Child killer can be own attorney in California case
INDIO, Calif. (AP) — A Riverside County judge says a man charged with kidnapping, torturing and killing a 10-year-old boy in 1997 can be his own attorney.
The decision allows Joseph Edward Duncan III to make his own decisions in sorting through more than 30,000 pages of evidence.
Duncan told the judge he wants to remain silent in court and doesn't intend to file any motions or plead guilty in the death penalty case.
Duncan is charged with killing Anthony Martinez, who was abducted as he played with his brother near their Beaumont home. The boy's battered, nude body was later found in the desert.
Duncan already has been sentenced to death for murdering an Idaho family of four in 2005. He also represented himself at that trial.
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Information from: The Press-Enterprise
The decision allows Joseph Edward Duncan III to make his own decisions in sorting through more than 30,000 pages of evidence.
Duncan told the judge he wants to remain silent in court and doesn't intend to file any motions or plead guilty in the death penalty case.
Duncan is charged with killing Anthony Martinez, who was abducted as he played with his brother near their Beaumont home. The boy's battered, nude body was later found in the desert.
Duncan already has been sentenced to death for murdering an Idaho family of four in 2005. He also represented himself at that trial.
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Information from: The Press-Enterprise
