Arrest warrant issued in Levy case
By: Scott McCabe
Examiner Staff Writer
March 4, 2009
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| Police Chief Cathy Lanier, U.S. Attorney Jeffrey Taylor, center, and Mayor Adrian Fenty announce an arrest warrant for Ingmar Guandique on Tuesday in Washington. (Andrew Harnik/The Examiner) |
Nearly eight years after the disappearance of congressional intern Chandra Levy dominated national headlines, D.C. authorities charged with murder an illegal immigrant who had been questioned in the early stages of the investigation.
Ingmar Guandique, 27, who is serving time in a California prison for attacking two other women in Rock Creek Park not far from where Levy’s body was found, is expected to be returned to D.C. within the next 45 to 60 days, authorities said.
He will then be arraigned on charges of first-degree murder in the 24-year-old’s death. If convicted, he faces a sentence of between 30 and 60 years in prison.
The long-dormant case took a turn a few weeks ago, when a new team of detectives and prosecutors became convinced that they had an “accumulation of evidence” sufficient to file charges, said U.S. Attorney for D.C. Jeffrey A. Taylor.
“Cold cases are not always the way they are on TV where at the end of 60 minutes there’s a tiny piece of evidence ... that cracks the case,” Taylor said.
In a statement issued from their home in Modesto, Calif., Bob and Susan Levy said, “We take solace in the fact that the search for the person responsible has ended and our daughter can finally truly rest in peace. Thankfully the individual responsible for this most heinous and terrible crime will finally be held accountable for his actions and hopefully unable to hurt anyone else ever again.”
The new evidence includes the statements of three unidentified witnesses who told detectives within the last two years that Guandique confessed to killing Levy.
One of the witnesses said Guandique boasted that he and two gang members attacked and raped an Italian-looking woman with thick curly hair. When the woman began to regain consciousness, Guandique slashed her throat and stabbed her, according to the affidavit.
Prosecutors conceded Tuesday that the details of the killing varied among the witnesses who claimed Guandique confessed the murder to them.
In describing one witness’ account, the affidavit acknowledged it was “inconsistent with accounts [Guandique] gave to other witnesses.”
In the other assaults for which he has been convicted, prosecutors said, Guandique acted alone. Officials would not discuss their theory on precisely how Levy was killed.
One witness told police that he was with Guandique in prison last month when the accused killer heard a news report that his arrest was imminent.
“They got me now, what am I gonna do?” Guandique asked the witness, according to the affidavit.
Tuesday’s arrest follows years of stops and starts by law enforcement in the District, which has led to a perception that the case has been bungled.
“This was as bad a homicide investigation as it gets,” said Joseph diGenova, former U.S. attorney in the District. “There was such incompetence and lack of professionalism.”
Bill Moffitt, former president of the National Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers, said the nearly eight years it took to bring charges could provide ammunition for defense attorneys. “You’ve got an investigation that’s been an extended period of time. You want to look at how many leads they followed, how many people they went after but didn’t charge.”
Detectives focused on then-U.S. Rep. Gary Condit, who had been having an affair with Levy before her death. But they ignored Guandique, who was arrested and charged two months after Levy’s disappearance with an assault against a woman in Rock Creek Park — where evidence placed Levy before her disappearance.
And during the search for Levy’s body, police officers misinterpreted the orders of then-Chief Charles Ramsey and improperly narrowed the area covered.
Levy’s body was found more than a year after her disappearance by a man walking his dog in the area police were supposed to have searched. A medical examiner was not able to determine the manner or cause of death.
In 2007, Police Chief Cathy Lanier assigned Capt. Michael Farris and a team of investigators to the case after meeting with Levy’s parents. Lanier said the team offered “a fresh set of eyes, a new sense of dedication, a passage of time” and helped close the case.
Early in the investigation, Farris said he grew comfortable that Guandique was the prime suspect and “we were on the right trail. ... There was no ‘aha’ moment.”
Lanier said she hoped to give the Levys some sense of peace.
“There’s very little I can do or anyone else can do for the Levys other than to offer them justice,” Lanier said.
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