9th Circuit Court: Joseph Edward Duncan’s Life Sentence Maybe Invalid

The appellate court reversed and remanded Duncan's case Monday, ordering U.S. District Court Judge Edward Lodge to hold a retrospective competency hearing for Duncan. If Duncan is found to be incompetent, Lodge must vacate the death sentence. Duncan was sentenced to die for kidnapping and murdering a Coeur d'Alene boy in 2005. Prosecutors said Duncan snatched Dylan Groene and his sister from their northern Idaho home after killing their family members. Duncan kept the children at a remote campsite for weeks before killing Dylan and returning with Dylan's sister to Coeur d'Alene, where he was arrested.