Polly Klaas was taken from her own home in the middle of the night back in 1993. But had the legal system worked like it was supposed to, the man who took her never should have been walking free that night to enter her home. Her case went on to spark an outcry in the country for harsher punishment on repeat offenders. But when her case set the precedent for the three-strikes rule there was backlash no one anticipated. Source materials for this episode cannot be listed here due to character limitations. For a full list of sources, please visit https://crimejunkiepodcast.com/precedent-polly-klaas/For current Fan Club membership options and policies, please visit https://crimejunkieapp.com/library/.
Host Ashley Flowers announces that co-host Britt is recovering from a serious brain surgery and will be out for a while. Listeners will hear pre-recorded episodes with Britt's voice through the end of May.
Three young girls had a frightening experience when a stranger broke into their home and demanded money; they had to comply with his demands and tried to keep themselves safe throughout the ordeal.
Local and federal police, along with volunteers, initiated a thorough search of the neighbourhood after Polly Klaas' abduction with the support of the FBI to gather more precise physical evidence, knowing that the available evidence may not generate a suspect or list of suspects.
A man's mysterious disappearance following his car getting stuck in a ditch has led to speculations of abduction. While police found an unrolled condom in the nearby woods, no evidence was gathered from it.
California's Three Strikes legislation mandated life sentences for certain offenses after offenders had prior convictions. The law received criticism for being excessive and not effectively deterring violent crime.
This episode previews the upcoming episode of Precedent Crime Junkie on John Brady, and highlights how withholding information by prosecution from defense can impact a case. Host appeals to listeners to follow Crime Junkie for updates and to visit their website for source material.