San Diego Weeps

Murphy's Mom here....I'm borrowing Murphy's blog for a moment...

A heartbreaking ending has come to a story that has been top headlines here in San Diego for the last few days. Chelsea King, a beautiful, vibrant 17 year old disappeared last Thursday during a solo run in a local park.

The body of a girl was found in a shallow grave on the bank of the park's lake. Positive identification was still pending, but the authorities had enough evidence to make the statement that they believed it to be the body of Chelsea.

All of San Diego is weeping tonight. We were so full of hope that Chelsea would come home. I can't tell you how much this has touched me. A beautiful young woman who will never experience so many things. Her loving parents who will never get to see their daughter graduate high school, go to college, get married...have babies.

It was such a preventable tragedy. The accused is a registered sex offender...released from prison after serving only 5 years for raping a 13 year old in 2000.

If only the judge who made the decision to release him had thought better about it.

If only, Chelsea hadn't felt she was invincible...like so many 17 year olds, and hadn't chosen to run alone last Thursday.

If only....

Evidence continues to be gathered and John Gardner is scheduled to be arraigned later this week. He is now a suspect in the attack of a 22 year old woman in the same park. He is also being investigated into the disappearane of another teen last year. Amber Dubois disappeared while walking home from school and has never been found. What do you think this does to her family's hope?

The only hope now is that if he is truly guilty, he will be convicted for this brutal crime, and receive a punishment that is equal to the horrors he probably put beautiful Chelsea through.