JESSICA LUNSFORD - Aged 9 years - Homosassa, Florida (USA)

smokie
Posted: Fri Oct 19, 2007 1:21 pm

JESSICA LUNSFORD - AGED 9 YEARS

This story is quite upsetting but does explain how evil can be evil



Nine-year-old Jessica Lunsford disappeared from her bedroom at her grandparents' home in the middle of the night Feb. 23, 2005. A massive search was launched for the missing girl that drew the attention of national television networks over the following three weeks.

Police found the body of Jessica Lunsford buried in a shallow grave under the back porch of a mobile home less than 150 yards from her home on March 18, 2005, a day after a convicted sex offender told authorities that he had killed the nine-year-old.

http://www.crimelibrary.com/serial_killers/predators/jessica_lunsford/1_index.html

smokie
Posted: Fri Oct 19, 2007 1:22 pm

You Tube

Duration: 4 min 25 sec

Jessica Lunsford: A life taken too soon

A movie dedicated to Jessica with a simple timeline through ...

http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=1-CK-CBX-tU

smokie
Posted: Fri Mar 07, 2008 8:37 am

WWW2

06/03/08

Lunsford's Notice To Sue Brings Call For Shield Law

(snippet)

State Sen. Michael Bennett, R-Bradenton, is pushing for a bill that would keep law enforcement agencies from being sued. Bennett filed his bill after Mark Lunsford filed a notice that he intends to sue the Citrus County Sheriff's Office over the handling of the investigation into the disappearance and death of his 9-year-old daughter, Jessica Marie "Jessie" Lunsford.

http://www2.tbo.com/content/2008/mar/06/me-lunsfords-notice-to-sue-brings-call-for-shield-/

smokie
Posted: Mon Mar 31, 2008 5:19 pm

TampaBay

Monday March 31st

Flawed management plagues Lunsford's foundation

http://www.tampabay.com/news/courts/civil/article435712.ece

hope4maddy
Posted: Mon Mar 31, 2008 6:56 pm

This is really sad. I can't even believe that they are cutting him down by the way he looks. So what if he has tattoos and lives in a trailer with his parents. His daughter went through hell, and he has done all he could do to change the laws. He is doing a great job at it. I feel so bad for what he has gone through. He has taken his cause all over the U.S. to make awareness and tougher sentences. He may not have the experience to run a foundation and this is where he might have fell short, but then someone needs to help him instead of throw stones. He is making changes. GRRR!!! Sorry about the rant, but he has lost his world when he lost his daughter in a such a violent way.

smokie
Posted: Sat Apr 12, 2008 11:34 pm


News 5

Wed 9th April

Man on the run

http://www.wkrg.com/news/article/man_on_the_run/12651/

pam supportfromireland
Posted: Sat Apr 19, 2008 5:13 pm

Tyler Paper.com

19 April 2008

Man wages war against sex offenders

* Article about Jessica's Dad campaign

http://www.tylerpaper.com/article/20080419/NEWS08/804190336

smokie
Posted: Tue Aug 12, 2008 7:47 am

Los Angeles Times

August 11, 2008

Jessica's Law may not be hospitalizing more post-prison sex offenders.

http://www.latimes.com/news/local/la-me-jess11-2008aug11,0,1630191.story

This is some lovely news that brought tears to my eyes.

Jessicas dad is a father again to a little boy. He has kept the little boy away from the spotlight.


Central Florida News 13

12th April 2009

Jessica Lunsford’s Father Reveals He Has A New Child

http://www.cfnews13.com/News/Local/2009/4/12/jessica_lunsfords_father_reveals_he_has_a_new_child.html

wow smokie, that is beautiful news. Amazing on Jessica's birthday too. I hope media respects the family as such a happy time for them no doubt. I too am welling up. Great to read happy news.

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Jessica Lunsford

Jessica Marie Lunsford (October 6, 1995 – February 27, 2005) was a nine-year-old girl who was abducted from her home in Homosassa, Florida in the early morning of February 24, 2005. Believed held captive over the weekend, she was raped and later murdered by 47-year-old John Couey who was living nearby. The media covered the investigation and trial of her killer extensively. On August 24, 2007 a judge in Inverness, Florida sentenced Couey, a convicted sex offender, to death for kidnapping, raping, and murdering Jessica.

Arrest of John Couey

After approximately three weeks of intense searching for Lunsford around the area of her home, John Couey, age 47,[5] was arrested in Savannah, Georgia for an outstanding warrant of cannabis possession, but he was released after questioning because it was only a local warrant. He was later arrested in Augusta, Georgia.

On March 18, 2005, Couey confessed to having kidnapped and murdered Lunsford. On March 19, 2005 police found Lunsford's body buried in a hole, covered with leaves, near a residence on West Sparrow Court.

On March 7, 2007, Couey was found guilty in Florida of all charges in relation to Lunsford's death, including first degree murder, kidnapping, and sexual battery. On March 14, 2007, the jury in Couey's trial recommended the death penalty. Couey's case now is on appeal in the Florida Supreme Court. The constitutionality of admitting evidence collected after the unconstitutional "confession" is expected to be the main issue in the appeal. Couey continues to maintain that he is innocent of the charges.

On August 24, 2007, Couey was sentenced to the death penalty, in addition to 3 consecutive life sentences.

On September 30, 2009, Couey died of anal cancer while in prison on death row before the sentence of the court could be carried out, on August 12, 2009 Couey was transferred from Florida State Prison in Raiford to the Memorial Hospital in Jacksonville, and apparently the cause of his death was multiple organ failure caused by complications from anal cancer.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jessica_Lunsford

On the flix

30 Sep 2009

Jessica Lunsford Murderer Died In A Jacksonville Hospital



The convicted sex offender and murderer of Jessica Lunsford, John Couey died today in a Jacksonville hospital,according to USA Today. He had apparently abducted her from her bedroom back in early 2005, and buried her alive where she died.

John Couey was 51 years old when he died today of natural causes in the state prison system

(continues)

http://ontheflix.com/2009/09/30/jessica-lunsford-murderer-kills-over-in-a-jacksonville-hospital/

CNN News

Wed September 30, 2009

Convicted child killer Couey dies in prison, Florida officials say


John Couey had been sentenced to death for killing 9-year-old Jessica Lunsford in Florida in 2005.

(CNN) -- A Florida death-row inmate convicted of abducting and murdering 9-year-old Jessica Lunsford in 2005 has died, prison officials said Wednesday.

John Evander Couey, 51, died at 11:15 a.m. ET of natural causes, a Florida Department of Corrections spokeswoman told CNN. He had been taken to a Jacksonville, Florida, hospital from Florida State Prison in Starke, Florida.

Because of privacy laws, no further information could be released by the Department of Corrections.

A source close to the case told CNN that Couey's death was not unexpected and he had been ill for some time.

"I never dreamed it would happen like this," Jessica's father, Mark Lunsford, told CNN. He said he never thought he would live long enough to see Couey put to death because of the lengthy appeals process.

He said he was sad when he heard the news of Couey's death. "To me, death is sad," he said. "But her death, Jessie's death, has been redeemed ... I'm relieved. I'm glad it's over with."

Couey was sentenced to die in August 2007 for abducting and raping Lunsford, then killing her by burying her alive. The girl was snatched from her bed in her family's Homosassa, Florida, home the evening of February 23, 2005, by Couey, a registered sex offender. Her body was found three weeks later, buried at the home of Couey's half-sister, who lived within sight of the Lunsford home.

(continues)

http://www.cnn.com/2009/CRIME/09/30/florida.couey.dead/

This case is well and truly concluded.

I will lock this thread now.



RIP Jessica