Justice for Rhonda and Donnie

What has happened to journalism? Are there any left that actually research a story before publishing it? Does justice or injustice only belong to the stories that make us feel good? It is because of this type of journalism that I created this blog, to tell the story the media refuses to tell.

In this day of DNA there are so many different forms of it being used to solve decades old crimes. Even I thoroughly enjoy reading about cold cases being solved this way. But not all crimes fall into those DNA categories and one of those unfortunately is Rhonda and Donnie’s murder. Crucial evidence from the trial was destroyed and what was found to perform DNA on now only proved what the investigation uncovered back in 1978. However, not one single story written since the reopening of the case has talked about the evidence that existed back then. That’s the lazy journalism that exists today.

There is one slight exception…

I recently read a magazine article from another country that shared the story of Rhonda and Donnie’s murder. The majority of the article focused on RDK’s tragic story of his so-called injustice but they at least added a small section that touched on the crime scene and actual evidence, which is more than I can say for any media outlet in the US. Here are some excerpts from that article (once again I will be inserting acronyms in place of real names):

“At his trial in April 1979 the coroner testified that he had examined RDK after his arrest and found he had a cut on his upper lip, and scratches on his arms, chest, back and penis.”
“Police recovered a bloody towel and a child’s t-shirt from RDK’s apartment.”
“Rhonda had suffered vaginal trauma but no semen was recovered from her body.”

As you know I did share in my blog an entry entitled Irresponsible Reporting. That is just one of many media stories that have only shared RDK’s story (as he tells it) and not Rhonda and Donnie’s. Almost all media outlets refuse to speak of the evidence against RDK in 1978. They don’t want to muck up their feel good story with messy details like the magazine above did.

It’s really not hard to get this information. There was plenty of newspaper coverage from the Simi Newspaper, The Enterprise. They actually had a journalist sit down and interview our mother and published it. Their journalists were at court proceedings and trials and reported on what they saw and heard. Those were real reporters reporting the facts. My mother saved every single newspaper article and I am grateful as I have had to rely heavily on them lately.

Before pointing out the negative reporting I do have to give a high five to one outlet that did it right. Mike Morford does a podcast called Murder In My Family and another called Criminology, and he interviewed me a while back (The Murder In My Family Podcast 11/6/2021). To be honest he is the only person who has interviewed me and actually used it! He not only asked great questions but let me speak openly. Thank you, Mike!

I recently found out that a small unknown media production company is making a documentary about RDK and XCV, because as you know their story is much more important than Rhonda and Donnie’s injustice. Now I’ve only seen the trailers but I wasn’t surprised to discover it is all biased to make us all think RDK was unjustly targeted by those bad cops in the Simi Valley Police Department, or maybe it was just the one “bad” cop; who knows?

Another biased interview was a journalist from a well known Los Angeles newspaper. This journalist actually did a 2-hour phone interview with me back in 2018. She even made the effort to track me down to my place of employment. I found out later she had even interviewed OI as well, but as expected from a biased media nothing ever came of it. But when asked to be in a documentary she gladly accepted.

I never received any communication from the documentary maker so obviously he doesn’t want to know the truth of the crime and investigation from 1978. He is just as guilty of biased journalism as all the others.

Unfortunately there was some negative reporting back in 1978 too. A certain small newspaper that, in my opinion, was more tabloid trash than real news, decided to side 100% with RDK. At that time they were pinning the murder on a man that lived downstairs from Rhonda, the same man that first said he heard noises at 5:30 then changed it to 4:30, or visa versa. I knew even then it couldn’t be him because he was a small, frail man.

Today, or at least last I heard, they are trying to pin it on two other people who were friends of Rhonda’s. Both these men were investigated in 1978 and cleared.

Neither of these men had a towel with Rhonda’s blood on it or an old wet t-shirt belonging to Donnie found in their apartment. But RDK did! Back in 1978 he even had a story to explain how those items came to be in his apartment. Now I’m paraphrasing but he said Rhonda came over in the early morning hours the day before the murder to have sex, with Donnie in tow. She wanted to have sex with him because she was “confused.” She was on her period so they used a towel to clean up the blood. At some point Donnie was sick in some fashion I’m not sure of, and the t-shirt was used to clean that up.

All of a sudden in 2013, whenever RDK filed for clemency, he stated his reason for seeking clemency was because he was framed and those items were “planted” in his apartment. Believe it or not, that’s what he claimed. What happened to his original testimony?

How come not one journalist in the US has bothered to mention this discrepancy of his? It took a journalist outside the US to mention it.

What is it I want the public to know?

The evidence that convinced a jury to determine beyond a shadow of a doubt that RDK was guilty of murdering Rhonda and Donnie. He murdered Rhonda for whatever reason he deemed necessary and then murdered Donnie because he could identify the killer.
He had plenty of time. He has referred to his “air tight” alibi, but he actually had a good 20-30 minutes that are not accounted for where he was able to commit the crime.
A towel with Rhonda’s blood and an old t-shirt of Donnie’s, still wet (believed to be saliva from being used to suffocate Donnie), found in RDK’s hamper of dirty clothes in his apartment the day of the murder. In 2016 DNA done on that t-shirt found semen of three different men, two unidentified but one identified as being from the other man Rhonda had been seeing.
RDK’s testimony in 1978 as to how those items came to be in his apartment magically changed in 2015.
The cop RDK accuses of “planting” the evidence was with the police department; it was the sheriff’s department that searched RDK’s apartment.

Another part that convinces me of his guilt is his psychological issues at the time of the murders, and there were a number of people who testified to that at the trial. I go into more detail in my blog post entitled RDK—Personality or Motive but here is a brief outline I noted from these testimonies, a sort of timeline of his emotions leading up to the murder:

At some unknown time in their relationship he was angry enough to slap Rhonda (as testified by a neighbor of Rhonda’s).
He was possessive of her and jealous of other men in her life (a friend testified).
Nine days before the murder he was reported to be upset, disturbed, acutely depressed, crying, and giving hateful looks (RDK’s doctor testified).
He was a failure at work (his boss said he never completed a shift).
He was a failure at his relationship with Rhonda.
Four days before the murder he was reported to be unhappy, needed psych treatment, was getting rejected from Rhonda and having problems with his parents (RDK’s therapist)
Hours before the murder he was yet rejected by another woman (he had asked her out and she had refused because she already had a date).

You see, if there still existed real journalists who cared about victims of crimes instead of their own recognition they would have dug deeper into the story, the trial and testimony from 1978 and found these discrepancies to RDK’s claims. They would see that maybe he isn’t this innocent human being that endured 38 years in prison, that maybe he did actually commit this crime.

I recently read the book Unmasked by Paul Holes. He shares his thoughts about dealing with reporters and it really hit home for me. He said his experience with them was, “Often a one-way street. What can you do for me? What can you do for me again? What have you done for me lately?” I think that sums up my experience as well.

The bottom line is they can get as many people as they possibly can to say all the reasons why RDK is not guilty but the evidence from 1978 showed otherwise. I challenge one honest, caring journalist to research the actual evidence. Go back and read old newspapers or old court documents. There is plenty online to find. I would even be willing to share what I have.

If you would like to know real names for the acronyms just email me, or just have any questions I will be more than happy to respond: RandDjustice@gmail.com