The 28-year-old appeared in court this afternoon with two bright red scratches on her right temple and some on her left arm, apparently from an incident at the jail this morning that San Joaquin County Superior Court Judge Linda Lofthus mentioned was an attempt by Huckaby to get out of her court appearance.
“Hopefully something like this doesn't happen again,” Lofthus said.
Though she's heard them before, Huckaby broke down in tears when she heard the charges read against her. She looked quizzically at her public defender when the judge read the charge of child abuse and endangerment against a 7-year-old Huckaby allegedly drugged in January.
The single mother and one-time Sunday school teacher did not enter a plea to the charges handed down today. Her attorney Sam Behar said he needs more time because he has yet to review the indictment filed on July 31. Prosecutor Thomas Testa, apparently annoyed that Behar had yet to read the indictment, said the case needs to move along because there are underage witnesses whose memory may fade.
Prosecutors convened a grand jury in July instead of holding a preliminary hearing to decide if there's enough evidence to take the case to trial.
A trial date has not been set, but could be within a few months, prosecutors said. Lofthus said she wants to give the defense enough time to review the lengthy transcripts from July's grand jury proceeding before both sides can agree to a trial date.
Because of the special circumstances of rape and kidnapping, Huckaby does qualify for the death penalty.
“Until otherwise indicated, your honor, this is a death penalty case,” Testa said to the judge.
Huckaby previously pleaded not guilty to charges of murdering 8-year-old Tracy girl Sandra Cantu, a playmate of Huckaby's daughter. Sandra went missing in late March and her body was found days later stuffed in a suitcase.
Huckaby was arrested on April 10 and has since then been held without bail and in solitary confinement at the San Joaquin County Jail in French Camp.
Lofthus ordered Huckaby back in court on Sept. 10, when she's expected to enter a plea.
•Contact Tracy Press reporter Jennifer Wadsworth at 830-4225 or jwadsworth@tracypress.com.
Most anyone who kills (except justified self-defense) has to be "crazy" (MANY murders are drawn out and horrific), but the insanity defense requires that the killer doesn't know what they did is wrong, so MH doesn't qualify because she tried to conceal the act. You do have a point of her getting sent to a nut ward because she's had so many issues - she had to have psyche exams for the second theft while on probation (which I thought strange - I've never heard of that and wonder why - maybe for a klepto...). I don't know about law details, but she may not even be fit to stand trial.
In the meantime, I'd still like to hear Coppersmom's (is Christine Craft?) input about MH's statement that Sandra's death was an "accident"? Get lots of words from her, but little response to (likely) facts in the case. Would also like to hear her take on the note MH wrote/"found" by the mailboxes (the one with suitcase misspelled).
Take accountability for what you said, too.
Her long past history does not abode well for her, and to release her into the society knowing she is unstable just more children's lives in danger, you want that?
You must recognize evil if you evoke God's name so much?? The fact you don't seem to find any in her action towards Sandra Cantu?? I find that extremely odd, a life was taken, and you are making excuses for MH?
If you feel so merciful towards her, volunteer to take her home with you for you to watch over her if she gets released, since you are big on using God's name so much, you must pray alot, too, so that would be a plus on your side?
"Hang 'em high!"
Of course, brevity was never 'bout tryin' ta understand tha mind of a fool. And I reckon that was jist 'bout 'nuff said.
I was going to say I don't have time to look in the Bible, but that would not be really true since I seem to have time to write here.
"Ornely, what are you gettin at, in plain English, please?"
Yer a bright gal. I know this from readin many of th thangs ya got ta say. Nope, not gonna make it that easy fer ya. Grab yer Bible an look up th passages. Then when ya think ya got it figured out come back an we might talk about it ifin I happen ta be around.
I guess any dufus can have a radio show...
Radio show? Good guess but wrong, try again. I'll just let the dufus part slide figurin ya don't really know no better.
However, as fearful as we all should be of the registered offenders, it's the ones who aren't registered that terrify me! A registered offender is one who has already been caught, convicted, and sentenced. I know who they are, and perhaps Sandra's mom knew too... and as a parent I am diligent about knowing who my children are exposed to. The horror of this case is that MH was in a trusted position with an entire neighborhood of children, and not YET a registered offender.
I've said this before and I'll say it again... Sandra's screams should be heard by every mother and father in the world. KNOW where your child is and who your child is with. And if you don't KNOW then keep your child WITH you. My deepest sympathy is with Sandra and her family, their loss will never heal, regardless of the outcome of MH's trial.
As for the registered offenders... there is no excuse for their crimes nor is there viable treatment and rehabilitation. Sex offenders have a progressive and incurable disease of the mind. Be supportive of legislation that disallows sex offenders to be released on parole, and be supportive of the death penalty for convicted pedophiles whose crimes resulted in the death of a child.
To be sure... only a few select doofi.
Actually (if you), the show was good, but I turned it off when the thing about Vick became like a corkscrew digging through my ear.
coppersmom: "who do want to know about the sex offenders living in the tracy zip codes" --- I'm sure residents know this, but the SOGDI (Some Other Guy Did It) defense probably won't work here. What's your take on MH saying Sandra's death was "an accident"?
Tinfoil:"The standard things that motivate men to sexually molest and murder children don't apply to women. I personally believe this wasn't a crime of lust. That there were other factors involved separate from that." --- I wouldn't say that (the attorney should know), but most rapes are about control, not lust - I'm not sure about child molesters, but it's easier to control (lure and handle) a defenseless child. Drugging someone is also a major symptom of control issues.
True to some degree (I wouldn't pray for anything but the truth to come out - ALL of it), but the above is mostly evasion. I'm still waiting for your take on MH saying Sandra's death "was an accident" (and while your at it, address the note MH "found" by the mailbox, and why she'd try to kill herself by swallowing xacto knife blades - the cause of her internal bleeding --- I've asked a few times for you to address such facts, but all we here is ....). Of course Behar needs prep time, but to imply that he, prosecutor, NO ONE knows the cause of death is ludicrous, unless its a plan to dispute the ME/tox reports.
I'd still bet that MH drugged the Polk girl and await evidence with an open mind (they'll know if MH had a script for benzos - and yeah I hear ya, if so, that doesn't prove anything). I'm VERY curious why the DA charged MH with drugging the 37yo man since (as far as I know) he didn't get tested for benzo soon after contact with MH. You can say a lot of coincidental gremlins were running around, but the entire scenario makes more sense with the common denominator. The big question is what triggered such behaviour.
actually not every doofus can have a radio show..you have to have certain traits..that not every doofus automatically has.
FOR YOU DOOFI..who do want to know about the sex offenders living in the tracy area codes..including the mobile home park and the church...just go to the gov. site..and input the address and or code..voila....
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Once_in_a_Lifetime_(album)
http://www.lyricsfreak.com/t/talking heads/once in a lifetime_20135070.html
I guess any dufus can have a radio show...
----------------
And you may ask yourself
What is that beautiful house?
And you may ask yourself
Where does that highway go?
And you may ask yourself
Am I right?...Am I wrong?
And you may tell yourself
MY GOD!...WHAT HAVE I DONE?
Mathew 5:43 – 48
Mathew 22:37 - 40
Luke 6:31 – 37
Ya know, there are other places where He tells ya that if ya love Him that ya follow His commandments/instructions an if ya don't He says He don't know ya. An guess what? If He don't know ya then yer counted with the chaff that gets burned up at th end of time an th rest go with Him inta heaven.
I only mention this ta ya because I don't really want any of ya ta miss th boat cause of what many of ya have been sayin here.
An if ya ain't a believer, then by all means, go ahead and do yer thing. Anythin I have ta say or anythin that God has ta say gets ignored by ya anyway.
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When Pain Is All You Have
Some people in great emotional pain turn to cutting, burning, and other types of self-abuse. How can you recognize this cry for help?
Lauren McEntire was 17 the first time she intentionally cut herself. She was sitting in a darkened movie theater next to a boy who was her best friend. On the other side of him sat his new girlfriend. "I was jealous. I was scared he wouldn't be my friend anymore," she says, two years later from her home in Austin, Texas. "But I didn't know how to tell him how I felt."
Instead, fidgeting nervously in the quiet theater, she yanked the tab off her soda can. Without much thought, she pressed its sharp edge deep into the flesh of her thumb. The pain and blood that followed made her feel, for the first time, as if she were in control. But with the blood came something more: anger. "A lifetime's worth exploded in that one minute," says McEntire. Within a month, she was a full-fledged self-injurer, graduating to a single-edged razor blade and using it to carve deep grooves into the skin of her arms and legs.
Long misunderstood by outsiders, self-injury (also known as self-mutilation and self-abuse) is finally being taken seriously, and a growing crop of books, television programs, and even a recent made-for-TV movie are spotlighting this surprisingly common phenomenon. The audience is certainly out there: Although few firm statistics are available, those who have treated self-injurers estimate that about 2 million people in the United States engage in some form of this behavior. Cutting is the most common expression of this disorder, but burning, self-hitting, hair-pulling, bone-breaking, and not allowing wounds to heal are other variations.
While more than 70% of self-injurers are women, mostly between the ages of 11 and 26, they come from all races and social classes, says Steven Levenkron, MS, a psychotherapist in New York and author of Cutting. What self-injurers have in common, says Levenkron, is that they are often children of divorce, and as many as 90% grew up in homes where communication between parents and child was lacking and where messy problems were ignored, avoided, and ultimately left in silence.
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STOCKTON — Tracy murder suspect Melissa Huckaby was indicted today on charges that she kidnapped, raped and intentionally killed an 8-year-old girl and drugged two other people.
The 28-year-old appeared in court this afternoon with two bright red scratches on her right temple and some on her left arm, apparently from an incident at the jail this morning that San Joaquin County Superior Court Judge Linda Lofthus mentioned was an attempt by Huckaby to get out of her court appearance.
“Hopefully something like this doesn't happen again,” Lofthus said.