A D.C. jury on Monday convicted a man who preyed on joggers in Rock Creek Park of the murder of Washington intern Chandra Levy nearly 10 years after her disappearance gripped the nation and triggered a scandal that ended a political career. The jury of nine men and three women deliberated for three-and-a-half days before finding Ingmar Guandique, 29, guilty of two counts of murder in the death of Levy, who was a 24-year-old intern at the Federal Bureau of Prisons. The finding, announced at 12:37 p.m., brought to a conclusion one of the city’s most famous murder mysteries.
As the forewoman read the verdict aloud, Susan Levy, Chandra’s mother, kept her eyes fixed on Guandique. Several jurors dabbed their eyes with tissues. Guandique shook his head and tossed his headphones as he was led from the courtroom.
“The result of the verdict may be guilty, but I had a life sentence of a lost limb from our family tree,” Susan Levy said outside the D.C. Superior Courthouse. “It’s a lifetime of a broken heart.”
Afterward, jurors together faced the phalanx of reporters and photographers representing news outlets from around the world and said the totality of evidence, not just a single piece, led to the convictions.
“We thought we had a lot of evidence, and we wanted to go through in a deliberate manner,” said Linda Norton, an interior designer.
Emily Grinstead said reaching a decision was a tremendous responsibility that weighed on her heavily.
“You’re dealing with someone’s life — two people’s lives,” Grinstead said. “I don’t take that lightly.”
Defense attorneys declined to comment on whether Guandique would appeal the verdict.
Prosecutors admitted at the outset that they had no physical evidence linking Guandique directly to the slaying. The only DNA evidence found on the underwear of the victim did not belong to Levy, Guandique or Levy’s lover, then-Rep. Gary Condit. But prosecutors argued that there was mounting circumstantial evidence that proved that Guandique killed Levy.
Condit testified during the trial. In one of its oddest subplots, the former California lawmaker refused to admit on the stand that he and Levy had an affair. But he had confirmed the sexual relationship to police early in the investigation. That leaked to the press, and he was voted out of office the year after Levy’s disappearance. After the verdict, Condit’s attorney told the Associate Press, “At least Gary Condit can find some measure of closure to this nightmare. … Who gives him his career back?”
The prosecution’s case against Guandique was built in large part on the testimony from a former cellmate who testified that Guandique admitted to killing Levy and the testimony of two women who were attacked by Guandique in Rock Creek Park within two months of Levy’s disappearance. They also had a landlord testify that Guandique had scratch marks on his face around the date of the murder.
Juror Susan Kelly called the joggers’ testimony “powerful” but said their decision was not based on emotions.
Michael Starr, a defense attorney for Akin Gump Strauss Hauer & Feld, said the prosecution won “an uphill battle.”
“They had to overcome some excellent defense lawyers and the complete absence of physical evidence linking Mr. Guandique to the crime,” he said.
D.C. Police Chief Cathy Lanier, who helped assemble a new team of detectives and prosecutors after meeting with Levy’s parents in 2007, said it was a tough case brought to resolution by a relentless team.
“It’s not like it is on TV,” Lanier said. “These cases can be very complicated. You can never give up.”
Guandique’s sentencing has been set for Feb. 11. He’s facing 30 years to life in prison.
Examiner intern Anna Waugh contributed to this report.
