Shasta Groene endured the tragic loss of her entire family to a se*ual predator who subsequently a*ducted and se*ually a*saulted her and her brother for a harrowing 47 days. At the time of the heinous crimes, Shasta, an 8-year-old girl, lived with her mother, Brenda, her stepfather, Mark, and her two brothers, 13-year-old Slade Groene and 9-year-old Dylan Groene. Prior to the abhorrent incident, the family seemed to lead a typical, uneventful life until the predator began st*lking them.
The horrifying ordeal unfolded on May 16, 2005, when Joseph Duncan, 42 years old, forcibly entered their home, wielding a revolver and a hammer. He coerced the adults in the house, Brenda and Mark, into gathering the entire family in one room. Shasta, abruptly awakened by her mother, was taken to the same room along with her family members. Duncan swiftly bound them to prevent any resistance. In a terrifying, unprovoked act, he callously shot Brenda, Mark, and Slade in front of Shasta and Dylan. Following the gru*some m*rders, he a*ducted the two children and fled to Montana.
Joseph Duncan secluded himself in an off-grid camp, devoid of electricity, approximately 155 miles (250 km) away from the Groene family home. This marked the horrific commencement of the 47-day captivity during which Shasta and her brother suffered repeated se*ual ab*se, had scanty meals, and were forced to sleep in their abductor’s car.
On May 17, a neighbor, growing concerned about the family’s disappearance, entered the Groene residence. Upon discovering the open door and the grisly scene inside, the police were alerted, leading to a nationwide Amber Alert being issued. An Amber Alert is a child ab*uction alert system that seeks public assistance in locating abducted children.
During their captivity, Joseph Duncan provided the children with only canned fruit to eat, and Shasta recounted being tied to a tree for two days at one point. Tragically, one morning, he duped the children into thinking they were going home and then shot Dylan, first in the stomach and then fatally in the head. Shasta was coerced into moving her brother’s lifeless body and setting it ablaze, leaving her traumatized and temporarily unable to speak.
Shasta’s kidn*pper instilled profound fear in her, moving their camp every few days to prevent contact with others. She felt powerless to seek help and eventually complied with her captor’s demands, even coming to believe Dylan’s d*ath was accidental, as he claimed. In a chilling moment, Joseph offered Shasta a choice between a shot to the head or d*ath by asphyxiation. She, haunted by her brother’s m*rder, chose suffocation. As Joseph went in search of a rope, he found himself unable to go through with the act, as Shasta had referred to him by her childhood nickname, Jet.
On that fateful day, Joseph offered to introduce Shasta to his mother, and they left their camp together. Their stop at a gas station along the way was captured by the convenience store’s CCTV.
On June 2, Shasta and Joseph had lunch at a roadside restaurant, with Amber Alerts spreading posters and billboards featuring Shasta and Dylan’s images throughout the region. Outside the restaurant, Shasta bravely made eye contact with two men who recognized her, prompting them to alert the restaurant staff.
Upon the police’s arrival, Joseph realized his capture was imminent and did not resist. Authorities questioned Shasta about her identity, and she, initially afraid of her kidn*pper’s reaction, eventually told the truth.
Background and sentencing:
In 1980, when Joseph Duncan was just 16 years old, he was sentenced to 20 years in prison for threatening and se*ually as*aulting a 14-year-old boy with a revolver. He served time until 1994 when he was paroled but faced subsequent charges, all linked to p*dophilia, including those against Shasta and Dylan. In 2008, he pled guilty to se*ual ab*se and m*rders and was sentenced to d*ath. Duncan had maintained an anonymous blog on the internet, where he detailed his life as a se* offender and the pleasure he derived from it.
In March 2021, it was reported that Duncan had a terminal brain tumor, and he passed away on March 28, 2021, at the age of 58. Shasta Groene, meanwhile, has survived the horrific ordeal and is now leading a normal life.
0 Post a Comment: