Posted on 03/20/2005 7:36:50 PM PST by 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.
Disgusting.
If I were the father, I don't believe I could have shown as much control of my rage as Mark Lunsford has.
It's a shame that we can't understand or appreicate that God's ways allow us to be more than automatons.
I agree. These sick f***s need to have a GPS receiver implanted right into the side of their heads. A nice big one from Radio Shack with a 12 volt dry cell attached. That way we can easily identify them when we see them on the streets.
I'm with you.
Too many uninvolved people are too ready to dispense "forgiveness".
Put the Rev in the cell next to the perp.
I think the whole world is losing its mind. Last night I was watching FOX at my parents and Rita Cosby was speaking to the BTK killer's pastor. Rita actually said it must be so sad for BTK not to have been visited by his family. I thought she might tell the pastor to send BTK her love. It seems like the sympathy in these cases is a little misplaced to say the least.
Yes...
and Ol' Sparky could use some exercise....
Oh Reverand, you don't always understand the Lord's ways? I'm sorry, but I don't think the Lord had anything to do with this one. Don't take the blame away from the perpetrator of this act and put it on the Lord's shoulders. I can just see the Big Guy's reaction to that statement: "What? How did I get involved in this? You leave Me out of this one. This sickness is a human condition."
Put him in general population first, inmates have children too!!
May his new husband, Bubba, find enjoyment in this savage's pain.
Question: How in the hell was this animal allowed to escape jail for his former crimes?
Yes, good point! We would have to rely on another "human" to monitor the GPS receiver so for extra security we need to be able to identify these criminals easily.
After the shooting in the courthouse in Georgia where they actually had cameras in the room, but no one was watching the monitor, it became apparent to me that human error and poor judgement is always going to be a serious problem implementing any sort of monitoring of criminals.
No, give him to a platoon of female soldiers first.
That would be too quick.....
He's have the embarassment of females taking care of him, it'd be quicker than our judicial system, which I'm all for.
Can't remember the last time justice was swift and severe.
They should do to this piece of garbage what they did to that Iranian who likke those kids. Public flogging followed by hanging...
I don't know why but this little girl's situation effected me more than any other pedophile crime that's made the news. She just struck me as a child with a beautiful soul and spirit and I was hoping against hope that she would be found alive....
I can't imagine what kind of life this foul slime-ball Couey has led that turned him into such a soul-less, evil, digusting child destroyer but as a society we have to take back the justice system from the ACLU and their criminal codlling cohorts.
We know that these serial sexual criminals can't be cured and they will submit to their sick impulses over and over again. Yet we continue to treat them as ordinary criminals rather than the pathological scum they really are. This guy was brought up on 24 burglary charges which I understand is the typical plea-down from attempted rape.
What needs to be done is (a) castration - surgical or medically implanted, and (b)tracking with a surgically implanted device. If the perp refuses to undergo these procedure, he stays in jail - period. Murdering a child during a sex-crime should be an AUTOMATIC capital offense - no mitigating circumstances.
Even reading this, I find it difficult to accept or believe.
I just can't understand how in the world he was able to get into the house, find her room, and remove her from the house without anyone hearing anything. And he did this high on drugs?
It's very difficult for me to understand how this all happened.
Even reading this, I find it difficult to accept or believe.
I just can't understand how in the world he was able to get into the house, find her room, and remove her from the house without anyone hearing anything. And he did this high on drugs?
It's very difficult for me to understand how this all happened.
My family and I left a church because the preacher asked us, during one of his sermons , to forgive a cold-blooded murderer (and didn't even MENTION the two innocent victims) in our community . And what this Couey scumbag did was 100 times worse, considering it was a child he terrorized and murdered.
God may forgive the child-molesting murdering scumbag, but don't dare ask me to, IDIOT preacher. I say FRIE the bastard and let him rot in hell.
Thank you for posting this. People need to be reminded again and maybe this time they will come together to do what needs to be done to prevent this tragedy from being repeated yet again and again. I think these criminals need to be kept track of every minute of every day. I heard one person on t.v. suggest GPS tracking. Jessica's family needs our continued prayers. :(
Many criminals never commit another crime after being arrested, they learn from the experience, on the other hand some people are just not safe to be allowed to roam around, the implant I have in mind would not require tracking. We could all go spit on the grave.
Jack
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