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Melissa Huckby’s family speaks out about their daughter murdering little Sandra Cantu,8, last March, in Tracey, California. To read more about the case on Wikipedia, click here. Or click on the labels to read my thoughts.
CNN Video: Melissa Huckaby Gets Life Sentence
Today former Sunday school teacher, Melissa Huckaby, was sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole for the murder and kidnapping of little Sandra Cantu, 8, of Tracy, California. Sandra Cantu was found in a suitcase and dumped in a drainage ditch on April 7, 2009. Huckaby escaped the death penalty by pleading guilty to the murder of Sandra on May 10th.
Huckaby admitted to killing Sandra, and she assured Sandra’s family that she didn’t suffer. However, in spite of charges claiming Sandra was sexually molested, Huckaby denied molesting the child. Huckaby said that Sandra did not deserve having her life cut short, and she admitted that she alone was responsible for Sandra’s death.
Eyes for Lies never got to see Melissa Huckaby speak before she was arrested, but did comment on Sandra Cantu’s mother, Maria Chavez, here.
I just saw this news from Jane Velez-Mitchell on Twitter. CNN is reporting that Melissa Huckaby plead guilty to killing 8-year old Sandra Cantu today. You can read more here.
The only person I gave any conclusive opinions on in this case was the mother of Sandra Cantu, Maria Chavez. Several people speculated she was faking her sadness, and wondered if she was involved in her daughter’s murder. Melissa Huckaby’s grandfather’s behavior was odd when I watched him, but his behaviors were not conclusive for me. I still wonder if he knew at that time what was going on before we did. We never got to see Melissa Huckaby talk before (or after?) her arrest.
It will be interesting to hear if we get more information on this case. It’s an odd story, to say the least.
Several of you have inquired if Melissa Huckaby is smiling during her arraignment yesterday. Do you think Huckaby is smiling?
Read moreI do not see this as a smile. To me, Huckaby is trying to hold back her emotions and trying not to break into a cry. She is notably pulling up her lower lip and shows true indications that she is distraught here.
During the footage above, her chin quivers. I don’t know if it is my mirror neurons, but I get the feeling she is nauseated at this point, perhaps from her emotions. She is breathing heavily. She closes her eyes slowly, which is often an indication that the person can’t believe what they are experiencing. When the judge talks about rape, she truly is bothered by it. I wonder if she has cried herself dry. I do not see any cold, callous emotions at this point.
A mother raping a child seems so strange to me. It is highly unusual. I have wondered how police would prove she was the rapist? Could they have found the object used in the rape, which has Huckaby’s DNA and Cantu’s DNA all over it? Would they have been able to run a DNA test already on it? I just wonder, if Cantu was raped, could she have been raped earlier by someone else?
From ABC “Why Do Some Women Kill”:
Dr. Michael Welner, a forensic psychiatrist and chairman of The Forensic Panel, told “Good Morning America” today that the arrest of a woman in a murder such as Sandra’s is “really strange and peculiar.”
“There’s more to the story,” he said. “And instinct tells me to sit back and let the case come to all of us.”
I tend to feel like Welner does, so I will be curiously watching this case unfold, too.
