Details Revealed of Florida Girl's Attack

AP ^ | 3/20/05 | MIKE BRANOM

[TexKat]

HOMOSASSA, Fla. - A convicted sex offender entered Jessica Lunsford's house through an unlocked door, snatched the 9-year-old girl from her bed and later sexually assaulted her, authorities said Sunday.

Medical examiners confirmed the sexual assault by examining her body. But because suspect John Evander Couey was under the influence of drugs, detectives might never know how long she was held before she was slain, Citrus County Sheriff Jeff Dawsy said.

The sheriff released new details of the attack on the same day Couey was returned to Florida in shackles. He was booked early Sunday on a probation violation and failure to register as a sex offender. He was being held without bail.

Couey, 46, confessed to kidnapping and killing Jessica after taking a lie-detector test Friday in Georgia, officials said. The girl's body was found early Saturday, more than three weeks after she vanished from her bedroom.

Jessica's father, in an emotional statement, expressed a desire to mete out justice of his own.

"I won't get the wish, but I wish I could see him, just one time," said Mark Lunsford, his eyes hidden by dark sunglasses.

Lunsford said he and his relatives would soon begin planning Jessica's funeral.

Couey had not been charged in her death, although that was expected soon.

"If he's not charged today, he probably will be tomorrow," sheriff's spokeswoman Ronda Hemminger Evan told The Associated Press. "It shouldn't take that long."

At Jessica's church on Sunday, the pastor asked for prayers for the Lunsfords.

"Lord, we don't always understand your ways," the Rev. William LaVerle Coats told 175 grieving people during services at Faith Baptist Church, where many people saw the girl for the last time on the night she disappeared. "We accept what has taken place here, and ask that you would give us some peace."

Coats asked churchgoers to forgive Couey. Jessica's father said he may have a hard time with that request. "He needs to stand up and be a man now and take his death penalty," Mark Lunsford said.

Earlier, Couey appeared before Circuit Judge Stephen Spivey at the Citrus County Detention Center. He was declared indigent and was told a public defender would be assigned to his case.

He answered that he was doing "all right," when the judge asked how he was. Couey answered all other questions with either "Yes, sir" or "No, sir" replies.

At the end of the hearing, Spivey wished the man luck. "Thank you," Couey said softly, before turning and shuffling away, his shackles clanging together.

Couey was returned to Florida in an unmarked sheriff's vehicle, wearing a bulletproof vest and under the cloak of darkness.

He was being held in isolation at the jail for his safety, Hemminger Evan said. As a precaution, the timing of his arrival from Georgia was kept secret, although the sheriff's office was not aware of any threats against Couey.

Down the street from the Lunsford home and the church, well-wishers piled dozens of stuffed animals, flowers and candles high on a makeshift memorial. "God's newest little angel," one sign read.

Jessica, a third grader, was last seen in February when she went to bed after attending church. She was discovered missing the next morning.

Her body was found near a mobile home where Couey had been staying at the time of the abduction about 150 yards from Jessica's house.

Couey's half-sister and two others who lived in the home were charged with obstructing police for failing to notify authorities when Couey allegedly told them he had committed a crime.

[TexKat]

I for one am ready to join any group of Americans to achieve this. Any takers?

Here!!!

This really has gotten to be too much.

[BonneBlue]

WHY????? Why is it our responsibility to have to research into something that is at best....... incomplete! Is it not the job of our legal system to insure that a convicted pervert is incarcerated and once convicted, put to death, where he or she can never do the deed again!

I agree however our system is flawed. If you want to depend on our flawed system to protect your children, that is your choice. My community is involved right now in a fight against a sex predator group home. They want to build this home near a little league field, soccer field and a secluded wooded walking trail and homes. Because we have a flawed system we as parents must be as vigilant as possible. Know where they are in your community. Let your children know. In the meantime we need to fight for tougher laws and make our voices heard.

[TexKat]

JESSICA PETITION - CHILD PROTECTION AMENDMENT - Florida Residents (and all interested parties)

[NilesJo]

All GPS does is help the cops find him after the fact. NO!!!!

Note that I said castration "and" an implanted tracking device. I wasn't proposing to rely on GPS alone, its just for keeping tabs on the neutered slimeball.

[TexKat]

Convicted sex offender John Couey sits in the Citrus County Florida Detention Center March 22, 2005 waiting to appear before Judge Mark Yerman for arraignment for the murder of 9-year-old Jessica Lunsford. Couey was charged with capitol murder, kidnapping, battery, and sexual battery on a child under 12 years old. (AP Photo/Phil Sandlin )

Bail Denied for Suspect in Girl's Death

By MIKE SCHNEIDER, Associated Press Writer

LECANTO, Fla. - The man accused of kidnapping, sexually assaulting and killing 9-year-old Jessica Marie Lunsford was denied bail Tuesday on murder and other charges, beginning a legal process that the girl's father wants to see end with a death sentence.

John Evander Couey, 46, a convicted sex offender who sheriff's officers say confessed to taking Jessica from her home and killing her, had his first court appearance on charges of capital murder, battery, kidnapping and sexual battery on a child under the age of 12.

"This is an infamous case here," Citrus County Judge Mark Yerman told Couey during the brief hearing. "The acts you are accused of and the crimes you confessed to are really beyond words."

The shackled defendant, looking tired and downtrodden, answered a few questions, telling the judge he needed an attorney and had no assets.

Citrus County Sheriff Jeff Dawsy said he will urge prosecutors to seek the death penalty.

"I just want him to die," Jessica's father, Mark Lunsford, said Monday night on CNN's "Larry King Live."

Couey was arrested last week in Georgia and brought back to Florida and booked Sunday on charges of violating probation and failing to register his change of address as required as a sex offender. The additional charges were filed Monday.

Jessica, a third grader, was last seen the night of Feb. 23 when she went to bed after attending church. Her body was found early Saturday behind a house about 150 yards from her home, more than three weeks after she disappeared from her bedroom.

Medical examiners said she was sexually assaulted and died of asphyxiation. Detectives might never know how long Jessica was held before she was killed since Couey was under the influence of drugs, officials said.

Lunsford said he felt guilty that he was not at home that night. "We have to save our children from people like this," Lunsford said. "It's time to change some of our laws."

Lunsford said he will campaign to get stricter penalties and laws regarding registering sex offenders.

"They should be tagged, they should be branded," Lunsford said of sex offenders.

Gov. Jeb Bush said earlier that he was wary about such proposals. "We should be cautious about doing something that would expand the net so wide as to not accomplish the desired effect and get into a problem," Bush said.

[mystery-ak]

I heard that report last night on Fox...that Jessica may have been alive several days after she was abducted....can you imagine...her knowing that her house was within shouting distance and the whole community was looking for her....that poor baby.

[TexKat]

Slain Girl's Father Seeks Death Penalty

Posted on Tuesday, March 22 @ 10:30:00 PST by Director

INVERNESS, Fla. (AP) - The father of 9-year-old Jessica Marie Lunsford, kidnapped and killed by a man identified as a convicted sex offender, wants the suspect to get the death penalty.

John Evander Couey, 46, was charged with capital murder, battery, kidnapping and sexual battery on a child under the age of 12, according to the Citrus County Sheriff's Office. He was to be arraigned on Tuesday.

"I just want him to die," Jessica's father, Mark Lunsford, said of Couey on CNN's "Larry King Live."

"If you commit a heinous crime against a child you should receive the death penalty," Lunsford said.

Officials said Couey confessed to kidnapping and killing Jessica. Jessica, a third grader, was last seen the night of Feb. 23 when she went to bed after attending church.

Medical examiners said she was sexually assaulted and died of asphyxiation. Jessica's body was found early Saturday behind a house about 150 yards from her home, more than three weeks after she disappeared from her bedroom.

Couey entered the Lunsford house through an unlocked door and later sexually assaulted her, police said. Detectives might never know how long Jessica was held before she was killed since Couey was under the influence of drugs, officials said.

Lunsford, Jessica's father, said he felt guilty that he was not at home that night. "We have to save our children from people like this," Lunsford said. "It's time to change some of our laws."

Lunsford said he will campaign to get stricter penalties and laws regarding registering sex offenders. Lunsford added that not everyone has a computer to look up list of offenders and the lists should be readily available for all to see.

"They should be tagged, they should be branded," Lunsford said of sex offenders.

Gov. Jeb Bush said earlier that he was wary about such proposals. "We should be cautious about doing something that would expand the net so wide as to not accomplish the desired effect and get into a problem," Bush said.

[TexKat]

Looking at the picture of this scum makes me wonder why someone has not already ripped him to shreads.

[mystery-ak]

He's a puny POS...I wouldn't have much trouble whopping his a$$....Im sure LEO's would love to oblige us...sorry they can't.

[CitizenM]

The whole damn world is obsessing on the terry schavoga story, while this precious little thing gets one article in the news. THE WORLD HAS GONE CRAZY!!!!!

I agree completely. Just shows you how much we really care about our children when we let this issue slip out of the top news sight. The Schiavo case is, of course, horribly tragic. But this child never had the chance to grow up, get married, or have someone take up the battle for her. She endured days of terror and fright and she died scared and scarred by this horrid man.

And almost at the moment after it was discovered that she had been murdered, the cameras turned to other events and voyeurestic programming. It is as if they only keep the "excitement" alive, when the victim is alive.

There is an Act now in the House of Representatives (the Senate has passed it) so that these sex criminals' names are maintained on a Federal database, and that mandates other controls be imposed on them. See post: SENATE PASSES NATIONAL SEX OFFENDER REGISTRY LEGISLATION (November 2004)http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1366638/posts

And now, in New Brunswick NJ there is a 14 year old girl (suspectedly sexually assulted) who is being held hostage. See post on FR for this just breaking story. Another poor child!

[paul51]

Coats asked churchgoers to forgive Couey

After he pays

[CitizenM]

Every time I read something about this case my stomach churns. I am going to say something very vulgar: I would just love to be in front of Couey and chuck up a huge mouthful of vomit on him!

Ahem....there I feel much better

[subterfuge]

Kill him.

[subterfuge]

Are you saying that YOU understand God's ways, or are you atheist?

[Lonesome in Massachussets]

I wanna vomit. I am sure that I'm not alone.

[Billthedrill]

So that's the face of evil. It looks it.

[Chena]

ditto.

[RightOnline]

""I won't get the wish, but I wish I could see him, just one time," said Mark Lunsford, his eyes hidden by dark sunglasses."

I hear ya, dad. But I will say this........if that was my little girl, I'd find a way to get to the sumbitch and feed him his spleen.

.....and yes, I'm perfectly serious, consequences be damned. Let's see what a jury of my peers would say....

[Hillarys nightmare]

You have my deepest heart felt apology if it seems that I was attacking you. Of course I agree that we all need to teach our kids about the evil trash that is out there lurking to do them harm, but even that is no guarantee that their knowing about them is going to keep them safe. What happened to Polly Klaus, and Jessica Lunsford was not due to a lack of education, but rather a lack of the Judaical system not doing the job it is supposed to do.I sympathize for you and your neighbor's current battle with the perverts settling into your neighborhood, and find it as disgusting as you do.
However I am astonished and outraged at how easily and legitimately our legal system promotes something so aberrant and unbelievable upon our society, and we are expected to understand and accept it! How is it that we as a nation of mothers, fathers, and grandparents can't say enough is enough to liberal politicians making these laws and demand that this crap be changed!
Decent people united have tremendous strength, and if we would ban together with such a persistent and loud voice these laws would indeed change.
Well I for one am DAMNED TIRED of accepting it. This type of crime is growing because the perverts are embolden. IF what I say is not true, then why on earth is there a NAMBLA group that has a web site operating her in our country and the ACLU is saying they have a RIGHT to exist?Just because Jessica Lundsford and all the other little victims have not been our child, does not mean that we have the luxury of being detached, because one day it may be our child or grandchild that may share the same fate.
Enough is enough. Lets take it to the streets, and all the way to Capitol Hill!