The father of a teen girl murdered by a paroled sex offender said Thursday he expects a board that considers compensation for California crime victims to reject his claim that authorities were liable for his daughter's death. Brent King's claim regarding his 17-year-old daughter, Chelsea, details how John Gardner repeatedly violated parole but was not returned to prison.
Gardner was not properly monitored by state authorities, according to state records.
The claim is nearly identical to one filed by the parents of 14-year-old Amber Dubois, who also was murdered by Gardner. The California Victim Compensation and Government Claims Board previously rejected that claim."Our assumption is that this claim will be rejected as well," said King, who filed the legal action Aug. 26 to meet a six-month deadline for making allegations of government wrongdoing.
Chelsea's body was found March 2 in a remote area of San Diego, five days after she went missing on an afternoon run.
Brent King said he has not decided whether to eventually sue the state of California or agree to have a mediator settle the dispute - possible scenarios if his claim is rejected. If King hadn't filed the claim, he would have lost his right to a claim.
King's claim details how Gardner violated parole after serving five years in prison for molesting a 13-year-old girl in 2000. Those violations included being within 100 yards of places where children gather.
Had Gardner been returned to prison and if the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation had continued to monitor Gardner electronically until he showed an ability to serve his parole without violation, Chelsea King would be alive today," the claim states.
The board has yet to schedule a date to consider King's claim. It meets Sept. 16.
John Gardner, 31, was sentenced in May to life in prison without parole for raping and murdering King and Dubois.
New California legislation named after Chelsea King is awaiting Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger's signature after unanimously passing the state senate and assembly. Proponents of the bill say it will help protect other people's children from sex crimes.
Chelsea's Law, formally known as AB 1844, creates mandatory sentences of life without parole for violent sex offenses against children. Another major provision of the 62-page bill is lifetime parole for people who commit certain sex crimes against minors.
It's not the only proposed legislation to arise out of the henious acts of registered sex offender John Gardner III, who admitted in March to murdering 17-year-old Chelsea King.
A few days after her body was found, Gardner led police to the remains of 14-year-old Amber Dubois, who had been missing for more than a year. Gardner was sentenced to three consecutive terms of life without parole for the murders and an attack on a jogger.
The deaths of the young girls sparked a flurry of tougher proposed laws aimed at protecting children.
Dubois' father is behind three assembly bills concerning law enforcement response to missing children. Among the legislative proposals:
* Creating a rapid response team in the state Attorney General's Office to help find abducted children.
* Reducing the minimum time for reporting a missing child from four hours to two.
* Enhanced training for police officers who search for missing children.
The four bills are on their way to Schwarzenegger's desk.
Chelsea's Law also has an urgency clause that means it will take effect as soon as Schwarzenegger signs it. The Dubois bills do not have an urgency clause and would take effect in January 2011.
Gardner was paroled Sept. 26, 2005, after serving five years for two counts of lewd and lascivious acts on a child younger than 14 and a single count of false imprisonment for attacking a 13-year-old neighbor.
Under Chelsea's Law, lewd and lascivious acts on a minor will carry a mandatory sentence of life without parole.
The "one-strike" provision applies to forcible sex crimes against minors that include aggravating factors, such as the victim's age or whether the victim was bound or drugged.















