April 30th 2001, before 9/11, nothing much to cover news wise, when 24 year old Chandra Levy a Washington Intern disappeared. There was a recent series on this, Who Killed Chandra Levy, in the Washington Post, which sparked off memories of this incident. It occurred at the end of my sophomore year in high school. You lived it if you lived anywhere near or around D.C. at the time. This was the only thing on the local news here on and up until 9/11.
Covered 24 hours a day, they hounded a congressman from California, Cary Condit, with whom Levy was having an affair. We were all sure he was guilty, at least if we listened to her parents on the news every night and the media insinuations we did. Condit’s career essentially ended after this, as tends to happen when it becomes known that a married legislator is screwing a young intern even if the affair doesn’t end with the intern’s demise, but though he was never an official suspect, he was the only suspect in our minds.
We know now there were huge mistakes in this case. There had been attacks in Rock Creek Park the man convicted of them, now in jail, was a suspect at the time. Chandra had been searching a map of Rock Creek Park before she disappeared, but they searched Rock Creek Park — there was no body, (they found her body in Rock Creek Park a year later), the investigation was shoddy, the police chief was busy holding continual news conferences, basking in the glow like a mother with Munchausen by Proxy. Because of this, what we knew, what the news made us believe, was that a congressman was doing it with a young intern, she disappeared, and he most likely killed her so his wife and family wouldn’t find out. The rest was left to our imagination. We speculated she was pregnant, she told him she was going public with their affair, or any number of other scenarios. The police knew better, even at the time.
Like the Post series said,“The Chandra Levy case is the most famous unsolved murder in modern Washington, a mystery involving sex, power and secrets.” Truth be told the media and the world wanted it to be about sex power and secrets, so we settled on into it. A soap opera of sorts.
It looks like an arrest is finally going to be made in the Levy case. The man already convicted of attacking others in Rock Creek, the seemingly most logical choice from the beginning, is about to be charged with Chandra’s murder. And though some, possibly even the Levy family lawyer, might still believe that Chandra was placed in Rock Creek Park that year later, the police could not have missed her the first time around, and that her death was carried out by those who wished to exploit her relationship with Condit in order to hurt Condit and destroy his political viability, it’s too late for Condit. The monkey will be off his back though, and he can.…..write a book.
This is what happens when you get in early Sunday morning and read web news before you go to bed. I claim no responsibility for spelling and grammar difficulties after 2 AM. All errors will be repaired in the morning.
Much later in the morning.
Peace
Tags: chandra levy, Murder
I think the lesson is that any story which appears more than three times a day on tv or on more than 10% of blogs are best ignored.
Doug’s last blog post..The Reformation of Wolfshausen
You are wise in your thinking.
I remember the case, even being from California. It got a little more attention after 9/11, when Lacey Peterson went missing. It was mentioned on the news that her husband, Scott Peterson, also had a connection with Chandra Levy, and he was a suspect in THAT case as well. But only for about a minute.
That is pretty freaky if he did, I don’t recall hearing that.
I remember it, and saw the recent Post series. It’s funny how it was so slanted against Condit at the time, when it looks like they, meaning law enforcement, never really thought he did it. I’d never heard that part about her death being attributed to those who wanted Condit ruined, but I know they searched the park with some kind of chain or grid procedure and there are many in law enforcement who thought, because of that, it is difficult to believe she showed up there a year later. But like you said, he can now write a book and because he is no longer a suspect people might even
buy it.
john’s last blog post..Good Read
And we can purchase it when it goes on clearance.
basking in the glow like a mother with Munchausen by Proxy
One of my favorite lines anywhere by anyone
Yes it was too well reported in NY also. There was more than a bit of blame the victim – she was having an affair; she was young and wild. I’m not praising her parents but no parent should have 1) a missing daughter 2) have to hear that she like Jennifer Levin, a decade and a half before, was a bit guilty of her own demise. Comparisons were made though I can’t imagine by anybody with any sense.
Looking back I understand that so much attention was paid to Levy in NY because people were sick of 9/11. The public needed gossip and the usual suspects were scared to be the first to end “the end of irony.”
There were parallels drawn with Monica and Bill, at least in NY – young “sexy” (used loosely in Monica’s case) girl; older powerful man.
Again I’m not sure if so much attention would have been paid if not for 9/11. We were supposed to pay homage to it 24/7 and when you live next to it…well it’s easier for people whose lives weren’t so intertwined. From bloggers I learned how much DC was affected
I was off in my own world mourning my own non-9/11 loss, fracturing friendships that are only now beginning to heal, and I have to admit that I paid too much attention to Levy as it was easy. No brain cells involved
Thanks Cooper I find myself working things out in your comments
pia’s last blog post..Hey Daddy
Pia is right that is a great line.
Who can forget the story? It is funny how things look 8 years later, so different, so much clearer when you take the facts and separate them from the news.
I read Condit owns a couple ice cream parlors.
Baskin-Robbins.
I lean toward the conspiracy theory. For fun you understand.
g’s last blog post..What I’m Reading and Buying
Well, the suspect is adamantly denying it, as he would.
Allow me to be at least the third one to compliment you on the Munchausen by Proxy line:) I remember this, of course. The way these kinds of deaths are covered always seems so disrepectful to the dead.
I was creeped out more recently by seeing tapes of Natalie Holliway twirling and twirling and twirling that baton – all those video tapes of a young woman who is no more, all the personality assassination.
actonbell’s last blog post..We Went to the Movies
The whole Natalee Hollaway thing was kept alive by her mother though, in hopes of finding her alive. It is funny how some deaths are considered worth covering and some, of more atrocious, are not. Young blonds always get coverage.
I saw the recent post series, prior to that I’d forgotten about it, but I remember the sensationalism, and 9/11 did take the wind out of the sails of this story.
I thought it odd they found her body in that park a year later considering the search was pretty thorough and most things bodies don’t stay hidden in that part for that long, and even though there are some areas considered “remote” there aren’t any truly remote parts.
On the NYU post you shut the comments off on — inconveniently. Don’t dis Hofstra, they have a decent Lacrosse team. ;)
casey’s last blog post..Start of the Season
That’s impressive. ;0
I hope they have the right guy this time.