The following is an edited article from the San Luis Obispo County Telegram-Tribune. I have added the pictures and links.
The following story fully illustrates why you should support the three strikes law in your state. 20 states currently have some version of the "three strikes law".
Rex Allen Krebs was paroled from state prison in September 1997 after serving only 10 years of a 20-year sentence for rape, attempted rape, sodomy and burglary.
If the 3 strikes law had been in effect in 1987, (when he was sentenced for his crimes) he would have still been in prison. And two young women would still be alive today.
April 26, 1999
Worst confirmed: Remains are students
Rachel Newhouse and Aundria Crawford dead; suspect calls himself a 'monster'
San Luis Obispo-
The human remains found Friday in a remote canyon near Avila Beach were identified by police Saturday afternoon as Rachel Newhouse and Aundria Crawford, two of the three San Luis Obispo college students to vanish over the past three years.
The remains were found near the home of convicted rapist Rex Allan Krebs, who all but confessed Saturday morning to a Fresno Bee reporter, calling himself a "monster" who should be put to death, according to a published report.
Krebs, a 33-year-old Idaho native, is being held in the San Luis Obispo County Jail in protective custody on a parole violation and has yet to be arrested for either homicide.
"We are absolutely satisfied we have the person responsible for the deaths of Rachel Newhouse and Aundria Crawford," said police Capt. Bart Topham during a press conference late Saturday afternoon at the City-County Library.Topham offered no new information about how the two college students died and declined to say if they had been raped. He did say that Krebs is not suspected in any other deaths and that there are no other suspects in either case. He gave no estimate on when Krebs might be arrested or charged.
"He's already in custody. I don't have to rush out and charge him," Topham said.
No additional information was released Sunday.
Krebs was picked up on an alleged parole violation March 20. He was paroled from state prison in September 1997 after serving 10 years of a 20-year sentence for rape, attempted rape, sodomy and burglary.
Suspect has a long criminal history
An Atascadero woman who got to know him after he was paroled said Krebs was a regular visitor to her home and often spent the night, sleeping in the bunk above her young child. When Krebs and his girlfriend came to dinner, he was a complete gentleman, she said.
"If you were to ask me six months ago, I would have said he seemed to be a nice guy, polite. He never really did anything to me. If you were to ask me now, I would say he's an animal."
The woman asked that her name not be published out of concern for her safety.
She said Krebs' girlfriend knew nothing about his involvement in the case until Thursday and has been treated poorly by some people over the past few days. "I can tell you she would not have hesitated to turn him in if she knew."
Three Strikes would have prevented Krebs release
According to court records, Krebs was convicted in October 1987 of raping and sodomizing an Oceano woman while threatening her with a butcher knife. He was also convicted of attempting to rape an Arroyo Grande woman after breaking into her home for the second time in two weeks. He threatened her with a screwdriver. When she fought him off he bit her hand, severing a tendon.
Krebs declined an interview with The Tribune on Sunday.
The day before Krebs expressed disgust with himself and sympathy for the victims' families.
"The two girls are dead," he told the Fresno Bee. "If I'm not a monster, then what am I?"
Krebs said he was not worried about the death penalty. "I hope they give it to me."
The families of both Rachel Newhouse and Aundria Crawford spent the weekend in San Luis Obispo and are preparing to bury their daughters. No funeral arrangements had been made yet.
Don Crawford, Aundria's grandfather, said he expects police to release her body today or Tuesday.
Officials believe the 20-year-old Cuesta College student was abducted March 12 from her duplex apartment on Branch Street. She was the daughter of Gail Eberhart of Clovis and Jim Eberhart of Washington state.
"We are a pretty strong family, and we are all Christians," her grandfather said. "I've been expecting the worst after a week but hoping for the best. I think the whole family feels that way."
One of Aundria Crawford's closest friends was Jamie Rerucha of Fresno. She wasn't up to talking Sunday. Her husband, Jason, said they have found some relief after six frustrating weeks of not knowing.
"I kind of assumed it was going to end like this from the beginning because of the world we live in nowadays," he said. "I'm glad that they finally found her and can give her a proper burial."
He had known Crawford for about two years. They both drove Mustangs. "She was very outgoing. Always on the move, wanting to do stuff."
He read in the paper that Krebs said he attacked one of the women in 1987 because he felt she had given him a condescending look. Rerucha said he could imagine Crawford doing the same thing if she felt Krebs was trying to pick up on her.
"She was a great person. It's sad that she had to go like this."
Newspaper article on Aundria's case
Rachel Newhouse was the daughter of Phillip and Montel Newhouse of Irvine. She moved to San Luis Obispo to attend Cal Poly, where she was a junior majoring in nutrition. She disappeared in November while walking home from a party at Tortilla Flats restaurant. Her blood was found on the Jennifer Street Bridge.
Randy Rossi, a teacher at Irvine High School, was Newhouse's cross country coach and taught her beginning Spanish.
"She was an outstanding student," Rossi told The Orange County Register. "She was bright and active with a good sense of humor. Soccer was her first love. I kept trying to talk her into it ( running cross country ) because of her character -- she was a hard worker and very tenacious. She embodied the highest qualities of the student athlete. She was a vivacious, attractive, intelligent, terrific young lady.
"It was a terrible shock to the school," Rossi added. "That's the most horrible scenario, having someone disappear without a trace. We all hoped -- that's the last thing you give up. As time goes on, you become worried that hope is seeping away. But we always hoped there would be a miracle."
Erin Livermore, 21, a student at Cal State Fullerton, had known Newhouse since junior high school.
"She was the funniest girl. She always made everyone laugh. She was friends with everyone."
Livermore sang karaoke with Newhouse at a cross country dinner once and has it on video. She says that is what she will always remember about her friend.
Confirmation of their deaths was not unexpected, but the news was still difficult to hear Saturday.
Topham praised the work of his entire Police Department, including team leaders Detective Jerome Tushbant, Detective Cindy Dunn and FBI agent Vince Otto.
The department was committed from the beginning to solving the disappearances, he said.
San Luis Obispo County Telegram-Tribune
A site that I recommend highly is Safe Kids international Guard. All they ask is that you view a few pictures of missing kids that they send you each week. I'm sure that if your child was missing, you would want others to do the same! Just click on the banner below.
This is Kristin Smart. She was the first San Luis Obispo student to disappear from the college campus. You may have seen her story on television. She has been missing since Memorial Day Weekend 1996. Kristin's parents believe they know who was involved in her disappearance, but he has not yet been charged. Click on Kristin's picture to see their website.
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