Did a Megan’s Law Listing lead to a California Sex Offender’s Murder?
[Guest post by DRJ]
A Lakeport, California, father is in jail charged with murdering a neighbor who was a convicted sex offender. Initial reports suggest the murder may have been prompted by a Megan’s Law internet posting:
“Convicted rapist Michael A. Dodele had been free just 35 days when sheriff’s deputies found him dead last month in his aging, tan mobile home, his chest and left side punctured with stab wounds.
Officers quickly arrested Dodele’s neighbor, 29-year-old construction worker Ivan Garcia Oliver, who made “incriminating comments, essentially admitting to his attacking Dodele,” the Lake County Sheriff’s Department said in a statement.
Prosecutors said they have investigated the possibility that the slaying of Dodele, 67, stemmed from his having been listed on the state’s Megan’s Law database of sex offenders. If so, his death may be the first in the state to result from such a listing, experts said.
Oliver pleaded not guilty to charges of first-degree murder, burglary and elder abuse when he was arraigned Nov. 30. In a jailhouse interview Wednesday night, Oliver said he has a son who was molested in the past, and he took action to protect the child.
“Society may see the action I took as unacceptable in the eyes of ‘normal’ people,” Oliver said. “I felt that by not taking evasive action as a father in the right direction, I might as well have taken my child to some swamp filled with alligators and had them tear him to pieces. It’s no different.”
Although Oliver did not say he killed Dodele, he said that “any father in my position, with moral, home, family values, wouldn’t have done any different. At the end of the day, what are we as parents? Protectors, caregivers, nurturers.”
In fact, Dodele was not a child molester. But a listing on the Megan’s Law website could have left Oliver with the impression that he had abused children because of the way it was written.”
Oliver was arrested after neighbors saw him leave Dodele’s trailer with blood on his hands. Apparently the police were also contacted by a psychologist, Charlene Steen, who had examined Dodele in two recent trials:
“I think [Oliver and Dodele] are both victims of the Internet,” said Charlene Steen, a psychologist who examined Dodele on behalf of the defense in two 2007 trials about whether he should be recommitted to Atascadero.
Both ended in hung juries. Dodele was freed Oct. 16 and was hoping to start over in the crowded little mobile home park, where neighbors described him as open and friendly.”
I’m curious if Steen was the source of the idea that Dodele’s murder was motivated by Megan’s Law:
“Steen wrote a letter to a local paper decrying Dodele’s death “simply because he was a sex offender whose name and picture were on the registry.”
Shortly after the letter was published, Steen said, a woman describing herself as Oliver’s wife called to complain. “She said, ‘We have a child who was molested, and my husband is very upset to have a child molester living nearby’,” Steen recounted, noting the irony that Dodele’s crimes all involved adult women.
Steen said she had not talked to police about the phone call. Oliver said that the woman with whom he lived in the trailer park was his girlfriend, and the two were not married.”
If so, how can Steen be so sure Megan’s Law was the reason Oliver allegedly murdered Dodele?
— DRJ
DRJ – A LA Times article I read on this a couple of days ago had the following additional information:
“A neighbor at the Western Hills Resort & Trailer Park, a tattered collection of mobile homes and bungalows, said that two days before the killing, Oliver ‘told every house’ in the park that he’d found Dodele listed on the website of convicted sexual offenders and was uncomfortable living near him.
‘He looked it up on the computer . . . ,’ the neighbor said. ‘He said [Dodele] can’t be around here.'”
Full article is here:
http://www.latimes.com/news/local/la-me-molester10dec10,1,2268543.story
JayHub (3fd92f) — 12/12/2007 @ 9:54 pmI understand the thinking behind the sex crimes registries, but there has always been something that just did not sit right with me about them. I will acknowledge my blatant hypocrisy, because when we were buying our new home, I looked up every property we were considering, just in case.
JD (d660a2) — 12/12/2007 @ 9:56 pmThanks for the link, JayHub. I think they should clarify the language regarding the nature of the offender’s crime, but I wonder if there will be an effort to repeal Megan’s Law in California as a result of this case?
DRJ (09f144) — 12/12/2007 @ 10:07 pmThat’s the sad thing about this. This law is set up to be a useful tool and people like Mr. Oliver could get these laws repealed.
Old Tanker (2b5226) — 12/12/2007 @ 10:11 pmThe story does not make any sense to me. There seems to be something going on between the lines.
SPQR (26be8b) — 12/12/2007 @ 10:12 pmI feel the same way, SPQR.
DRJ (09f144) — 12/12/2007 @ 10:14 pmI’ll give you the translation:
Lazy Media pushed by Sex Offender advocates falls for “poor rapist” line.
This story obviously screams “written by Sex Offender advocates” and the media of course loves their sex offenders.
Jim Rockford (e09923) — 12/12/2007 @ 10:24 pmWouldn’t it suck to have to list your occupation as Sex Offender Advocate?
JD (d660a2) — 12/12/2007 @ 10:26 pmI know sex offenses are considered exceptionally heinous, especially against kids, and that their rate of recidivism is higher than most, if not all, other crimes. But at the same time, it seems like once their sentence has been served, we continue to punish, and label, and highlight this one class of people. There is always a neighborhood somewhere protesting a sex offender moving into the neighborhood. There is never a shortage of outraged parents willing to tell the media how they don’t want a sex offender living next door. Nor do I. But at what point do we quit doling out punishment to these people? Should we just send them all to Massachusetts and let them molest each other?
As is, there is no evidence that what will require registration will lessen. In fact, it seems like what is considered a sex offense continues to expand, and there are countless examples which we have discussed.
Just some thoughts off the top of my head.
JD (d660a2) — 12/12/2007 @ 10:31 pmYou say that as if it were a bad thing. The only problem I have with sex offender databases is the folks who are on there for things like taking a leak behind a dumpster at a parade or paying for the wrong “service” from a hooker in a state with sodomy laws still on the books. The point of these laws is to warn folks about child molesters & rapists. The type of offender listed on them should reflect that.
Cybrludite (acb56d) — 12/12/2007 @ 10:53 pmUntil the point where 100% of all information is tied to the offenders report, then this shit should stop.
Seems there have been three or four deaths as a result of such lists in the nation. Not to mention the number of folks harassed just because they happen to have the same name as a real sex offender.
Prior to becoming part of a movement, one probably should spend some time on the other side of the fences. Fences because, same name phuk ups happen all the time.
When one is not part of an offenders group, or any group for that matter, having others making life altering changes for you usually will end in a phuk up!
Point being mandatory minimum sentencing, property fortifitures. It’s easy to support such things happening as it’s always to somebody else. Well with the current state of this world, tomorrow it’s YOUR house that gets tapped, no you did not know yer kid was dealing out of it. No matter, another 20 years of payments and the state will own it free and clear. Oh and you make the payments! Cars the same.
Oh yer kid got caught with somebody selling dope? Too bad, at leazst yo will know where to reach him for the next 10 yrs. Oh ya mean he only got a blow job from that girl? See him in 15 yrs for such.
Be careful of what you wish for. Some things come home to roost!
TC (1cf350) — 12/12/2007 @ 10:53 pmIf this guy was in Atascadero for 20 years, and they were trying to recommit him, he was seriously bad news. I can’t believe some people are arguing that restrictions on him, including Megan’s Law, are unfair. Too bad you can’t see his record. I’m sure it would shock you. I find it hilarious that he was out for 6 weeks and he’s already shacked up with a girlfriend. I assume he found her while in Atascadero. What type of woman seeks to be a pen pal with a mentally disordered sex offender?
tired (712713) — 12/13/2007 @ 1:37 amAre you a Christian, tired?
Christoph (92b8f7) — 12/13/2007 @ 1:49 amI know sex offenses are considered exceptionally heinous, especially against kids, and that their rate of recidivism is higher than most, if not all, other crimes
This poster watches too much tabloid TV. The re offense rate for sex offenders is below other crimes.
Yeah I know, people will resort to name calling and say “obviously you are one” because I do not blindly believe all the pablum they puke on Hate TV.
Josh (0765fb) — 12/13/2007 @ 6:28 amBut at what point do we quit doling out punishment to these people? Should we just send them all to Massachusetts and let them molest each other?
There’s always the solution posed by George Carlin.
aunursa (090908) — 12/13/2007 @ 6:36 am(language warning)
DRJ – “I wonder if there will be an effort to repeal Megan’s Law in California as a result of this case?”
Not a chance, DRJ. 70% of California’s voters voted for Prop 83 in 2006 (“Jessica’s Law) that substantially increased the penalties and restrictions on sex offenders.
The only controversy about this law is that one of its provisions, which requires lifetime GPS monitoring of felony registered sex offenders (offenders must be strapped with GPS devices that can record their whereabouts even after they finish parole and leave the criminal justice system), may simply be too costly and complex to ever fully implement.
More info here:
http://www.latimes.com/news/local/la-me-offenders27nov27,0,1000388.story
JayHub (4ead54) — 12/13/2007 @ 7:00 amComment by TC — 12/12/2007 @ 10:53 pm
Amen!
hoosiertoo (13fdab) — 12/13/2007 @ 7:10 amAccording to one newspaper account Dodele was sentenced in the 1970s as a MDSO for the rapes of five women. Apparently, he was deemed “rehabilitated” and released. He raped another women and again was sentenced as a MDSO in 1988. God knows how many rapes he was never arrested or convicted on. Obviously, the state psychiatrists felt he was a continuing danger and tried to block his release.
tired (f7c9b5) — 12/13/2007 @ 7:12 amIf we’re going to debate on recidivism, someone should supply a reference.
LarryD (feb78b) — 12/13/2007 @ 7:22 amWhat’s to debate? This guy was a recidivist in the past and the state psychiatrists believed he would be a recidivist if he was released.
tired (f7c9b5) — 12/13/2007 @ 7:33 amI hate to say this, but this is probably one time that if I’m on the jury, I would think long and hard before convicting the guy. I’m as much a law and order guy myself, but looking at the registry, I can easily see how his rage built up in the first place.
A better solution would be to put all offenders on the registry in prison for life. Then there would be no problems with parents tempted to protect their children, such as what that guy did.
Yes, I definitely would vote “not guilty”. I would do this for ANYONE who uses the registry if they feel threatened for their children, and undoubtedly most parents feel the same as I do.
No, I’m not condoning killing anyone outright, but I wouldn’t convict anyone of it either, if the killing in my heart is justified. I feel such is so with the case of everyone on the Internet Sex Offender registry.
Oh, and the fact that he molested an adult, not a child? Too bad. I don’t have any sympathy for him in the first place, and don’t have an ounce of guilt at his death.
Peter (e5d4a1) — 12/13/2007 @ 8:08 amColor me unconcerned.
Kevin (4890ef) — 12/13/2007 @ 9:02 amJust posted on wizbang that (subject was Mr. Horn) rapists, child molesters and a couple others should have the option for the death penalty. Being a repeat offender he would definitely qualify in my book.
(Some lib was blabbing about de-valuing human life when someone who is ONLY robbing is killed by private citizens.)
BTW, some excellent posts from all views concerning Mr. Horn. My view? Mr. Horn’s actions were justified.
cstmbuild (6fc537) — 12/13/2007 @ 9:46 amThe offender list should only be actual child molesters, rapists, people who flash to kids etc.
And then We should just fry them. Sex offenders, particularly child molesters have the highest rate of recidivism of any criminal. And what it does to a child (I’m talking an actual child, pre-pubescent, not the 15 year old boy who gets to bang his hot teacher) is on par with murder, because that person will NEVER be normal, and may never be happy.
Mr.Obvious (d3fe32) — 12/13/2007 @ 10:37 amThe offender list should only be actual child molesters, rapists, people who flash to kids etc. And then We should just fry them. Sex offenders, particularly child molesters have the highest rate of recidivism of any criminal.
If you make the penalty for molesting the same as the penalty for murder, then molesters will have a high incentive to kill their victims and no incentive to let them live.
aunursa (1b5bad) — 12/13/2007 @ 11:09 amIf you make the penalty for molesting the same as the penalty for murder, then molesters will have a high incentive to kill their victims and no incentive to let them live.
aunursa, you are talking out of your hat. You really have no clue. And absolutely no idea why murders during the commission of another crime are committed.
nk (6061ba) — 12/13/2007 @ 11:26 amBack in the 1980s, when sentences for sex crimes were increased drastically, there were studies as to whether it would increase the risk to the victims. The answer was no.
tired (e9bea6) — 12/13/2007 @ 11:35 amCertainly there are many reasons why people are killed during the commission of another crime.
There are cases when a witness is murdered in order to prevent that person from testifying. I can think of a number of robberies with this scenario: the employees were herded into a back office or storeroom and tied up. After the criminals had taken their loot, one of them went back and the employees execution style. There was no evidence that the employees knew the robbers.
As for increased sentences, I submit that increasing a sentence from, say 10 years to 20 years, provides a lesser incentive than an increase from 20 years to the death penalty. I would not expect most criminals would be aware of the length of prison time for a particular crime; I would, however, expect capital crimes, to be common knowledge.
aunursa (1b5bad) — 12/13/2007 @ 11:59 amOops. Should be one of them went back and shot the employees execution style
aunursa (1b5bad) — 12/13/2007 @ 12:01 pm#24,
Would this include a young man who appears nude at his front door expecting to find his girl friend there?
What about a person doing his housework skyclad and having a pair of teenaged girls peeping through his windows?
Alan Kellogg (cab208) — 12/13/2007 @ 7:42 pm