting such little sleep since this whole thing happened. Always reading or lookin for info or just tossing and turning. Nite all…

  10. julie says:

    I found this website several days ago and love it, Blink you are the best! however I just can’t figure out what LE stands for? Does it just mean the law enforcement??? Can someone post and let me know, thanks!

  11. Marseven says:

    You know it’s entirely possible that she accidentally killed this little girl backing out of the driveway or something like that. She also may have used some sort of object postmortem to make it look like a man committed the crime. We do not know the details and all of this sex-porn-abuse-ring talk is really creepy and reminds me of the McMartin crap in the 80′s. Let’s get the facts before we call everyone in town a pedophile.

  12. LoisLane says:

    I think Sandra was killed at the church, then MH put the body in the suitcase and hid it under the crawlspace until she had time to move it. (Wasn’t it reported that when police initially searched the church, they searched in the crawlspace under the church?) I also find it hard to believe that she could have gotten the suitcase in the water alone. I think there is an accomplice, and I think it’s Fred Williams, the church caretaker. Why else would be have been talking about MH’s suitcase; what’s it to him? I think MH was getting him girls in exchange for money, and I think he was drugging the girls and taping them for kiddie porn. Remember the cops took as evidence what looked like a cot during that first search of the church.

  13. Kathy Maxwell says:

    With regards to Melissa’s grandmother Connie Lawless’s statements; when she stated that she didn’t know how anyone could take a little girl and abuse her and kill her it was before anyone knew the killer was a woman. We ALL thought that Sandra had been taken by a pedophile. I don’t think her statement shows that she knew anything or was covering up anything – her statement was the same as any of us would have given. I also saw a live interview of her after it was revealed that the suitcase belonged Melissa and the reporter specifically asked her about the yard sale at the church and she responded that there had not been a yard sale at the church in at least 10 years, maybe even 15 years. She seemed very honest and forthcoming and it did not seem that she was making any effort to conceal the truth to protect Melissa. I really think she felt completely safe making the yard sale statement because she fully believed that Melissa was not involved. In my gut I feel that she is not involved with this crime and has no knowledge of Melissa’s crime.

  14. Cas says:

    This case seems sort of off to me – perhaps due to the lack of information on motives, et al – and I have, from the start, suspected that someone else is involved and she’s covering for the person.

    I think this case will bring several horrible secrets to the surface.

  15. dddeerma says:

    Clarification? When was Sandra put in the irrigation pond? The workers seem to say it had been drained and was empty again in the early days of Sandra’s disappearance. I presume Sandra was at the church? Huckaby doesn’t have the demeanor of some one who acted alone, or who would have the combination of perverted desire and coldness to torture a child. It makes more sense here to be looking at a sex crime for money angle, rather than a sex crime for sex.

  16. Jen in RI says:

    Just a few thoughts I have.

    First off people keep thinking that the suitcase was to big/heavy for Melissa to move alone. Remember she has a five year old child herself which I am sure her body is accustomed to picking up several times a day. And Sandra was said only to be between 40-50 lbs. Most people probably carry that much weight while bringing grocerys in without even realizing it. Melissa looks to be pretty rugged/physically fit and probably could have lifted that much weight over her head and thrown it a distance especially if she had some adrenaline pumping.

    Second- Do you think it is possible that they bugged the church when they were there before and went back after the Holiday weekend to retrieve any additional info the family may have disclosed during/before/after the Easter service?
    Or is it possible melissa told them where something else relivant to the case was?

    Third-Maybe this was some type of a revenge thing for Melissa I just wonder what may have happend to her as a young girl possibly an 8 yr old in a church? Something maybe she is blaming for the way her life has turned out ? (just a Thought) Given that I still tend to agree with most I think this is all a part of something much bigger.

    My thoughts and Prayers are with The Cantu Family

  17. drumstick says:

    Hey Blink! I noticed the mother of MH has been in the shadows.
    The Dad and Grandmother visit the jail but not Mom?
    Has anyone seen an interview of her?

    I find it very unnatural for MH’s mother to be concerned only with her granddaughter. What other dynamics are happening behind the scene?

    I agree my dear friend.
    No one has seen her because she is holed up in Bellflower (5 hours away) with Huckaby’s daughter since the day after Sandra went missing. There is no way in the world that is a co ink y dink.. Good observations.
    B

  18. coolio says:

    KCRA 3 is saying additional search warrants yesterday were for items related to her admitting she wrote the note, so paper and pens, etc.

  19. Red Ranger says:

    Does anyone have a link to any statements made by LE or anyone credible about her having help or the porn angle? I think this is all speculation but am always willing to learn more. If Blink tells me that the moon is made of sharp cheddar cheese, I will go up there with a box of Ritz in hand. Until she says so, or a link is provided I will give little credence to any of it.

    I think, for now that she had a temper tantrum and killed this precious child. I think her blubbering in court yesterday showed remorse, not for her actions, but for the consequences that are coming.

    I was also glad that her family left court without commenting to the press. It is refreshing to see the family of an alleged child-killer act with dignity and grace. Their continued silence will raise their worth to me.

    Red-
    Yes, porn is definately speculation, fueled by what seems to be a high concentration of SO’s in the area, LE confirming that 60 of those 8o are being investigated for ties to 2 high profile arrests within the SCHOOL district.
    I watched her yesterday and something is off with this woman, badly. A few referenced Cybil on here, if she in fact did not have help, that might be close. I might hold out on the grace of the family, the morning before the hearing Gramma Connie showed her teeth. Maybe they will reel it in .
    B
    ps. I continue to wonder how she flings that bag into the middle of that pond that it sinks undetected until drained. I agree she could lift it, roll it to the pond, etc, but unless she was a world class shotputter in HS, Im having trouble with that.

  20. rachel says:

    i am confused about something which is when people talk about her lifting the suitcase….i thought the suitcase was on wheels so if it was on wheels why would she have lifted it? my “gut instinct” makes me feel like there are more people involved (probably child molesters) and i am concerned over what was rly going on at that clover road church.

  21. coolio says:

    and its also being reported her “internal bleeding” was a suicide attempt. She allegedly swallowed three X-Acto knife blades….

    Yikes! Yup, guilty, guilty, guilty.

  22. Tammy says:

    I am just wondering where is Sandra’s mom? All I have seen are the Aunt and Uncle. If this was my child I would make that monster have to look at me.

  23. cassee01 says:

    I started reading the eyes for lies blog some time ago and she has a real interesting snippet about the grandfather. As far as I know she’s never been wrong, but I haven’t been completely thorough in checking that. Anyways, thought you might want to check it out. She got a bad rap from some in the true crime genre some time back, but I have found the site to be very interesting and thought provoking.

  24. My opinion says:

    also, the time line stinks here, she kidnaps her, molests, rapes, and kills her in an hour? An hour? Even if she did stash her precious little body under the church, these are crimes that take time, an hour is nothing. And these crimes take privacy, so you take a little girl to a church where Gramps or creepy caretaker guy could walk in at any time? Something’s so wrong…..

  25. Brenda in Virginia says:

    Dear mbarnard, maybe tears of saddness over being caught???

  26. dddeerma says:

    It was an interesting speculation that antidepressants had been recently given to MH. It has been my observation for many years that when SSRI style antidepressants are started or the dosage changed, the patient quite often has episodes of rage and anger, often expressed physically. That said, nobody thinks to molest a child and use a sharp object to rape without more serious problems than a medication reaction. What on earth is going on here?

  27. Brenda in Virginia says:

    Marseven..I read a report there were no “visible” signs of injury on the body, so Sandra wasn’t run over. My guesses are this:

    A) killed by accidental overdose

    B) killed during the sexual abuse

    C) killed in order to be silenced after the fact

    I too feel MH was probably a victim of child abuse herself. Fact she appears to have performed this act in the church tells me the abuse stems from a church member/authority in the church itself.

    As for the neighbor (Williams) who seems to know alot about that suitcase, maybe just from the park gossip/talk? I am sure if in my neighborhood we’d all be sluthing about it, would anyone?

    Casey Anthony seems to have acted alone other than the fact her family knows she’s guilty and does nothing for their granddaughter’s justice. Equally possible MH did do this alone. Rape is truly a hate crime/crime of anger and rage turned towards an innocent individual. Even more true of adult victims of child molestation.

  28. Brenda in Virginia says:

    You know? Could she have had the suitcase in her trunk as Casey hid Caylee’s body in her vehicle? Difference is MH probably only hid Sandra’s body a couple hours or so. My gut says Sandra’s remains were in the retention pond by the time she was reported missing.

  29. marykay says:

    Blink, I was just wondering why CPS hasn’t stepped in to question the daughter (Madison)? I am sure they could get a lot of information from the child. Obviously the grandmother took the child away because she knew something was going to happen the Mother. JMO.

    As Sgt. Sheneman asked the public to come forward if there kids spent time with Huckaby, I will assume that is either been done or is in the process. I only know that LE was in contact with Brian and Judy Lawless, and I have to believe they have interviewed the child
    B

  30. Brenda in Virginia says:

    dddeerma,

    You wrote: That said, nobody thinks to molest a child and use a sharp object to rape without more serious problems than a medication reaction.

    *******

    Where did you hear MH used a sharp object on Sandra? Would certainly help understand what killed the child. Since MH is already known to inflict INTERNAL injuries on herself (last time swallowing razor blades), does make sense in a morbid way she’d do same to Sandra, or whoever her victim would have been!

  31. Red Ranger says:

    Hey Blink, A couple of things. Her adrenaline level had to be pretty high. Is it also possible that the bag floated a few minutes while air escaped, allowing prevailing winds to bring it to center?

    I am also not sure if she is Sybil-like. Didn’t she pass psyche evaluations in the last 6-7 months already? My knowledge is limited now so I would agree that she is emotionally immature for a 28 y/o. She also obviously has anger issues. Her basic decision making skills are flawed based on her continual cheesy theft incidents. If a suicide attempt was made last week, she was obviously not getting the care she needed. If she was, Sandra would be alive today.

    Don’t take me wrong, none of this excuses her actions. If she confessed and LE knows the whole story I am for treating her like a sh*it house rat or rabid dog. Euthanization would protect other littles from her. I have never thought being a viable candidate for the mayor of Rancho de Haha was an excuse for commiting a crime. And the whole theory that peds can be cured is as crazy as a football bat. But I digress…

    Do you think we are more prone to give her grandma a beatdown for bad behavior due to the actions of the grandma from Orlando? The truth for her is rare as rocking horse crap. Okay, I’ll stop now but I would like more information. If you speculate, I may question it. If you say it is fact, backed from an un-named source, I will consider it gospel. Fair ’nuff?

    I heart-heart Red Ranger.
    I am not holding anything back from sources right now, I did hold back the rape/molestation until the DA spoke, but I was not going to be the one to put that out with no verification the parents had been told already. This is not “that” site. You may be right about the floatation of the suitcase, but there is zero chance she swam out with it. I need to know who was at the Church with her that day. Sh*t House rat again? Did I give you one finally?
    Football bat. You kill me.
    B

  32. Blue_Bird says:

    If it turns out that Melissa was sexually abused by someone in her family, those who knew about the abuse, and who stayed silent and did nothing to help her or to stop the abuse, should be tried in this case as well. After watching the footage yesterday, of Melissa’s court case, it is apparent that there is something else going on. I think we all agree on that. She was either working with a child porn ring for quick cash or people in her family are involved, or both. And she just happened to get caught. I don’t believe she’s innocent, but I do believe her actions yesterday prove that she’s not a sociopath that did this without a conscience or was capable of doing this by herself.

    I really hope they find all the people involved in the death of Sandra, as well as those who have preyed (or will prey) upon innocent children. Hopefully the arrest of Melissa is just the first of many arrests to come.

  33. R.L Haley says:

    I dont believe she did this alone,this could get even more gross and evil

  34. NoseyRosey says:

    I’m just not buying all of this. I think it is very strange that the (Huckaby)Family’s first response is to run to the media and tell all that Melissa was a good mother. Does anyone know what a “good mother” is anymore. It seems as though people who’s daughters murder children somehow believe their daughter is a “good mother”.Is this some type of code words for ‘we knew all along she was sick, but we didn’t want to acknowledge it because of what people may think?’ I mean come on- I want to know what is really going on here. Melissa doesn’t look any where close to sane and I’m pretty sure her family knows WHY. I think we need to put the Huckaby family and the Anthony family through some severe counseling and teach them the REAL meaning of a “GOOD MOTHER”!

  35. Marie says:

    I think Melissa started talking about the suitcase and the note because she wanted the truth to come out. And why else would she go the police station and start talking without requesting a lawyer be present first. I’m sure at least for her benefit her family would of at least advised her not to talk to LE without one present but she declined feeling that she needed to get this all out. We know she must be still talking if her home and church were searched again. I think there is more to come and that she will tell it all.

  36. dddeerma says:

    Brenda: I am sorry I let my emotions speculate without any evidence at all. Careless writing and I am very sorry. I don’t know MH looks sane or not, but she looks scared. More scared than sorry.

  37. lucky says:

    What many people are not realizing (may be a blessing) is that the “irrigation” pond does not hold clean, clear water.

    It can be thicker and murkier as it is waste water from the cow corrals. There is a separation process, but it does not take out all the manure. Depending on how much is “separated” out, the water coulf be almost “quick sand-ish”, if you will, at times. Since I don’t know physics, I can’t speculate how this consistency would differ from a “normal” body of water – but the dynamics and result of tossing in a bag would have a effect on the floatation aspect.

    I’ve always thought whoever put that bag in the pond, knew the consistency and did this on purpose (as opposed to putting the bag in the nearby river), not realizing it would be drained.

  38. Annals says:

    Blink; Cybel is denial’s daughter. I have worked with adult female victims of childhood incest. A very small percentage of them have fragmented personallities. Their abusers hide their deeds cunningly. But through the years their mothers glimpse what is occurring. The male abusers react with indignant rage when questioned by their wives. The wives back down from the questioning; but not only out of fear; pride is a huge factor in the way these wives operate. They deny, deny, deny. And they lend a hand in insuring that the abuse remains hidden by supressing their OWN knowledge. They concurrantly supress the child victims, often subtilely.

    I have seen matricharchs in incestually abusive families turn smartly on their proud heels and march off if the abuse of their children at the hands of their husbands becomes public. They are OK with the status quo as long as the terrible secrets remain within the sick family. I will be watching the Huckabee women with interest.

    Most of these abused girls do NOT grow up to become sexual abusers, but some do. Those who become abusers themselves, do it in tandem with male abusers. However, I personally know one adult female victim of childhood incest who, acting alone, has sexually abused other females. She was stopped just short of child abuse by her female partner and has been in intensive therapy since. This abuser has a fragmented personallity with numerous personas. Through therapy she has acheived significant merger within the personallity. This is not a publicly known case, as none of her adult victims have ever pressed charges and initial intervention took place well over a decade ago. Interestingly, her father/abuser was a Mennanite minister and a cult abuser.

    Having said all that, I am not ready to jump to the conclusion that Melissa Huckabee has a fragmented personallity. It just doesn’t look like that to me currently. She appears to me more like a tandem actor, in general.

  39. Disgusted says:

    Whether or not Melissa is guitly remains to be seen, but I am so tired of these sick individuals that hurt children. You can’t even let your kid out of the house for fear that something tragic is going to happen. Us as taxpayers pay millions of dollars to protect these sick people (food, clothes, shelter, and attorney’s fees) and our money does little to protect our children which are the most important. Our hard earned money should go to more patrol cars and programs for our kids, instead of these sick people regardless of who they are. I really don’t care of the excuse of these people, their mental state, or their childhood issues. Innocent children do not deserve to suffer at the hands of these people. We all have issues get help or get over it!

  40. Denise says:

    Hey Blink,

    If MH swallowed razor blades or exacto blades wouldn’t she have needed surgery to remove them? Wasn’t she released from the hospital pretty quickly? No time for surgery, was there? Just wondering.

    Thanks!!

    It depends where they were when they found them. If early, endoscopic means would take care of it. If not, she would have needed surgery. I am surmising that was not the case because had it been, when she was taken into custody she would have been in the infrimiry.
    B

  41. Callit says:

    Marseven wrote:

    You know it’s entirely possible that she accidentally killed this little girl backing out of the driveway or something like that. She also may have used some sort of object postmortem to make it look like a man committed the crime. We do not know the details and all of this sex-porn-abuse-ring talk is really creepy and reminds me of the McMartin crap in the 80’s. Let’s get the facts before we call everyone in town a pedophile.

    Excellent thinking! This did not cross my mind. I may not believe it, but it’s some great thinking nonetheless.

  42. miss t. fyed says:

    There is no doubt in my mind that MH was seriously abused as a child, including sexual abuse – study after study shows that prisons are full of people who commit violent crimes and were abused as children. No excuses. And it is clear from the court video, MH is a basketcase if I ever saw one. I agree with the consensus that others are involved and I am particularly curious about the prior investigation regarding the child taken to the park at night a month or so ago. Is there anymore info on that?

    BTW I just started reading this site about a week ago – and it is one of the best.

  43. coolio says:

    To offer some thoughts on posts. I wouldn’t put too much weight on fact she passed previous psych exams. Rather, place the weight on fact they were even done in the first place.

    They were only looking to see if she was mentally competent to stand trial for a PETTY theft claim. Like someone else said, fact this was done for stealing something from Target is pretty unusual. Something was going on there.

    I don’t pretend to know what exact standard is for CA, but it would be something along the lines of did she know right from wrong, understand it was not hers, had to pay for it, etc. Even if voices told her to steal, experts are going to have to find she was completely nuts before they would say she did not understand. Think how hard it was for Andrea Yates to use this defense.

    We are only seeing her now after she has been caught. I’m guessing before she appeared more like other offenders or Sybil’s mom. For the most part, they appear “normal.” Its the ol’ you never know what goes on behind closed doors…

    MH womanhandling the suitcase: I still don’t see much of an issue here. Yes, wheels so could have transported either carrying or pulling. People seem to have more of a concern about how it got in the water. Does anyone know how far out it was? I know farmhands dragged it to the edge. This ditch was not that deep. She could have waded out there with it. Did church have a shower where she showered afterwards?

    Timing: Remember Sandra was gone from something like 3 or 4 until she was officially reported missing at 8. Hardly doubt Grandma timed her so was she possibly just generalizing when she said was gone “an hour.” Could also be saying this to protect her. Also has it been established Grandma was home that entire time – or awake for that matter?

    MH admitted she asked Sandra’s sister Miranda to watch Madison while she left for awhile. That makes me wonder. Why didn’t Grandma watch Madison?

    Someone else mentioned this and I will agree they have a valid point. If more were involved, is it possible they took Madison from MH to keep her quiet? She was whisked away day after Sandra died. And then MH couldn’t handle guilt and attempted the suicide?

    But, the idea she is still keeping quiet as there was threat Madison would meet the same fate if she told, doesn’t work as well. IF this were true and MH told authorities, you would have to believe social services would take the child into protective custody asap. But, I realize MH is not exactly thinking clearly these days…..

    So very sad… And I will also admit, it was hard to watch her in court. Something is so off with her…

  44. julie says:

    The San Francisco website KPIX announced she did swallow razor blades and that is why she was in the hospital, appparent suicide attempt. You think if she had “drugs” in her possesion which folks presume that she used on the “children” she would have just taken thoses instead? weird!

  45. julie says:

    This is the quote,
    Melissa Huckaby was hospitalized after swallowing three X-Acto knife blades in the days before her arrest.

  46. Angela says:

    I agree with guesses that MH hid the body or body-in-suitcase somewhere. I also believe that someone ELSE actually brought the suitcase and flung it in the pond.
    Also, after seeing MH’s demeanor yesterday, I thought back to the note that FW allegedly dropped off at the memorial site (wasn’t there a video capture of this?) – the one telling “Sandra’s killer” that they would be forgiven. Does anyone else think that that might have been written to suggest to MH that she needn’t feel guilty in other words: don’t spill the beans, don’t confess???

  47. My opinion says:

    I just read Fox news reporting she was found WEARING the same outfit she left home in….. so she was dressed post rape, by who?

  48. Brenda in Virginia says:

    Dear My Opinion…if I’m not mistaken, whoever molested and killed Jon Bonnet Ramsey also redressed her….

  49. miss t. fyed says:

    With possibly three suicide attempts and judging by her demeanor in court – MH is seriously mentally ill – but that doesn’t mean she meets the legal definition of insanity. The suitcase issue doesn’t bother me – however the fact that her own child was taken five hours away to stay with MH’s mother the day after Sandra came up missing is very odd. It is also odd that the five year old did not play outside with other children. I also cannot let go of the previous investiagtion of a child taken to the park by her who was found to have narcotics in her system. Does any one know more about that – is it fact or rumor? You know I keep going between the kiddie porn ring theory or she simply acted alone as a seriously deranged person. Either way it is horrifying – but at least if she acted alone – no other children will suffer at her hands.

  50. Deenie says:

    Blink first things First – You Rock.

    I have been following since the day, Sandra Cantu was reported missing. I have so many thoughts in my head right now ..after watching the Video of Melissa Huckaby.
    Thoughts are just popping off the top of my head so bear with me. They may not be in order of sequence either .. like I said my brain is going faster than I can type.
    1. The phone call – MH called LE was her intent to sway the LE away from her Grandparents.She wanted to keep Pastor Lawless and Connie Lawless out of the spotlight.
    2. The Suitcase. There is huge contradiction in her Story’s of the Suitcase.
    This is March 27th the Day Sandra Cantu reported Missing – Said to be Turned away from Lawless Home by MH. Stated by MH she left the Suitcase in the drive way and it was filled with Decorations for the church. She goes inside due to she forgets her cell phone and keys.. uses a spare key for her Vehicle and drives away without suitcase. Connie Lawless finds keys/cell. All BUNK. I can only say this for myself. If I lost my Keys and was on a mission to go somewhere I would not be able to leave. Because I have no clue where my spare key is for my car, that and IF I had a place that I to go for a REASON as she claims she was going for One reason – to take the decorations to the Church. The Suitcase would have been next to her Vehicle, to be placed inside her SUV – yet claims she left for the church without the suitcase. My question is – Was Sandra inside the Suitcase at that time? Alive yet maybe drugged inside that suitcase. That someone else came and picked it up and took it inside their vehicle. Connie Lawless was in the Home at the same time. We know that Madison was not there. Connie Lawless is Key in all of this.
    Now all of this about MH going to the Hospital for Internal Bleeding .. while Sandra Cantu was missing. This comes in later in my post. Again pls bear with me. Comes out in the findings that Sandra had been raped with a foreign object – before or after she passed we do not know.
    This is what I think after watching the emotions ON Melissa Huckaby’s Face in the Court room – She cries and sobs as if she is Recalling when certain words are being said. This is what I think. What she is recalling I think is not only she herself has been raped in her past. I think she is recalling the Rape of Sandra Cantu because she WITNESSED it .. she I believe in my Heart of Hearts did not Rape nor Murder Sandra.

    She did However LURE and possibly Drug Sandra and Stuff her into the Suitcase. She Melissa did not Kill nor Rape Sandra Cantu. She sacrificed Herself up to LE and is taking all of the Blame to protect her Grandparents and or someone else who is the Kingpin of child porn ring.
    Fred Williams maybe .. I don’t know. Maybe MH was to receive $$$ to provide Sandra to this Group of Monsters. She was the least likely person EVER to be involved with Sandra’s disappearance. But she screwed up and she said things to LE that put her in the Hot Seat which then led to her Arrest. And NO One is going to come and rescue MH because ..she has a past of being a lost, broken, screwed up young woman. The Big Picture in my Mind.
    Melissa is part of this, and guilty of many things .. But SHE did not Kill nor Rape Sandra.
    That’s my Gut. She was part of the kidnapping, she lured Sandra, she may have drugged her, She hid her in the Suitcase – Someone else took over ..Raped/Killed Sandra ..and MH knew all of it because she was there as a witness and maybe even participated and was herself victimized with the same foreign object to make a Snuff film or who knows.Which caused her internal bleeding. For $$$ and because she is part of something that WE cannot ourselves conceive. I believe that this is so much Bigger than MH than we can ever imagine. She is hiding information, covering up for others, that is why she now claims innocence.
    Because She did not rape nor kill Sandra – Yet she is guilty for luring, kidnapping, maybe drugging Sandra ..And this all revolves around Her Family and those who say they in their circle. She MH never thought that she would be Charged with Sandra’s Rape/Murder.. why because initially she would have been the most unlikely to be looked into. Then her conscience came into play and she started talking and why was that??? To protect her Grandparents and keep them away from LE.
    I pray for Sandra and Her family – that all of this comes out. Its just my opinion what I wrote above. But I feel it is so much bigger than MH.
    Justice for Sandra

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