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Murder Of Chandra Levy Became A National Phenomenon

Chandra Levy Killer

Chandra Levy Killer was apprehended years after the crime was committed. The man convicted of murdering Chandra Levy, a 24-year-old government intern whose relationship with California congressman Gary A. Condit made the murder case a national phenomenon, was sentenced to sixty years in prison.

Judge Gerald I. Fisher of the Superior Court of the District of Columbia imposed the maximum sentence, life in prison, on Ingmar Guandique, who was found guilty of murdering Ms. Levy in November.

Ms. Levy went missing in 2001, and her remains were discovered the following year in Rock Creek Park in this city.

Mr. Guandique received a 60-year sentence, double the minimum allowed, because the judge believed he posed a threat to society and women in particular.

Judge Fisher stated, “I believe he is essentially a sexual offender. The question is whether I have concluded that he is the worst possible person. I nearly reach this conclusion, but fall short.”

The Unsolved Case Got a Lead

Due in part to the involvement of Mr. Condit, a Democrat who represents California’s 18th Congressional District, the case became one of the most notorious unsolved homicides in the history of this city.

Investigators concluded that Mr. Condit, who was married at the time of Ms. Levy’s disappearance in May 2001, was not involved in her murder. Despite this, the press destroyed his political career by revealing his involvement in the incident.

It was classified as a cold case with no leads in the end. In 2009, however, the police prosecuted Mr. Guandique, who was already incarcerated for assaulting other women in the same area around the time Ms. Levy disappeared. The prosecution had difficulty convincing the jury of his guilt.

There were no witnesses or DNA evidence linking Mr. Guandique to the crime. During the trial, they relied on a prisoner who had served time alongside Mr. Guandique. The prisoner, whom Mr. Guandique’s defense attorneys asserted was unreliable, claimed to have overheard Mr. Guandique confess to murdering Ms. Levy.

Mr. Guandique, an illegal immigrant from El Salvador, continued to challenge the jury’s verdict of first-degree murder conviction on November 22 during his sentencing on Friday.

He apologized in Spanish to Susan Levy, Ms. Levy’s mother, for what had happened to her daughter. But I had no involvement whatsoever. Before Judge Fisher imposed the sentence, Mrs. Levy read her statement in which she referred to Mr. Guandique as a hideous creature and compared him to a cockroach.

She stated that her husband was a Holocaust survivor and that due to Mr. Guandique’s actions, he was forced to relive the agony of that experience. She concluded her speech with an obscenity to express her disdain.

During her address, she questioned him about the crime. She inquired, “Did you steal her?” I ask you this immediately. Now, tell me by looking me in the eyes.” Mr. Guandique once more objected and shook his head no. Judge Fisher informed the defendant that he had 30 days to file an appeal.

Mr. Guandique will be eligible for a reduction in his 60-year sentence if he maintains a clean record in prison. The Bureau of Prisons estimated that he would be eligible for a 15% sentence reduction.

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