Lost Girls
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He’d never tried Risperidone before the murders, he said, but it was working well now. If only the doctor had prescribed it during his February 8 appointment in Riverside. “It would have, maybe, not for sure, prevented Chelsea from being killed... . Would I have come forward about Amber, though? Probably not. I never would have said anything.”
I wondered aloud if there was anything people could take away from this tragedy, any lesson or message that could help prevent it from happening again.
“When someone’s trying to reach out, pay more attention,” he said. “I think people just need to help each other out. No one should feel alone in the world, like they don’t have any help.”
Gardner told his mother that he knew he was where he was supposed to be. After Jariah came to say good-bye and Sarina visited (he said he put her curiosity about her disturbing stabbing dream to rest because it wasn’t accurate), he hasn’t really been in touch with anyone but his mother and sister Shannon, whom he calls once a week.
“I know why. I have no delusions on that. A lot of people are afraid to talk to me.”
His mother was still visiting him every other week. “I love my mom,” he said. “I think she did a pretty good job of raising me.” The two of them were “getting along as well as can be,” he said, although “she’s not happy with me.”
Most days, he said, he passes the time playing cards and dominos with his fellow prisoners, mopping the floor for no pay, staring at the concrete walls and watching lots of TV, including Jeopardy!
Now that Chelsea King’s and Amber Dubois’s parents have gotten some closure, and everyone knows John Gardner will spend the rest of his days in prison, hopefully the community can begin to heal.
“I’m rotting in prison,” he said, laughing. “Cool. Public be happy.”
Author’s Note and Acknowledgments
Because this case was so high-profile, the crimes were primarily against minors, and John Gardner’s family members and friends were extremely worried about their privacy, safety and job security, I used pseudonyms, first names or maiden names for a number of people so I could tell this story without putting them in jeopardy. Pseudonyms* are marked with an asterisk, like so.
Those include the three minors involved in the 2000 case, who I have used only first-name pseudonyms: Monica for the victim, Erika for her friend, and Sarah for the fourteen-year-old with whom Gardner had consensual contact. I also used pseudonyms for Gardner’s two half sisters on his father’s side, whom I named Mona and Melissa. For Shannon and Sarina, his two half sisters on his mother’s side, I have used their true first names, and their maiden names. I also used maiden names for Cathy Osborn and Jennifer Tripp, and the pseudonym Patricia Walker for Gardner’s girlfriend in 2000. I used only the first initials for Gardner’s two twin boys because they have done nothing wrong and don’t need to be identified. For the same reason, I used the pseudonym Alan for Jariah’s young son, Derrick for Cathy’s brother who was molested and Robert Trueblood for the boyfriend of Jariah’s friend Tricia.
Some of the dialogue has been edited down for storytelling purposes, but nothing has been added, created or embellished. I used official sources wherever I could, but some of the dialogue is approximated and no one’s memory is perfect. Any errors are unintentional.
This case was one of the most, if not the most, challenging true-crime projects I have undertaken to date. I thought it would be simpler to research because of the plea bargain, because the case never went to trial and Gardner gave up his chance for appeal, but that actually made it more difficult for me to get access to documents and other information I normally would have access to through the court system.
So I had to be creative and enterprising in getting documents, records—and even photos of the crime scenes—that the attorneys would normally have collected and shown at trial. I want to thank everyone who helped me with my fact- and photo-gathering efforts, to further the goal we all shared, which was to get the complete and accurate story out into the public to try to educate people on why Gardner did what he did, what went wrong and what could have been done differently.
But even with signed letters from John Gardner, authorizing the release of his records to me by the state CDCR and DMH, and the Riverside County DMH, I still couldn’t get most of these records due to a series of bureaucratic roadblocks, faulty instructions from county and state officials and, ultimately, privacy laws. CDCR officials refused, claiming they’d never received his letter (a copy of the same letter he’d signed and that I had faxed to them wasn’t good enough). They said I hadn’t filled out the proper form so the letter didn’t matter. Mind you, that that was after I’d sent a draft of the letter to check the language with these very same agencies before having Gardner sign and send those letters. Luckily, I was able to get some of his records through other means.
I would not have been able to include as many details if Gardner’s mother had not agreed to participate in this project, and if Gardner had not authorized the release of his records to me and gave permission so his family and attorneys could talk to me. That said, I want to emphasize that no one was paid for any interview or photo for this book, and neither Gardner nor his family will profit from it. I do not pay for interviews.
In no particular order, I want to thank:
Sheriff Bill Gore, Don Parker, Dave Brown, Mark Palmer, Pat O’Brien, Jan Caldwell, Madeleine Hinkes, Mike Grubb, Mike Workman, Bob Benton, Lee Anne Hawks McCollough, Bob Petrachek, Michael Popkins, Mel Epley, Bonnie Dumanis, Steve Walker, Richard Armstrong, Tanya Sierra, Patrick Bouteller, Cathy Osborn, her daughters Shannon and Sarina, and her sister Cynthia, Jennifer Tripp, Patricia Walker, Jariah Baker, Deanna and Melissa Gardner, Susan Ludwig, Bill Garcia, Cathy Lubenski, Mike Kratz, Jack Wallace, Tom Norman, Luis Patino, Alex Horan, Darrell Foxworth, Karen Dalton, Shaun Boyte, J. W. August, David Gotfredson, Michael Gonzalez, Robert York, Robert Turner, Terry Thornton, Mark Pulliam, Alexa Capeloto, Sharon Whitley Larsen, Carole Scott, Carlos Beha, Bob Koven, Myra Chan and Samuel Autman.
Twenty-four-year-old Cathy Osborn had a troublesome pregnancy with her son John Albert Gardner, born in Culver City, California, on April 9, 1979. (Photo by John Gardner, Sr.)
John’s grandparents, Linda and Phillip Osborn, had a stormy relationship. John lived with Linda in 2010. (Courtesy of the Osborn family)
In 1964, John’s father, John Albert Gardner, Sr., worked as a professional singer and guitar player. (Photo by Deanna Gardner)
“Li’l John” grew up with four half-sisters: Sarina (top center), Melissa* (right), Shannon (center), and Mona* (left). (The asterisk indicates a pseudonym.) (Photo by Cathy Osborn)
John’s father had no patience for crying babies. Despite playful moments, John always wished they’d developed a more intimate relationship. (Photo by Cathy Osborn)
John was very close to his mother’s youngest sister, Cynthia, shown here in 1985. She and John had a sexual affair after his first prison term.
“Dirty John” Gardner and his first wife, Deanna, remarried in 1990. (Courtesy of the Gardner family)
John graduated from Rim of the World High School in Lake Arrowhead, California, in 1997.
John went to state prison in 2000 after he was convicted of sexually molesting his thirteen-year-old neighbor and hitting her in the face. (Courtesy of California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation)
John kissed his sister Shannon at a coming-home party after his prison release in 2005. (Courtesy of the Osborn family)
John and his girlfriend Donna had twin boys, shown here shortly before Amber Dubois went missing on February 13, 2009. (Courtesy of the Gardner family)
John later said he’d abducted Amber at this fenced-in intersection in Escondido because she had nowhere to run. (Author photo)
Captain Bob Benton of the Escondido Police Department oversaw the investigation into Amber’s disappearance and murder. (Author photo)
Hundreds of searchers scoured the trails of Rancho Bernardo
Community Park for seventeen-year-old Chelsea King, who went missing there on February 25, 2010. (Courtesy of KGTV and McGraw-Hill Broadcasting Co.)
The search for Chelsea, coordinated by the San Diego County sheriff’s search and rescue unit, was conducted on land, by air, and with divers in Lake Hodges. (Courtesy of KGTV and McGraw-Hill Broadcasting Co.)
Sheriff’s Lieutenant Dave Brown coordinated the investigation into Chelsea’s disappearance and murder. (Author photo)
John Gardner stopped for a late lunch and a beer at Hernandez’ Hideaway on February 28, 2010. (Author photo)
Fugitive Task Force detectives swooped down on him as he came out of the restaurant. (Photo by Tom Norman)
On March 2, 2010, an FBI agent spotted some loose earth on the south shore of Lake Hodges, where Chelsea’s body was found in a shallow grave. (Courtesy of KFMB-TV News 8)
Sheriff’s Sergeant Don Parker, who coordinated the searches for both girls, points to where Chelsea’s body was found, near the taller tree, when the water level was lower. (Author photo)
Sheriff Bill Gore personally notified Brent and Kelly King that Chelsea’s body had been found. (Photo by Steve Silva)
Hundreds attended a vigil for Chelsea in Poway that night. (Courtesy of KFMB-TV News 8)
As the news spread, vandals spray-painted the garage door of Cathy Osborn’s condo in Rancho Bernardo. (Courtesy of KFMB-TV News 8)
Michael Popkins and Mel Epley of the Public Defender’s Office were appointed to represent John Gardner in what was expected to be a death penalty case. (Author photo)
Media coverage of this case was unprecedented for San Diego. District Attorney Bonnie Dumanis and Deputy District Attorney Kristen Spieler speak to reporters after Gardner’s arraignment. (Photo by Steve Silva)
Sheriff’s Detective Mark Palmer points to the spot in Pala where Gardner led authorities to find Amber’s remains. (Author photo)
Detectives and forensic investigators quietly set up a tent above the burial site to process the scene. (Courtesy of KGTV and McGraw-Hill Broadcasting Co.)
Meanwhile, another search crew combed through reeds in Kit Carson Park, pursuing a tip that Amber’s remains could be in the lake. (Author photo)
Amber’s parents, Carrie McGonigle and Maurice “Moe” Dubois, were grief-stricken as Escondido police announced that Amber’s remains had been identified. (Courtesy of KFMB-TV News 8)
The 6,000 attendees at Chelsea’s memorial service on March 13, 2010 held sunflowers, Chelsea’s favorite bloom, which became an icon synonymous with her sunny spirit. (Courtesy of KFMB-TV News 8)
Two weeks later, hundreds came out for Amber’s memorial, featuring farm animals and a video montage of Amber with family and friends. (Courtesy of KFMB-TV News 8)
On April 16, 2010, Dumanis announced a plea deal with Gardner for a sentence of life without the possibility of parole. (Photo by Steve Silva)
Carrie McGonigle (left) confronted Cathy Osborn (center) in front of the jail, trying to get visiting time to question Gardner about Amber’s murder. (Courtesy of KFMB-TV News 8)
Brent and Kelly King and Candice Moncayo (above) blast Gardner at his sentencing hearing. (Pool photos by The San Diego Union-Tribune)
Gardner’s immediate anger at Moncayo’s last remark flashed across his face like a serpent. (Courtesy of KGTV and McGraw-Hill Broadcasting Co.)
Kelly King exchanged a warm handshake with Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger at the ceremonial signing of Chelsea’s Law in Balboa Park. (Photo by Shaun Boyte)
Gardner, who will spend the rest of his life in prison, shares a housing unit with mass murderer Charlie Manson at Corcoran State Prison. (Courtesy of California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation)
Well-wishers built a memorial to Amber around this oak tree near the site where Gardner buried her body. (Author photo)
On the first anniversary of Chelsea’s death, this sunflower and message, “One year gone but never forgotten,” were posted at the park trailhead. (Author photo)
Some names have been changed to protect the privacy of individuals connected to this story.
PINNACLE BOOKS are published by
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Copyright © 2012 by Caitlin Rother
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Notes
1 The Deleon case is recounted in Dead Reckoning, by Caitlin Rother (available from Pinnacle).