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Tracy, CA– This morning, Melissa Huckaby, facing the death penalty in the sexual assault and murder of 8 year old Sandra Cantu, has plead guilty to one of those charges in exchange for a life sentence.
Huckaby is due back in court for formal sentencing on June 14.
Check back to blinkoncrime for further developments.
In honor of this Fridays premier of the film, The Lovely Bones; a screenplay adaptation of the New York Times Bestselling novel by Alice Sebold, I bring you an interview with it’s deceased heroine.
Fictional fourteen year old rape and murder victim, Suzie Salmon, spoke fictionally to blinkoncrime about her break out role:
“I would rather be attending my High School with Ruth and Ray, but Holly and I have infinity edition Cosmopolitan here..”
With regard to it’s subject matter, this is the single most emotion invoking book I have ever read. I am not talking about the many publications that I have devoured that have shaped my Blink Gumbie.
I am talking about my awakening as a new Mother, to the atrocities that I needed to protect my children from.
I had no idea.
I used Deft, had plastic thingies in all my outlets, an alarm system and obnoxious monitors in the nursery. I was good to go.
Right?
I read THE LOVELY BONES over a snowed-in weekend when it was released in 2002.
The effects of the jolt to my rural ignorance remain.
The story about the rape and murder of Suzie, and her subsequent observations of her afterlife and “realtime” observation of her families despondency in dealing with her loss, is, raw. Raw-est.
Luckily, and that is no play on words for Ms. Sebolds freshman offering of “Lucky”; her first novel in which she recounts her own sexual assault, is “raw– lite” in it’s movie form in comparison.
Peter Jackson, the films director, chose in the novels adaptation to exclude the specifics, or overt references to Ms. Salmon’s actual fate.
While I struggle with the comforting, lingering angst that perhaps allows me to suggest in some fictional way it did not happen; I think it blurs the message of the young lady who ultimately wanted to be called Susan.
Non-spoiler alert: That pedophile builds an underground hut to murder a child. She was too polite to refuse the adult who wanted to show her “his work.” She is not his first, or last victim.
They never are. The neighbors dog found Suzies elbow.
Although I think the film is brilliantly cast, I am not thrilled from an awareness perspective that the truth about Suzie’s demise is glossed over.
That said, I think there is enough hype surrounding this work that the message will get out to the same demographic it has now insured a ticket.
The fact is, over the last year I have covered true crime, I am sad to say I have many Suzie Salmons in our collective pocket.
Our Suzies to date, who are the reason I am doing this article, below:
Haleigh Cummings
Sunny Sandra Cantu
Nevaeh Buchanan
Sarah Foxwell
Somer Thompson
..” There was nothing anyone could have done. Nobody knew he was evil and would hurt young girls..”
-Suzie as conveyed to Blink
Everyone says that. In Suzie’s case, I would agree the resources may not have been available. For that, I will direct you to my editors choice reading selections:
The Gift of Fear… by Gavin DeBecker
Protecting The Gift.. by Gavin DeBecker
The Looking Glass ..The Lovely Bones Set, and donations to NCMEC !
In this limited edition boxed set, The Lovely Bones appears for the first time with a special companion volume, Looking Glass. This unique work integrates images of missing children with the opening chapters of The Lovely Bones, providing a powerful visual experience and honoring the thousands of children who go missing every year. Many of these children are recovered quickly, but others are still out there waiting, and the search continues. Alice Sebold is proud to support the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children, an organization working to prevent child abductions, find missing children, and ultimately to bring them home.
A dedication: To Ken Lanning. The dedication you have shown in your career to our children is unprecedented. I am not sure I will ever publish our interview, I will however use the knowledge as best I can.
My profound thanks for your time and observance. That was the most haunting and enlightening time I have ever spent personally or professionally.
Resources for Parents to be better informed of your childs’ neighborhood:
Dru Sjodin National Sex Offender Registry
Suzie-
I pray every time it will be the last for these babies. Anything you could do would be huge.
BREAKING NEWS
Tracy, CA– In a case that has baffled some of the most prestigious clinical minds and profiling experts in the country, blinkoncrime.com has uncovered the latest bombshell in the background of Melissa Huckaby.
Huckaby’s five year old daughter, currently the subject of a brutal child custody dispute between her Father, Johnny Huckaby, and her maternal grandmother, Judy Lawless, is NOT an only child.
A source within the Lawless Church Community who has known the Lawless’s for over 40 years has confirmed Melissa Huckaby has a toddler son; also in the custodial care of Judy Purks Lawless. As he is a minor, and given the nature of the crimes his mother is currently charged with, we will not be releasing his identity or exact age. He is not the child of Johnny Huckaby, the tot Mom’s former husband.
Tracy, CA– Late yesterday afternoon, Prosecutors filed 3 new charges against Melissa Huckaby. On the eve of her hearing today to file her plea on the current charges for the rape, molestation and Murder of 8 year old Tracy resident Sandra Cantu.
Huckaby will now be facing additional charges of a single count of child endangerment, and 2 felony counts of furnishing a harmful substance although the substance in question is not identified.
In an earlier report on blinkoncrime.com, the Mother of the 7 year old girl, named as Jane Doe in the charges, specified that benzoiates were found in her daughters system after she was taken from the Orchard Estates Mobile Home Park without permission, and returned several hours later after being located by police.
In both counts of alleged poisoning, the complaint says Huckaby “did willfully and unlawfully mingle a harmful substance with food or drink with the intent that (it) be taken by a human being.”
The identity of the second victim named in the charges is Daniel Plowman. It is alleged Mr. Plowman was drugged by Huckaby in March 2009.
Blinkoncrime has learned that Plowman was arrested on March 3, 2009 for using or being under the influence of a controlled substance. It is not known if this Daniel J. Plowman is related to a D. Jonathan Plowman, age 62, who is listed as an absconded registered sex offender on the Megan’s Law Sex Offender Registry.
Daniel’s myspace can be found here.
It is also unknown if the new changes will affect the defense strategy for Public Defender Sam Behar during the hearing today at 1PM PST.
Check back to blinkoncrime.com for breaking developments on this story
Tracy, CA– The Dairy Worker who attempted to retrieve the remains of 8 year old Sandra Cantu, Jose Luis Franco, has been rewarded.
In a last minute decision to not appear publicly, and a in a private ceremony Thursday morning, Franco was presented with ,643 in reward money for reporting seeing a large black suitcase floating in a dairy farm irrigation ponds where he is employed, on April 6.
On Wednesday Tracy police issued a press release inviting the media to a public ceremony to honor Franco while he received his reward, but he apparently changed his mind on Thursday morning and opted for a private ceremony.
“He’s an average individual that doesn’t want the spotlight,” said Webb. “He’s very concerned about how this could affect him and his family.”
Police Sgt. Tony Sheneman said during the press conference that “cases involving missing children are very difficult and never easy to solve.”
The reward was presented on behalf of the Carrington/Sund Foundation.
Scott Webb, executive of the Carrington/Sund Foundation:
“He still came forward and did not hesitate,” said Scott Webb, executive director of the Carole Sund/Carrington Foundation, which publicizes missing persons cases and provides support for the families of missing people. “This signifies how a case can change based on one person’s information — one man’s decision to make the right choice brought closure to a grieving family.”
BREAKING NEWS
Folsom, CA– As Melissa Huckaby awaits her arraignment in court this afternoon in San Joaquin County, Blinkoncrime.com has discovered the arrest last week of Timothy John Lawless, a relative to Huckaby and the Lawless family. Folsom Police Department verified this afternoon Lawless was arrested on April 15.
Timothy Lawless was arrested on THE EXACT SAME SEX CHARGE AS Huckaby. Lawless is in custody at the Sacramento County Jail under a $1Million Bond, charged with 10 counts of lewd and lacivious acts on a child under 14.
288. (a) Any person who willfully and lewdly commits any lewd or
lascivious act, including any of the acts constituting other crimes
provided for in Part 1, upon or with the body, or any part or member
thereof, of a child who is under the age of 14 years, with the intent
of arousing, appealing to, or gratifying the lust, passions, or
sexual desires of that person or the child, is guilty of a felony and
shall be punished by imprisonment in the state prison for three,
six, or eight years.
Lawless is also charged with rape with a foreign instrument, but formal charges have not been formalized by the DA. Lawless’s next appearance in court is scheduled for May 14, 2009.
