Joseph Edward Iii Duncan

Serial Killer

Joseph Edward Duncan III

Overview

Joseph Edward Duncan III was an American serial killer, kidnapper, and repeat sex offender whose criminal history stretched across several decades and multiple states. Born on February 25, 1963, Duncan became one of the most notorious child predators in the United States after his arrest in Idaho in 2005 exposed a series of murders, kidnappings, and sexual assaults reaching back to the 1990s. He was ultimately convicted of five murders and confessed to two additional child murders in Washington state for which he was never formally prosecuted. Duncan's most notorious crimes were the May 2005 murders at the Groene family home outside Coeur d'Alene, Idaho. He killed three members of the household, kidnapped two young children, Dylan and Shasta Groene, and took them across state lines into the mountains of Montana. Dylan was later murdered, while Shasta survived and was rescued after being recognized with Duncan at a restaurant in Coeur d'Alene.

Early Criminal History

Duncan displayed violent sexual behavior while still a teenager. In 1980, at age 17, he was arrested in Washington after abducting and sexually assaulting a 14-year-old boy at gunpoint. Duncan was convicted and received a 20-year sentence. Evaluators considered him an exceptionally dangerous sexual offender, and he spent more than fourteen years confined before being released in 1994. His release did not end his criminal behavior. Duncan repeatedly violated parole conditions and later admitted committing murders during periods when he was living outside prison. Investigators eventually discovered that crimes committed in Washington and California during the 1990s closely matched admissions Duncan made after his 2005 arrest. ...

Confirmed Victims: (5)

Brenda Groene Age: (40), Date of Death: 2005-05-16

Survivors:

Shasta Groene Age: (8)

Convicted Child Murderer Joseph Edward Duncan