Plea bargains for Lincoln Park attacker Duane Starkenburg – in both cases against him

Just as he was about to go to trial – with jury selection to start within a day or so – Duane Starkenburg has struck a deal in both cases against him. He is the Gatewood man charged a year ago with attacking women joggers and then charged last fall in a years-old child rape case (he has been in jail since his arrest in that case). The King County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office says that Starkenburg has pleaded guilty in connection with both cases:

(He) pleaded guilty to two counts of Assault Second Degree and one count of Assault Third Degree with Sexual Motivation for assaulting three women joggers in West Seattle’s Lincoln Park in 2010 and 2011. In each assault, Starkenburg would grab a female jogger and plant his face into the victim’s buttocks.

He also pleaded guilty to a separate charge of Child Molestation Second Degree for sexually assaulting a girl who was 9 or 10 years old, an incident that occurred approximately ten years ago and was recently reported. The total sentence range is 103 to 130 months in prison. Prosecutors will recommend 116 months when Starkenburg is sentenced on April 13 before Judge Sharon Armstrong at the King County Courthouse, 2:30 p.m. in courtroom E-847.

(That would be 4 months short of 10 years.) The original charges against Starkenburg were: In the Lincoln Park attacks, two counts of indecent liberties and one count of attempted indecent liberties; in the other case, child rape. That case was to be tried at some point after the completion of the trial that was to start this week in the jogger-attacks case.

(Photo from February 2011 hearing by Mike Siegel/Seattle Times, republished with permission)

dbsea April 2, 2012 (4:07 pm)

This guy should never walk the street again. The butt raspberries are bad enough but child rape? Unfortunately he may be deemed “safe enough” to be let loose on the public once again. Which is really just gambling that he won’t rape somebody else’s kid. But we’ll have to take that gamble in order to protect his rights. Which, like with too many ill or evil criminals, are evidently worth more than yours or mine.

Harry Reems April 2, 2012 (4:19 pm)

He needs to be put away for a LONG Time.

Hoss April 2, 2012 (4:43 pm)

Will he have to register as a Sex Offender from here on out?

LE April 2, 2012 (4:47 pm)

I believe current Washington state laws will allow a panel to review his risk of reoffending at the end of the ten years, and keep him behind bars longer if he is still deemed high risk to reoffend.

cj April 2, 2012 (5:09 pm)

I don’t think anyone who admits to molesting children should be able to plea bargain.

CB April 2, 2012 (6:07 pm)

Nearly 10 years… that’s some hard time.

Ws April 2, 2012 (7:43 pm)

I’m proud of the (once) child victim for coming forward that takes incredible courage. And likely where there is one there is another. Thank God this victim also gets her day I court before the statute of limitations ran out.

john April 2, 2012 (8:46 pm)

pfft…See what happens to him if he comes around my girls. Wife too.

Sonoma April 2, 2012 (11:54 pm)

I hope Judge Armstrong shows him the strong arm of the law. Sadly, I doubt this guy can be rehabilitated. That photo alone gives me the creeps!

furor scribendi April 3, 2012 (1:07 pm)

Maximum time for offenders like this; and unending parole if he ever gets out. I agree with CJ on no plea bargains for child molesters, ever.

Nearby Resident April 3, 2012 (1:57 pm)

I am wondering, after seeing his road rage record, if this was the same man who followed me into a gas station on Admiral after becoming enraged that I had beeped a greeting to a neighbour walking along the street. He followed me in, jumped out of his van, started screaming at me and banging on the glass. Luckily, there were several large men in a nearby truck that came to my rescue, and called 911 as I did the same. The guy took off, the police came and were taking a statement when the guy returned. He admitted what had happened and I did not press charges, hoping being cuffed and questioned would scare him enough. He did admit exactly what he had done. God only knows WHY he came back. Maybe he realized there were several witnesses and we got his license plate number. I don’t know for sure. He was an odd one

Nearby Resident April 3, 2012 (1:58 pm)

wait, it that him in the picture??? Looks like the same guy to me, if so!!

WSB April 3, 2012 (2:06 pm)

Yes, that’s him in the photo. However, he’s been in jail for months, so if it happened recently, it couldn’t have been him. – TR

Nearby Resident April 3, 2012 (2:09 pm)

Hi Tr,
Nope, this was a few years ago, before the really nice cop that looked just like Robin Williams retired. I cannot recall his name, but his beat was the main core of W Seattle, mostly. I saw him at Easy Street a good bit.

none ya April 4, 2012 (12:24 am)

This guy is a weirdo for sure. I can say that because I know him well. I pray for his elderly parents that have to go through this. They lost a daughter twenty years ago to murder. To have to deal with this situation is so awful.
I hope he learns something while he is in jail.

ME April 4, 2012 (5:50 am)

10 years isn’t enough … there “are” other victims. And yes, God Bless the “child” that came forward.

Errol April 6, 2012 (8:11 pm)

That’s a pretty good sent if you ask me… Ask yourself what you did for the last 10 years? He will probably get some of the same treatment he dished out by Bubba and his friends in the slammer. Plus he will be a registered sex offender for the rest of his life. What do you guys want, the death penalty?

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