In California, justice is a revolving door—but only if you’re the criminal. Victims, meanwhile, are left standing outside wondering when their nightmare will return. The Golden State’s progressive experiment in “rehabilitation” has produced no shortage of cautionary tales, but few as stomach-turning as what unfolded this month in Sacramento.
A 64-year-old man who spent decades behind bars for unspeakable crimes against children was granted his freedom. Not because he’d served his time. Not because new evidence exonerated him. But because California decided that monsters deserve second chances too.
David Allen Funston was convicted in 1999 on 16 counts of kidnapping and child molestation. His hunting ground was the suburbs of Sacramento, where he prowled neighborhood streets in his car, searching for prey. His weapons of choice: Barbie dolls and candy. His victims: at least eight children—seven girls and one boy—ranging in age from three to seven years old.
One victim, a five-year-old immigrant girl who barely spoke English, was assaulted and abandoned fifty miles from her home. The judge who sentenced Funston called him “the monster parents fear the most.” The court handed down three consecutive life sentences.
Hellbound and Down 