John Gardner

There is breaking news in the case of two murdered teens: Chelsea King and Amber Dubois. The man charged with their murders, John Gardener, granted an interview with CBS 8 and confessed to the murders. John Gardner had agreed to a plea deal on April 16, 2010. The plea deal saves Gardner from the death penalty.

Slideshow: Amber Dubois’ body found after police receive tip, press conference (video, photos)

The families of Chelsea King and Amber Dubois agreed to the plea deal to avoid the lengthy and grueling emotional battle of a trial. In the interview with CBS News 8, John Gardner not only confessed to the murders but stated, “I could not stop myself.”

Slideshow: Body of Chelsea King found

Channel 8 conducted the interview via telephone and stated that they did contact the families of both Chelsea King and Amber Dubois before airing the story publicly. What might be most startling about the interview is that John Gardner explains why he committed the murders. He said, “I was aware of what I was doing, and I could not stop myself. I was in a major rage and pissed off at my whole life and everyone who had hurt me and blew up and hurt the wrong people.”

“I hate myself, I really do. There is no taking back what I did, and if I could, yes I would, are you kidding me? But I was out of control. If I was able to stop myself in the middle of it, I would have, and I could not. I was out of control.”

John Gardner also offered to relay the horrifying details of how he murdered both Chelsea King and Amber Dubois to their families. Amber Dubois’ mother told Channel 8 that she will meet with John Gardner, as she still has unanswered questions.

John Gardner pleads guilty to the murders of Amber Dubois and Chelsea King (video)

John Gardner

Sex offender John Gardner made a court appearance today and plead guilty to the murders of 14-year-old Amber Dubois and 17-year-old Chelsea King. Due to the terms of the plea deal, John Gardner will not face the death penalty, nor is he allowed to file any appeals. According to the San Diego County District Attorney Bonnie Dumanis, it was John Gardner who led authorities to the remains of Amber Dubois. He also stated that he kidnapped, raped, and stabbed the young girl to death. He confessed to kidnapping Chelsea King, raping her and strangling her to death.

John Gardner will be sentenced on June 1, 2010.

Amber Dubois Photos

According to Prosecutor Kristen Spieler, the families of both Amber Dubois and Chelsea King agreed to the plea deal.

Chelsea King Photos

John Gardner was a convicted sex offender who had violated his parole yet was never returned to prison. John Gardner faces two consecutive life sentences and an additional 33 years to life for assaulting a female jogger.

Reports by LaJolla Light state that Gardner was offered the deal to spare the victim’s families from the painful ordeal of a trial.

Family Photo

The mother of slain, abducted child Samantha Runnion spoke with Jane Velez-Mitchell regarding John Gardner and the cases of Chelsea King and Amber Dubois. Jane Velez-Mitchell began as a local news reporter and worked on the tragic story of Samantha Runnion’s abduction and murder.

Erin Runnion spoke about whether the system would change and if the day would come when sex offenders would be treated differently than common criminals. Erin Runnion said, “I sure hope so. You know, there`s no easy answer, but we`ve got to keep pushing for it. We`ve got to stop looking at sexual predators as like every other common criminal. They`re not.”

Chelsea King latest news

Amber Dubois latest news

Erin also shared her own personal experience regarding losing her precious daughter and discussed what the families might be going through. Jane asked her what type of emotions are experienced after the initial shock of losing your child wears off. Erin answered and said,

“You know, I can`t say in Amber`s family`s case. I think that both families have been unbelievably strong, just unbelievably strong, to be in that courtroom so soon after hearing that news.” She also said that her heart went out to the family and bled for them.

Erin also discussed what it felt like to see the person who killed your child face to face.

Erin said, “It just makes you sick. It — there — I remember for about a year during that trial, I would wake up and just — my hands would be clenched, my jaw would be clenched. And I would be going over in my head everything I wanted to say and do to him until it woke me up, because it would get so bad.”

Erin also expressed how it feels to sit silently through the trial, waiting for the time that the victim’s family can make the victim impact statement and share their feelings. Erin concluded by saying, “They are, I think, right now, just focusing on how they can best honor their daughters and seek justice for them and not let anything else get in the way of justice.”

Amber Dubois’ father at court for John Gardner hearing

Yesterday, John Gardner appeared in court for the rape and murder of 17-year-old Chelsea King. John Gardner III appeared briefly and was separated by a glass wall. It was determined that his next hearing will be postponed until August 4, 2010. Last week, John Gardner plead not guilty to rape and murder charges regarding Chelsea King. Now, he is the subject of another case, the death of 14-year-old Amber Dubois.

In the court appearance John Gardner spoke little and answered the judge’s questions with a simple yes. When asked if Gardner had been advised of his rights and if he understood them, he said yes. He was also asked if he agreed to waive time for his preliminary examination, to which he answered yes.

Now, there is controversy and outcry regarding the fact that John Gardner III had been declared anti-social, a violent sex offender with a high probability of reoffending, and had been determined to be a danger to the young girls in his community. He served five years of a six year sentence.

You may read more about the 2000 case that landed John Gardner in prison to begin with here: John Gardner Probation Report

Amber Dubois’ father at court for John Gardner hearing

The probation report of sex offender John Gardner, who has been charged with the rape and murder of Chelsea King, was released and yesterday a new court hearing date was sent for Gardner: August 4, 2010.   The report details the incident that sent John Gardner to prison in 2000 for molesting a girl under the age of 13 and also details some of his personal history. The report states that he suffered from Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder, took a number of different medications throughout his childhood, and also speaks about his family upbringing. In the report, John Gardner never came clean and took responsibility for the brutal attack on his young victim and put the blame on the victim’s mother for injuries he caused.

Slideshow: Body of Chelsea King found

John Gardner was released from prison in 2005 after serving five years of a six year sentence. Not only is Gardner charged with Chelsea King’s murder, but he has quickly become the sole focus of an investigation regarding the disappearance and murder of 14-year-old Escondido girl, Amber Dubois. Amber’s remains were found Saturday in Pala, California. Since John Gardner’s arrest, he has become the focus of additional cases as well.

Slideshow: Amber Dubois’ body found after police receive tip, press conference (video, photos)

With the horrifying revelation of Chelsea King’s murder, many ask why John Gardner wasn’t given the strictest sentence and why he never received any type of psychiatric treatment. Though many feel that with John Gardner’s history, he exhibits anti-social personality disorder and treatment would likely be unsuccessful, he never should have been let out of prison after serving only five years, especially with the level of violence demonstrated against his 2000 victim.

You may read the probation report below.

The body of Amber Dubois was found on Saturday, March 6, 2010, one year and one month after her disappearance. Now, the public wants to know if John Gardner, the registered sex offender who has been charged with the rape and murder of Chelsea King is responsible for the death of Amber Dubois.

Amber Dubois Past Stories

In a strange and sad turn of events, police renewed their search for the missing San Diego County teenager after Chelsea King’s body was located approximately ten miles off the shore at Lake Hodges. Chelsea disappeared on Thursday, February 25, 2010. John Gardner was taken into custody on February 28, 2010 after DNA evidence linked him to Chelsea’s disappearance. Now the question is asked whether John Gardner is responsible for Amber Dubois’ disappearance as well.

When Amber Dubois first went missing on February 13, 2009, a false sighting of her caused authorities to believe that she was a runaway and not endangered missing. It is believed that precious time was lost and that the desperate search for Amber was hindered due to that report. Amber’s family knew from the beginning that Amber had not runaway and that something terrible had happened to her.

Maurice Dubois’ Amber Dubois’ father held a press conference after John Gardner’s arraignment and said that during the early weeks of Amber’s disappearance the family had compiled a list of sex offenders in the area.

John Gardner’s name was on that list.

A cause of death has not yet been determined.

A press conference was held today at 3:30 p.m. PT announcing that a hiker had found the remains of missing 14-year-old Amber Dubois in an area within the Pala Indian Reservation. Amber Dubois disappeared from her home on February 13, 2009 while walking to her school, Escondido High. After the recent arrest of John Gardner III for the rape and murder of 17-year-old, Chelsea King, authorities investigated whether Gardner was responsible for the disappearance of Amber Dubois.

Law enforcement from the Escondido Police Department stated that they had searched the Kit Carson Park in Escondido, California, looking for clues after a group of children provided a tip stating that they found a bag with hair in it. Police drained the pond but later announced that nothing was found relating to the Amber Dubois case.

People Magazine reports that in a strange coincidence a hiker found Amber Dubois’ body on the same day, Saturday, March 6, 2010, that the police were concluding their search in Escondido. It is unclear, at this point, whether John Gardner played a role in Amber Dubois’ disappearance and death.

Amber Dubois’ remains will be processed in hopes of determining a cause of death.

Officials from the Escondido Police Department have scheduled a press conference for Sunday, March 7, 2010 at 3:30 p.m. PT to discuss the Amber Dubois case. It is unclear whether the press conference will announce new leads or state that a weekend search at Kit Carson Park revealed no clues in the case.

Maurice Dubois Press Conference

Since the arrest of John Gardner for the rape and murder of Chelsea King, the spotlight has focused on Gardner for possible involvement in the disappearance of Amber Dubois.

Amber disappeared on February 13, 2009 while on her way to school. John Gardner reportedly resided in Escondido, California, the same area where Amber Dubois was abducted from January 2008 until January 2010.

The Kit Carson Park was searched after some children reported finding a bag that contained what appeared to be human hair. Police drained the park’s pond but stated that they found no clues.

After John Gardner was arraigned, Amber Dubois’ father, Maurice Dubois, said that investigators from the San Diego County Sheriff’s office are working in conjunction with the Escondido Police Department regarding Amber’s case. Amber Dubois disappeared at approximately 7:00 a.m. about a block from her high school: Escondido High.

At the time of her disappearance, John Gardner lived just two miles away.

The father of a missing 14-year-old girl spoke about the possibility that the man charged with the murder of Chelsea King played a role in his daughter’s disappearance. Amber Dubois disappeared while on her way to school in February 2009. Her family immediately dismissed the possibility that she was a runaway and there have been no concrete leads in her case. That is, until John Gardner was arrested and linked to similar crimes in the same area.

John Gardner has not been declared an official suspect in the Amber Dubois case though in the following video, Amber Dubois’ father, Maurice Dubois said that authorities are working on the case. Maurice Dubois also said that he reviewed a list of registered sex offenders from the family’s Escondido, California neighborhood and that John Gardner’s name was on the list.

Since the arrest of John Gardner, several other victims of attacks have come forward pointing blame at Gardner. When Gardner appeared in court on March 2, 2010, he faced charges for an attempted attack on a woman identified as Candace M. Subsequently, a 16-year-old girl has come forward and identified John Gardner as the man who tried to abduct her at gunpoint while she was on her way to school.

You may see the video of Maurice Dubois speaking after John Gardner’s arraignment in the video player below.

John Gardner was arrested on Sunday, February 28, 2010 for the murder and rape of Chelsea King. He was also charged with attempted assault on a woman identified as Candice for a December 27, 2009 attack. You may read the criminal complaint filed against John Gardner in the link below.

During the past week, evidence has been collected from the crime scene as well as clothing that was retrieved before Chelsea King’s body was found.

Video: John Gardner Arraignment

Video: Chelsea King Press Conference

John Gardner Criminal Complaint

Though authorities are being tight lipped regarding the evidence surrounding the registered sex offender, they have stated that it was DNA evidence retrieved from a pair of Chelsea’s underpants found near the location where her body was later discovered that linked John Gardner III to the case. DNA was extracted from semen found on Chelsea’s underwear then run through a lab and compared to date in the National Combined DNA Index System. The DNA matched that of John Gardner’s prompting his Sunday arrest.

John Gardner was convicted of molesting a 13 year old girl in 2000, he served three years of parole after serving his sentence. His parole ended in 2008. Gardner plead guilty in that case and received a lighter sentence. According to reports, Dr. Matthew Carroll, a court appointed psychiatrist who interviewed Gardner for the 2000 case recommended that Gardner receive the maximum sentence. He described Gardner as a continued danger to underage girls in the community.

The molestation, attempted assault in 2009, and rape and murder of Chelsea King all occurred in the same neighborhood.

James Gardner III was denied bond at yesterday’s arraignment.