Rape And Molestation Charges Filed

[Columbo]

I find this scary, that people won't believe the facts, and that LE has done a great job in finding the right perp. What scares me is that if the jury is of a stubborn mindset that refuses to believe a woman can do this, justice will not be served. Some of the comments were very good.

http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/n/a/2009/04/18/state/n114107D97.DTL&feed=rss.bayarea

Public skeptical that woman killed, raped girl

By MARCUS WOHLSEN and JULIANA BARBASSA, Associated Press Writers
Saturday, April 18, 2009

(04-18) 11:41 PDT Tracy, Calif. (AP) --
Callers have inundated the phone lines of Tracy police, saying it can't be. Veteran homicide and sex-crime researchers say they cannot recall a case quite like it. Even the investigators themselves looked at the evidence and initially said "no way."



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A woman was accused not only of killing someone else's child, but of raping her
Law enforcement officials and other experts say the allegations against Melissa Huckaby in the slaying of 8-year-old Sandra Cantu are remarkably rare over decades of U.S. police work.
Huckaby was charged Tuesday with murdering her daughter's playmate, with the added special circumstances of rape with a foreign object, lewd or lascivious conduct with a child under 14 and murder in the course of a kidnapping. The 28-year-old divorced mother is due back in court Friday, when she is expected to enter a plea.
Sandra's body was found on April 6 — 10 days after she went missing. It was stuffed in a suitcase that was pulled from an irrigation pond near Tracy, a small town where San Francisco's suburbs meet California's farm belt.
Tracy police Sgt. Tony Sheneman said dozens of callers a day have insisted that Huckaby could not have acted alone, that no mother would rape another's child, that the scenario was too improbable to be true. The case is so striking that police initially shared the public's reaction.
The investigators themselves, when first confronted with the evidence that pointed to Huckaby, were inclined to look for another suspect.

Associated Press Writer Evelyn Nieves contributed to this report.




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[Kat]

Thanks for posting this columbo, it looks like the general public in Tracy is having a hard time accepting that this suspect commited this crime on her own.

I did at first. So I do understand.

 

[Columbo]

Thanks for posting this columbo, it looks like the general public in Tracy is having a hard time accepting that this suspect commited this crime on her own.

I did at first. So I do understand.

You're welcome, Kat.

 

[panthera]

Thanks for posting this. I saw it over at msnbc.com also, and I admit I was at first skeptical, but I also trust LE and if they do not believe others were involved I will accept it. Now my only concern will be the jury and what they believe. They may have to believe it though without ever knowing what the motive was. MOO

 

[txsvicki]

After LE having enough evidence and making the arrest, I've had no doubt who did it, but have wondered if it wasn't due to pedophile sexual reasons but something very diabolical and calculating to try and make it look like a man was running around harming children in her trailer park. Melissa does seem to try and make herself look like a victim with husbands and other accusations.

 

[Columbo]

After LE having enough evidence and making the arrest, I've had no doubt who did it, but have wondered if it wasn't due to pedophile sexual reasons but something very diabolical and calculating to try and make it look like a man was running around harming children in her trailer park. Melissa does seem to try and make herself look like a victim with husbands and other accusations.

Interesting idea...she is definitely diabolical, no matter what.

 

[Columbo]

Thanks for posting this. I saw it over at msnbc.com also, and I admit I was at first skeptical, but I also trust LE and if they do not believe others were involved I will accept it. Now my only concern will be the jury and what they believe. They may have to believe it though without ever knowing what the motive was. MOO

I'm worried about the jury, too, panthera. The defense may have a way of picking out people with fixed ideas, who refuse to accept that there is an aberration like Melissa's behavior--I hope not. Maybe I am underestimating people.

 

[nursebeeme]

"When investigators were first looking at this they went 'Huh, no way... Who did she work with?'" Sheneman said. "We got that info and said 'there's no way, that doesn't happen.'"

"After this case, I'll never say never again," Sheneman said, adding that police remain confident that Huckaby acted alone.

http://www.tracypress.com/pages/full_story?page_label=home&id=2345986-Public+skeptical+that+woman+killed-+raped+girl&article-Public%20skeptical%20that%20woman%20killed-%20raped%20girl%20=&widget=push&instance=home_news_bullets&open=&

I found what Sheneman had to say very interesting..... I still have lots of "what?"s running thru my head that she did this alone. It sure seems, up to now, to be the case. (Pass the duct tape... I need to wrap my head on this one.)

 

[nursebeeme]

I'm worried about the jury, too, panthera. The defense may have a way of picking out people with fixed ideas, who refuse to accept that there is an aberration like Melissa's behavior--I hope not. Maybe I am underestimating people.

I am worried too! And thank you for starting this thread, Columbo! The quote that I just posted above from Sheneman surly hints at the fact that they tried twenty ways to Sunday to figure out WHO was working with her and when all the facts pointed at her alone they still couldn't believe it. Seems to me that those cops must have had pretty good evidence pointing toward Huckaby alone to believe it themselves. If the evidence is that convincing I think it would convince a jury (nurse prays!)

 

[panthera]

After LE having enough evidence and making the arrest, I've had no doubt who did it, but have wondered if it wasn't due to pedophile sexual reasons but something very diabolical and calculating to try and make it look like a man was running around harming children in her trailer park. Melissa does seem to try and make herself look like a victim with husbands and other accusations.

At the moment, I too am thinking this might be what happened. The primary idea could've been to murder Sandra (for whatever reason, I won't guess) but then to cover it up with the sexual assault to make it look like a male SO did it, in a cruel and sadistic way to instill fear in everyone that their child could be next. MOO

 

[panthera]

I'm worried about the jury, too, panthera. The defense may have a way of picking out people with fixed ideas, who refuse to accept that there is an aberration like Melissa's behavior--I hope not. Maybe I am underestimating people.

And the State has their preemptive challenges they can use to disqualify as many of these types of people as possible. MOO

 

[Salem]

I think if the evidence is good the jury will find her guilty. I am waiting to see what happens now that MH has an attorney. I am still not convinced she worked alone - however, I am not convinced that she didn't either. I'm sitting high on the fence

I'm still thinking there was some filming going on. Until LE says there was NO evidence of filming, I'm still thinking that was the motive.

Salem

 

[MCDRAW]

I think if the evidence is good the jury will find her guilty. I am waiting to see what happens now that MH has an attorney. I am still not convinced she worked alone - however, I am not convinced that she didn't either. I'm sitting high on the fence

I'm still thinking there was some filming going on. Until LE says there was NO evidence of filming, I'm still thinking that was the motive.

Salem

I am with you on the fence sitting. If it turns out filming was the motive than I definitely believe that someone else was involved. But I know the evidence is pointing to her and her alone right now.

 

[Columbo]

I am worried too! And thank you for starting this thread, Columbo! The quote that I just posted above from Sheneman surly hints at the fact that they tried twenty ways to Sunday to figure out WHO was working with her and when all the facts pointed at her alone they still couldn't believe it. Seems to me that those cops must have had pretty good evidence pointing toward Huckaby alone to believe it themselves. If the evidence is that convincing I think it would convince a jury (nurse prays!)

You're welcome, nursebeeme!
I am sure that she did this alone. I think she would have ratted out any accomplices by now, if she had had any.

 

[oceanblueeyes]

You're welcome, nursebeeme!
I am sure that she did this alone. I think she would have ratted out any accomplices by now, if she had had any.

I do too Columbo. Melissa seems to relish in trying to present herself as being a victim so I am sure if someone else was involved she would have sung like a canary blaming them instead of herself for these crimes.

If this case goes to trial I think they will find a jury that will be willing to hear the evidence and base their decisions on that. I think this case will be a wake up call and more and more people will realize that females can be and probably are, sexual predators, much more often than we suspected.

imo

 

[Columbo]

And the State has their preemptive challenges they can use to disqualify as many of these types of people as possible. MOO

Thank you for that!!! Gotta stay positive....

 

[nursebeeme]

does anyone else remember back in the day when knives at school were the deadly weapon? Than time passed and some kind of line was crossed and it became guns.

This case disturbs me deeply on many levels... but the level which disturbs me deepest is that this case has crossed a similar sort of societal line. I pray that it hasn't but I cannot quite shake that feeling.....

 

[warbuckle]

This is unbelievable. I am always catching slack because I am one of the very rare posters who actually believe KC should not get the DP. I am usually always defending people with the law, but MH no way. I 100% believe she killed Sandra. I am not 100% sure she raped her but just need more evidence about the timing or if the object was found?

 

[yosande]

I find this scary, that people won't believe the facts, and that LE has done a great job in finding the right perp. What scares me is that if the jury is of a stubborn mindset that refuses to believe a woman can do this, justice will not be served. Some of the comments were very good.

http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/n/a/2009/04/18/state/n114107D97.DTL&feed=rss.bayarea

Public skeptical that woman killed, raped girl

By MARCUS WOHLSEN and JULIANA BARBASSA, Associated Press Writers
Saturday, April 18, 2009

(04-18) 11:41 PDT Tracy, Calif. (AP) --
Callers have inundated the phone lines of Tracy police, saying it can't be. Veteran homicide and sex-crime researchers say they cannot recall a case quite like it. Even the investigators themselves looked at the evidence and initially said "no way."



Images

View Larger Images

Video

View Larger Size

• Aryan Nations recruiting again in northern Idaho 04.18.09

A woman was accused not only of killing someone else's child, but of raping her
Law enforcement officials and other experts say the allegations against Melissa Huckaby in the slaying of 8-year-old Sandra Cantu are remarkably rare over decades of U.S. police work.
Huckaby was charged Tuesday with murdering her daughter's playmate, with the added special circumstances of rape with a foreign object, lewd or lascivious conduct with a child under 14 and murder in the course of a kidnapping. The 28-year-old divorced mother is due back in court Friday, when she is expected to enter a plea.
Sandra's body was found on April 6 — 10 days after she went missing. It was stuffed in a suitcase that was pulled from an irrigation pond near Tracy, a small town where San Francisco's suburbs meet California's farm belt.
Tracy police Sgt. Tony Sheneman said dozens of callers a day have insisted that Huckaby could not have acted alone, that no mother would rape another's child, that the scenario was too improbable to be true. The case is so striking that police initially shared the public's reaction.
The investigators themselves, when first confronted with the evidence that pointed to Huckaby, were inclined to look for another suspect.
"When investigators were first looking at this they went 'Huh, no way... Who did she work with?'" Sheneman said. "We got that info and said 'there's no way, that doesn't happen.'"
"After this case, I'll never say never again," Sheneman said, adding that police remain confident that Huckaby acted alone.
Department of Justice data on U.S. homicides dating back more than 30 years highlight the unusual nature of this crime, said James Fox, a criminologist at Northeastern University.
Of the more than 600,000 cases recorded — more than 90 percent of U.S. homicides since 1976 — only one comes close to the alleged circumstances of Sandra's killing, said Fox. The data did not include names and some other details; the Associated Press was unable to locate the case.
Researchers say the Huckaby case does not match the typical profile of sex crimes by females.
Women represent only 1 percent of all adult arrests for forcible rape and 6 percent of all adult arrests for other sex offenses, according to a Department of Justice report.
When they do commit sex crimes, women often are acting as accomplices to men, and their victims tend to be teenagers, said David Finkelhor, director of the University of New Hampshire Crimes against Children Research Center.
"It's very, very rare for women to molest children, and when they molest children it's very unusual for them to molest a child of this age," Finkelhor said. "It's unusual for women to kill children who are not their own."
Police have declined to publicly state where and how Sandra was killed, but they have said they do not have a motive.
"I find it really hard to speculate on the motivation," Finkelhor said.
Court documents and interviews with family members show Huckaby had a rocky personal life. She went through a divorce and bankruptcy and fought depression as she tried to hold down a job and raise a child.
In 2002, she won a restraining order against a boyfriend who had an extensive criminal record and a restraining order from a previous marriage, according to San Joaquin County court records.
She married John Huckaby in 2003, separated a year later and divorced in 2005. In divorce papers, Melissa Huckaby accused John Huckaby of child abduction, domestic violence and alcohol abuse — allegations he denied in an interview with ABC's "Good Morning America" on Friday.
Records show she was arrested in November and charged with burglary and petty theft from a store. The judge suspended the case and appointed a doctor to assess Huckaby's mental health. She was found competent to stand trial. In a deal with prosecutors, she pleaded no contest in January to the petty theft charge and the burglary charge was dropped.
Huckaby's attorneys could use the sheer statistical improbability of the murder case to cast doubt on the allegations, regardless of the evidence, legal experts said.
"Instinctively it doesn't feel like a good fit," said William Portanova, a Sacramento defense lawyer and a former state and federal prosecutor.
"It's an extraordinarily rare circumstance to have an adult female commit a sexual assault and murder on a female child alone," Portanova said. "So right off the bat, any attorney is going to be looking to disprove that theory."
___
Associated Press Writer Evelyn Nieves contributed to this report.




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I'm glad I'm not the only one who finds this too bizarre to believe. I hope they have enough evidence and I hope they are looking further, like to FW. moo

 

[scandi]

I found this a poignant read today, including the Comments that follow her article:

Do Women Rape?
THE DAILY BEAST
Marcia Clark

http://www.thedailybeast.com/blogs-and-stories/2009-04-16/huckabys-crazy-defense/

" . . . . “If you pitched me this story I’d throw you out,” a top producer who worked on a crime drama series tells me. “It’s too far out to be believable, even for television.”