Congress has cut federal funding for public media — a $3.4 million loss for LAist. We count on readers like you to protect our nonprofit newsroom. Become a monthly member and sustain local journalism.
Riverside County reaches plea deal with convicted child killer Joseph Duncan
Listen
• 1:30
Riverside County District Attorney Paul Zellerbach speaks to reporters on March 15, 2011, after accepting a plea deal from attorneys for convicted killer Joseph Duncan.
(
Steven Cuevas/KPCC
)
Ten-year-old Beaumont boy Anthony Martinez was abducted and murdered by serial child killer Joseph Duncan 14 years ago.
(
Riverside County DA’s Office/ Steven Cuevas/KPCC
)
File photo: Joseph Edward Duncan III (R), listens to his Public Defender John Adams (L), during a plea agreement and sentencing hearing in the court room of the Kootenai County Jail 16 October, 2006 in Coeur d' Alene, Idaho.
(
Kathy Plonka/AFP/Getty Images
)
Riverside County prosecutors have reached a plea deal that will allow a serial child killer to avoid the death penalty in California. Joseph Duncan already faces multiple death sentences in Idaho. He’s now pleaded guilty to killing a 10-year-old boy in Riverside County.
The plea deal saves Duncan from the death penalty in California. Instead, he’ll get life without parole and he won’t serve that time in Riverside County. That’s because Duncan was sentenced to death in Idaho after he was convicted of killing two boys, their mother and her fiancé six years ago.
During the Idaho investigation, Duncan confessed to the kidnapping and murder of 10-year old Anthony Martinez near Joshua Tree 14 years ago.
“Having been a prosecutor for over 22 years and a Superior Court judge for 11 years, I have never seen a person that is more deserving of the death penalty than Joseph Duncan,” said Riverside County District Attorney Paul Zellerbach.
Support for LAist comes from
“It’s also quite clear to me that the federal criminal justice system will execute Mr. Duncan long before the state of California would ever consider doing that,” he said.
Zellerbach said he agreed to a plea deal after he spoke with prosecutors, Idaho authorities and the Martinez family. Anthony’s mother Diana Gonzales says the family was ready for a resolution.
“And we can now, you know, mourn Tony’s death the way we should have in the beginning,” said Gonzales. “When we buried him, we didn’t know who did it. And the Riverside County Sheriff and Beaumont, they never forgot and we’ll be eternal grateful to all the departments involved.”
Duncan is scheduled for sentencing next month. Riverside County authorities will then send him back to Idaho to await execution.
As Editor-in-Chief of our newsroom, I’m extremely proud of the work our top-notch journalists are doing here at LAist. We’re doing more hard-hitting watchdog journalism than ever before — powerful reporting on the economy, elections, climate and the homelessness crisis that is making a difference in your lives. At the same time, it’s never been more difficult to maintain a paywall-free, independent news source that informs, inspires, and engages everyone.
Simply put, we cannot do this essential work without your help. Federal funding for public media has been clawed back by Congress and that means LAist has lost $3.4 million in federal funding over the next two years. So we’re asking for your help. LAist has been there for you and we’re asking you to be here for us.
We rely on donations from readers like you to stay independent, which keeps our nonprofit newsroom strong and accountable to you.
No matter where you stand on the political spectrum, press freedom is at the core of keeping our nation free and fair. And as the landscape of free press changes, LAist will remain a voice you know and trust, but the amount of reader support we receive will help determine how strong of a newsroom we are going forward to cover the important news from our community.
Please take action today to support your trusted source for local news with a donation that makes sense for your budget.
Thank you for your generous support and believing in independent news.
Chip in now to fund your local journalism
(
LAist
)
Trending on LAist
-
Isolated showers can still hit the L.A. area until Friday as remnants from the tropical storm move out. -
First aspiring spectators must register online, then later in 2026 there will be a series of drawings. -
It's thanks to Tropical Storm Mario, so also be ready for heat and humidity, and possibly thunder and lightning. -
L.A. Mayor Karen Bass suspended a state law allowing duplexes, calling more housing unsafe. But in Altadena, L.A. County leaders say these projects could be key for rebuilding. -
![A Black woman sits at a dais with a flag in the background. A name placard in front of her reads: Dr. Va Lecia Adams Kell[um].](https://scpr.brightspotcdn.com/dims4/default/5425437/2147483647/strip/true/crop/6298x3897+0+0/resize/640x396!/quality/90/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fscpr-brightspot.s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com%2F76%2F00%2Febed9a7a4fbd9e5ba12997e51d59%2Fgettyimages-1258669633.jpg)
L.A. County investigators have launched a probe into allegations about Va Lecia Adams Kellum and people she hired at the L.A. Homeless Services Authority. -
This measure on the Nov. 4, 2025, California ballot is part of a larger battle for control of the U.S. House of Representatives next year.
![A Black woman sits at a dais with a flag in the background. A name placard in front of her reads: Dr. Va Lecia Adams Kell[um].](https://scpr.brightspotcdn.com/dims4/default/45c201e/2147483647/strip/true/crop/6298x3894+0+0/resize/786x486!/format/webp/quality/90/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fscpr-brightspot.s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com%2F76%2F00%2Febed9a7a4fbd9e5ba12997e51d59%2Fgettyimages-1258669633.jpg)
Best of LAist