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[Facts given]

Huckaby pleads not guilty

Jun 12, 2009

Melissa Huckaby, the single mom suspected of murdering 8-year-old Tracy girl Sandra Cantu, pleaded not guilty today to the charges.
The 28-year-old Tracy woman denied all enhancements of rape, kidnapping and lewd and lascivious acts on a child. It was her fourth court appearance since her April 10 arrest.

Huckaby’s plea came after prosecutors asked Lofthus to move the case along and pressure Huckaby’s lawyer to enter a plea rather than be granted more time to review evidence.

San Joaquin County Superior Court Judge Linda Lofthus set the preliminary hearing date for Sept. 24.


http://www.tracypress.com/pages/ful...get=push&instance=home_news_lead_story&open=&

 

[arielilane]

CONFIRM PRELIMINARY HEARING SET ON 09/08/2009 AT 9:00 A.M. IN STOCKTON SUPERIOR COURT, DEPT. 36.

DEFENDANT ORDERED TO APPEAR ON 09/24/2009 AT 9:00 A.M. IN STOCKTON SUPERIOR COURT, DEPT. 36 FOR PREMIMINARY HEARING.

People v Huckaby 06-12-09 Minute Order Filed 06-12-09

http://www.stocktoncourt.org/courts/media_notice.htm

 

[chicoliving]

There is a new tribute to honor Sandra Cantu, the 8-year-old girl who was kidnapped and murdered earlier this year in Tracy.

City leaders and Sandra's family planted a tree in her name today.

The little girl's favorite color was pink, so a pink Crepe Myrtle was chosen. A plaque beneath the tree reads "In Remembrance of Sandra Cantu".

http://cbs13.com/local/sandra.cantu.tree.2.1058110.html

 

[mollymil23]

http://www.recordnet.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20090703/A_NEWS02/907030333/-1/A_SPECIAL0263

"
By Scott Smith
Record Staff Writer
July 03, 2009 6:00 AM
STOCKTON - A secret grand jury is expected to convene this month to decide if Tracy's Melissa Huckaby should stand trial in open court on charges she kidnapped, raped and murdered 8-year-old Sandra Cantu, sources said.

~snip~

The grand jury proceeding would take the place of Huckaby's preliminary hearing set for Sept. 24. It also threatens to keep from the public key facts of the case - such as Huckaby's alleged motive and how Sandra was killed - until the jury trial."

 

[Angel Who Cares]

Huckaby Murder Case Goes To Grand Jury
Posted: Saturday, 04 July 2009 11:54AM
<snipped>
Beginning later this month, a grand jury is expected to convene to decide if Melissa Huckaby should stand trial for the kidnapping, rape, and murder of 8-year-old Sandra Cantu.
The proceeding will last about two weeks and take the place of Huckaby's preliminary hearing.

"The prosecution wants to go grand jury on this case because it preserves the testimony without making the testimony public. They can put on all of their evidence and the devastating impact of that evidence won't make its way into the public until the time of trial. This may save the prosecution from saving a change of venue motion," said Steven Clark, a former prosecutor who has been following the case.

Clark says the grand jury proceeding could speed up the entire process, meaning Melissa Huckaby could go to trial in as little as 6-months.

Article:
http://www.kcbs.com/Huckaby-Trial-Goes-To-Grand-Jury/4735463

 

[Angel Who Cares]

Grand jury to decide if Huckaby will stand trial for Sandra Cantu murder
July 3, 5:43 PM
<snipped>
Beginning July 20, a secret grand jury is expected to convene to decide if Melissa Huckaby should stand trial for the kidnapping, rape, and murder of 8-year-old Sandra Cantu.

The proceeding will last about two weeks and take the place of Huckaby&#8217;s preliminary hearing scheduled for Sept. 24.

According to The Record, this would keep key facts of the case from the public until the accused murderer&#8217;s jury trial. Such facts may include Huckaby&#8217;s motive for the murder and exactly how Sandra was killed.

Article:
http://www.examiner.com/x-1168-Crim...kaby-will-stand-trial-for-Sandra-Cantu-murder

 

[Angel Who Cares]

News report says grand jury will convene in Huckaby case
Jul 07, 2009
<snipped>
A grand jury will on July 20 begin hearing testimony and evidence against a Tracy woman accused of murdering 8-year-old Sandra Cantu, according to the Stockton Record.

A gag order prevents anyone with ties to the case from talking about it to the media. So no one contacted by the Tracy Press would confirm the Record&#8217;s story &#8212; published on July 2 &#8212; reporting that witnesses have been subpoenaed and that grand jury proceedings are scheduled to begin later this month.

San Joaquin County Superior Court spokeswoman Stephanie Bohrer said she wasn&#8217;t aware that a grand jury would convene in connection with the case against 28-year-old Melissa Huckaby, who&#8217;s accused of kidnapping, raping and murdering Sandra. She said that even if she did know, she wouldn&#8217;t be able to talk about it because of the gag order.

Indictments handed down by a grand jury are normally made public after the fact, along with transcripts of witness testimony, unless the presiding judge seals them.

Article:
http://www.tracypress.com/pages/ful...in+Huckaby+case&instance=home_news_lead_story

 

[Angel Who Cares]

Sandra Cantu case could go before grand jury, according to media reports
Posted: 07/06/2009 04:08:35 PM PDT
Updated: 07/07/2009 06:39:27 AM PDT
<snipped>
Stephanie Bohrer, spokeswoman for San Joaquin Superior Court, said she's received several calls from the media about the rumored proceedings but couldn't confirm whether or not they were to begin.

"How can I confirm it?," Bohrer said. "First, I'm not privy to that information and second, it's supposed to be secret."

Grand jury indictments are generally made available to the public once they're issued, but if the court's track record on the Cantu case and several others is any indication, the indictment could end up being sealed.

San Joaquin Superior Court Judge Linda Loftus, who's presiding over the case, has already sealed motions filed by attorneys as well as Cantu's autopsy report.

Loftus could also seal the witness testimony contained in the grand jury transcripts, which are supposed to be made public 10 days after defense attorneys have received copies of them.

If the case is heard by a grand jury, it's the fourth high-profile case out of Tracy to go that route this year. Prosecutors have already received grand jury indictments on four people charged with torturing a teenager in Tracy for more than a year; a former Tracy cosmetic surgeon charged with molesting dozens of his patients; and a former substitute teacher who police say maliciously stroked the hair of several grade-school students.

Grand jury proceedings in San Joaquin County are infrequent but not unheard of, said William J. Murray, the presiding judge of San Joaquin County Superior Court. Since the court lacks resources &#8212; such as courtrooms, staff and funding &#8212; he prefers prosecutors take cases to a grand jury because it eliminates the need for preliminary hearings, thus freeing up trial judges.

Article:
http://www.mercurynews.com/breakingnews/ci_12763825

 

[Angel Who Cares]

Ex gets custody of child of woman accused in girl's rape, killing
Mother of former O.C. resident Melissa Huckaby fought to keep the couple's daughter.
Tuesday, July 7, 2009
<snipped>
Johnny Huckaby and grandmother Judy Lawless of Cypress settled a custody fight over 5-year-old Madison Huckaby on Monday &#8211; the same day that a court hearing was scheduled on the matter in Orange County Superior Court in Orange. Lawless, Melissa Huckaby's mother, is allowed visitation of her grandmother.

As part of the agreement, Lawless is forbidden from allowing Madison to have contact with her mother, court records state.

In court papers, Lawless stated that the father had no contact with Madison for about four years, while Johnny Huckaby contended that he was denied access to his daughter. Johnny Huckaby was granted temporary custody of Madison in late April, when Madison moved to Arkansas, where he lives.

"(Johnny Huckaby) anticipates that (Melissa Huckaby) will likely never be released," wrote attorney Ann Thompson.

Court papers state that Lawless failed to show that it would be detrimental for Madison to stay with her father.

"Madison is doing exceptionally well in her father's custody," Thompson said.

Lawless was given the right to a week of visitation this summer and a month in future summers. During winter break, Lawless can see her granddaughter for a week after Christmas.

Article:
http://www.ocregister.com/articles/huckaby-madison-lawless-2486242-court-melissa

 

[Angel Who Cares]

Huckaby's ex given custody of daughter
July 08, 2009 6:00 AM
<snipped>
The court awarded Johnny Huckaby temporary custody of his daughter in April. But Judy Lawless pleaded with the court to let her keep the child.

In court papers, Judy Lawless said Madison had lived with her most of her life and had little contact with her father, who has since remarried and lives 1,700 miles away, just outside Little Rock, Ark.

Johnny Huckaby argued that his ex-wife had denied his attempts to contact their daughter. He also said that, when he was awarded temporary custody, Judy Lawless tried to conceal Madison's whereabouts.

Before the arrest, Madison was living with her mother and Melissa Huckaby's grandparents, Lane and Connie Lawless, a few doors from Sandra's family in the trailer park.

Judy Lawless is the daughter-in-law of Lane and Connie Lawless.

Lane Lawless is pastor of the tiny Clover Road Baptist Church, where Melissa Huckaby taught Sunday school.

Article:
http://www.recordnet.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20090708/A_NEWS/907080329/-1/NEWSMAP

 

[Angel Who Cares]

Melissa Huckaby's Ex-Husband Wins Custody Battle
Jul 8, 2009 6:34 am US/Pacific
<snipped>
The ex-husband of the woman accused of kidnapping and killing Sandra Cantu has won custody of the couple's own daughter.

Melissa Huckaby's ex-husband has won custody of their 5-year-old daughter.

25-year-old Johnny Huckaby has been granted custody of their daughter, Madison.

Court records show that Melissa's mother, Judy Lawless, will be allowed to visit the girl, but cannot allow her contact with her mother.

Article:
http://cbs13.com/local/huckaby.custody.battle.2.1076759.html
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
SLIDESHOW: The Disappearance And Murder Of Sandra Cantu
A frantic 10 day search ended in tragedy when Sandra Cantu was found dead in a Tracy irrigation pond. We've collected some of the images of the twists, turns, and heartbreak that the case brought to our attention.
http://cbs13.com/slideshows/The.Disappearance.And.20.978184.html
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
View Full Coverage Of The Sandra Cantu Case:
http://cbs13.com/sandracantu

 

[Angel Who Cares]

News report says grand jury will convene in Huckaby case
Jul 07, 2009
<snipped>
A grand jury will on July 20 begin hearing testimony and evidence against a Tracy woman accused of murdering 8-year-old Sandra Cantu, according to the Stockton Record.

A gag order prevents anyone with ties to the case from talking about it to the media. So no one contacted by the Tracy Press would confirm the Record&#8217;s story &#8212; published on July 2 &#8212; reporting that witnesses have been subpoenaed and that grand jury proceedings are scheduled to begin later this month.

San Joaquin County Superior Court spokeswoman Stephanie Bohrer said she wasn&#8217;t aware that a grand jury would convene in connection with the case against 28-year-old Melissa Huckaby, who&#8217;s accused of kidnapping, raping and murdering Sandra. She said that even if she did know, she wouldn&#8217;t be able to talk about it because of the gag order.

Indictments handed down by a grand jury are normally made public after the fact, along with transcripts of witness testimony, unless the presiding judge seals them.

Article:
http://www.tracypress.com/pages/ful...ase &id=2896296&instance=home_news_lead_story
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Grand jury may get Cantu case
Huckaby trial decision could be decided in secret
July 03, 2009 6:00 AM
<snipped>
The grand jury is scheduled to meet for two weeks beginning July 20.

A judge's gag order prevents attorneys, investigators and potential witnesses from talking about the case. A veil of secrecy regarding grand jury hearings further prevents them from discussing the scheduled proceeding.

The Record confirmed through multiple sources that prosecutors have sent out subpoenas for witnesses to appear in San Joaquin County Superior Court.

There are significant differences between preliminary and grand jury hearings.

In the preliminary hearing, San Joaquin County Superior Court Judge Linda Lofthus would hear attorneys cross-examine witnesses in open court to decide if there is enough evidence to make Huckaby stand trial before a jury.

In a grand jury hearing, by contrast, prosecutors call witnesses to testify before a panel of citizens behind closed doors. The defense is not allowed inside to cross-examine witnesses. At the end, jurors decide if the defendant should stand trial in open court.

If the grand jury indicts Huckaby, Lofthus will then decide if transcripts of the grand jury hearing will be made public. Lofthus has consistently sealed court papers in Huckaby's case, including reports of the autopsy performed on Sandra.

Article:
http://t.love.com/228691151

 

[Angel Who Cares]

Father gets custody of Melissa Huckaby's daughter
Jul 08, 2009
<snipped>
Johnny Huckaby reached a settlement with his former mother-in-law, Judy Lawless, which allows her to visit 5-year-old Madison Huckaby as long as the little girl has no contact with her mother, according to papers filed in Orange County Superior Court.

Melissa Huckaby has been held in solitary confinement in the San Joaquin County Jail since her April 10 arrest. Johnny Huckaby lives in Arkansas and Lawlesses in the Southern California city of Cypress.

A hearing brief filed Monday by Johnny Huckaby&#8217;s attorney says Madison has been &#8220;flourishing&#8221; under her father&#8217;s care. The couple married in 2004 and divorced in 2005.

The brief says Judy Lawless has been unable to prove that it would be detrimental to the girl&#8217;s well-being to be in her father&#8217;s custody.

&#8220;Madison has been doing exceptionally well in her father&#8217;s custody,&#8221; wrote Johnny Huckaby&#8217;s attorney, Ann Thompson, in the brief.

Article:
http://www.tracypress.com/pages/ful...Huckaby-s+daughter&instance=home_news_bullets

 

[Angel Who Cares]

Charge for Forensic Tests Could Hinder Local Law Enforcement
July 10, 2009
<snipped>
Counties and cities could be forced to shoulder the cost of forensic tests under the current budget proposal to save the state as much as $20 million by charging for analysis of everything from fingerprint to DNA evidence.

The proposal would require the Department of Justice (DOJ), which handles some 50,000 pieces of evidence a year, to charge police and sheriff departments across the state for routine tests previously conducted free of charge.

The bill to local governments was scaled back from the $40 million originally estimated to pay for all services, but would still be a hit to departments already reeling from budget cuts, said Elizabeth Howard, legislative representative for California State Association of Counties.

Howard pointed out that the bill contains some hardship provisions for detectives working on a large case that could require extensive CSI-style work.

One such evidence-intensive case was the investigation into the disappearance of Sandra Cantu in Tracy last March. The eight-year-old&#8217;s body was found in a suitcase in an irrigation pond. The FBI led the investigation that resulted in the arrest of a neighboring Sunday school teacher.

&#8220;In that case, the FBI and DOJ paid for extensive DNA testing through a mutual aid agreement,&#8221; said Tracy Police Department Administrative Lieutenant David Sant.

Article:
http://www.publicceo.com/index.php?...catid=152:crime-publicceo-exclusive&Itemid=54

 

[Angel Who Cares]

UPDATED: Melissa Huckaby's ex granted custody of daughter
Posted: 07/09/2009 04:54:20 PM PDT
Updated: 07/10/2009 06:24:02 AM PDT
<snipped>
After a contentious exchange of court filings, full custody of Melissa Huckaby's 5-year-old daughter was granted to the child's father, John Huckaby, 25, following a hearing Monday in Orange County Superior Court.

Judge Michael J. Naughton ordered the child &#8212; who has been living with her father in Arkansas since late April &#8212; not to have any contact with her mother, who is being held in San Joaquin County Jail in connection with the kidnapping and death of 8-year-old Sandra Cantu.

Court records show a copy of the order was mailed to Melissa Huckaby in jail, where, at one point, she was under 24-hour observation. Because of a gag order, parties involved in the case aren't allowed to comment,

"Ms. Lawless knew that I was out of the state and that I would likely not be able to return to Orange County to attend the ex parte hearing as noticed," John Huckaby wrote in court documents. "This is blatant bad faith on the part of Ms. Lawless."

In court documents filed April 22, Lawless contends she has become the "psychological parent" of the minor child and has had significant custodial periods with her since she was born.

"It is a great injustice for our granddaughter to be placed with the father that she does not know and has had no contact with for the last four years," Lawless wrote.

According to the Stockton Record, a criminal grand jury will begin hearing evidence against Huckaby later this month.

Article:
http://www.mercurynews.com/breakingnews/ci_12804305

 

[Angel Who Cares]

FilAm groups partner for child protection
First Posted 18:07:00 07/12/2009
<snipped>
CALIFORNIA, United States&#8212;When Rudy Asercion joined a San Francisco non-profit organization that provides youth and community programs for Filipino Americans he wanted to know who live in the area.

He was shocked to see 200 registered sex offenders reside within a one-mile radius after typing West Bay&#8217;s Pilipino Multi-Service zip code on an online sex offender database.

That and the kidnap, rape, and murder of eight-year-old Sandra Cantu of Tracy, California last March prompted the community advocate to launch a safety campaign educating and protecting children.

Asercion was thus encouraged to spearhead the first ever &#8220;Taking Action to Prevent Crimes Against Children&#8221; forum at West Bay&#8217;s office.

About 20 local children and parents attended the workshop-seminar where a dozen Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) and San Francisco police personnel introduced the National Child Identification Program which includes inkless finger printing, DNA mouth swab, a child&#8217;s physical description, photo card, and medical and dental records.

Currently, there are 122 registered sex offenders in West Bay&#8217;s South of Market neighborhood, according to the family watchdog. More than 420 reside in San Francisco.

Article:
http://globalnation.inquirer.net/fe...092/FilAm-groups-partner-for-child-protection

 

[mollymil23]

http://www.recordnet.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20090714/A_NEWS/907140320

~snipped~
By Scott Smith
Record Staff Writer
July 14, 2009 6:00 AM

Officers set up wiretaps in their investigation of 8-year-old Sandra Cantu's death, according to a required-by-law notification letter the San Joaquin County District Attorney's Office sent to The Record informing the newspaper that its calls were among those monitored.

Connie Lawless, the grandmother of Melissa Huckaby, who is accused of killing Sandra, said she and about five people she knows received a similar letter. Lawless said it was unnerving to learn that her calls may have been recorded.

"Anything that comes to us from, like the DA's office, it automatically is upsetting," Lawless said. "We never know what shoe's going to drop."

She said the monitoring worried her, because members of the congregation her husband leads could have had their confidential conversations recorded. Lane Lawless is pastor of Clover Road Baptist Church in Tracy. Several church members confirmed that they also got the letter about wiretapping, she said.

"We have learned through this that at any moment any one of us can be swept up in this," Connie Lawless said. "It could be you, me or anyone."

She added that investigators resorted to the phone taps because they are "really scraping the bottom of the barrel for evidence" against her granddaughter. Lawless said she has yet to hear of any solid evidence in the case against Huckaby.


more at link above...

 

[Angel Who Cares]

Wiretaps used in Sandra Cantu murder investigation
July 14, 7:49 PM
<snipped>
Authorities sent out letters to those who may have been recorded. The Stockton Record received a letter on Tuesday from the San Joaquin County District Attorney&#8217;s office telling them that their calls were some of those wiretapped.

The two numbers that were actually being monitored were suspect Melissa Huckaby&#8217;s cell phone and the phone of her grandparents, with whom she lived.

Huckaby&#8217;s grandmother, Connie Lawless said that she and a number of members of her church, where her husband is pastor, also received letters informing them of the wiretap.

According to the letter, calls were taped form April 8, two days after Sandra&#8217;s body was found, and continued until April 13.

Article:
http://www.examiner.com/x-1168-Crim...aps-used-in-Sandra-Cantu-murder-investigation

 

[Angel Who Cares]

Tracy Press phone call to Huckaby recorded
Jul 16, 2009
<snipped>
The San Joaquin County District Attorney&#8217;s Office said today a 40-minute phone call between the alleged killer of 8-year-old Sandra Cantu and a Tracy Press reporter was secretly recorded during a wiretap.

Huckaby was arrested on the night of April 10 on suspicion of killing Sandra, just hours after the Press published a story in which Huckaby told reporter Jennifer Wadsworth in a 40-minute phone call that the suitcase in which Sandra&#8217;s body was found might have been the same one Huckaby said she reported stolen when Sandra disappeared March 27.

Police said the next day there were inconsistencies in what Huckaby told Wadsworth and what she told police investigators.

District Attorney spokesman Robert Himelblau said today that phone call was recorded, and that it was an oversight that the Tracy Press never received a letter telling the paper so, as required by law. Himelblau said his office also failed to notify one other person of a recorded phone call, but did not identify who that was.

Prosecutors are expected to convene a criminal grand jury, possibly next week, in an effort to obtain an indictment against Huckaby, 28. A gag order prevents witnesses and other involved from discussing anything about the case.

Article:
http://www.tracypress.com/pages/ful...o+Huckaby+recorded&instance=home_news_bullets

 

[Angel Who Cares]

Huckaby grand jury proceedings begin (9:56 a.m.)
July 20, 2009 12:56 PM
<snipped>
A secret grand jury began meeting today to hear evidence in the case of Tracy&#8217;s Melissa Huckaby, the Sunday school teacher accused in the kidnapping, rape and murder of 8-year-old Sandra Cantu.

The hearing is scheduled to last two weeks. In the end, the grand jury will decide if Huckaby, 28, should stand trial on the charges in open court.

Authorities have acknowledged that they used wiretaps in their investigation that culminated in Huckaby&#8217;s arrest following an emotional interview with Tracy Police.

Huckaby&#8217;s case was set for a September preliminary hearing in open court. The grand jury hearing will take the place of the preliminary hearing. It also keeps key details of the case &#8211; Sandra&#8217;s cause of death and Huckaby&#8217;s alleged motive &#8211; from the public.

Legal experts have suggested that prosecutors opted for a secret grand jury to quiet the public interest in an attempt to avoid a change of venue.

Article:
http://www.recordnet.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20090720/A_NEWS/90720005/-1/rss01