Retrial Granted in Death of Washington Intern Chandra Levy
Image by Wikimedia
A District of Columbia judge on Thursday granted a new trial to the man convicted of killing federal intern Chandra Levy in 2001, a case that contributed to a politician’s downfall.
Superior Court Judge Gerald Fisher ordered the retrial for Ingmar Guandique, 34, after prosecutors dropped their opposition to defense lawyers’ request for a new trial in the case, which had riveted the U.S. capital.
Fisher had presided over the 2010 trial that resulted in Guandique being sentenced to 60 years in prison. Defense lawyers had argued that a key witness had lied and court records showed the new trial was assigned to Judge Robert Morin.
Levy, 24, disappeared on May 1, 2001, triggering a wide search. It turned up few details about her whereabouts but brought out allegations that she had an affair with Gary Condit, then a member of the House of Representatives.
The married Condit, a Democrat representing California, acknowledged having a “close relationship” with Levy but maintained he had nothing to do with her disappearance or death.
Despite never being named a suspect, media coverage of the investigation contributed to Condit’s re-election loss in 2002.
Levy’s remains were found in Washington’s Rock Creek Park a year after she disappeared. In 2009 police charged Guandique, who was already imprisoned for attacking women in the same area Levy went missing.
Police came under criticism for a number of missteps early in the investigation, including initially focusing on Condit rather than Guandique.
I hope you appreciated this article. Before you go, I’d like to ask you to please support the Forward’s award-winning journalism this Passover.
In this age of misinformation, our work is needed like never before. We report on the news that matters most to American Jews, driven by truth, not ideology.
At a time when newsrooms are closing or cutting back, the Forward has removed its paywall. That means for the first time in our 126-year history, Forward journalism is free to everyone, everywhere. With an ongoing war, rising antisemitism, and a flood of disinformation that may affect the upcoming election, we believe that free and open access to Jewish journalism is imperative.
Readers like you make it all possible. Right now, we’re in the middle of our Passover Pledge Drive and we still need 300 people to step up and make a gift to sustain our trustworthy, independent journalism.
Make a gift of any size and become a Forward member today. You’ll support our mission to tell the American Jewish story fully and fairly.
— Rachel Fishman Feddersen, Publisher and CEO
Join our mission to tell the Jewish story fully and fairly.
Only 300 more gifts needed by April 30
