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Phillip Garrido apologizes in new letter

Page Last Updated: Friday November 13, 2009 8:45am PST

Phillip Garrido.

In his third jailhouse letter to Sacramento NBC affiliate KCRA 3, Phillip Garrido issued an apology "for what has taken place" and referenced "ending a sexual problem believed to be impossible."

Garrido is the convicted rapist accused of kidnapping Jaycee Lee Dugard nearly two decades ago and holding her in a backyard compound at his Contra Costa County home. He's also believed to have fathered two children with her.

The letter, which KCRA 3 received Thursday, read in part, "First off I would like to apologize to every human being for what has taken place."

It continued, "People all over the world are hearing testimony that through the spirit of Christ a mental process took place ending a sexual problem believed to be impossible."

The letter was addressed to anchorman Walt Gray, who Garrido called from jail shortly after his arrest.

"Mr. Garrido is expressing genuine remorse. He would like people to consider the fact that he's a changed man and his story is best told all at one time, instead of in pieces. He presents obvious issues concerning whether or not he is competent to be a defendant, and we are looking into that," said his attorney, Public Defender Susan Gellman, in a telephone interview Thursday evening from St. Petersburg, Fla.

Garrido remains in custody at the El Dorado County Jail in Placerville, as he and wife Nancy Garrido await trial on multiple charges each. They've pleaded not guilty.

"To me, this almost rises to the level of what psychologists would call a partial apology. It's almost like he's saying, 'I have a problem, and what I did was a problem.' But he's certainly not taking full responsibility for his actions," said Donna Shestowsky, a law professor at UC Davis with a PhD in psychology.

In a September letter to KCRA 3, Phillip Garrido claimed Dugard's "free speach [sic] rights are being violated." McGregor Scott, a former U.S. attorney representing Dugard, had declined to comment on that allegation.

Scott has also said his client wants to work with officials on the Garrido case, and that her past is just that -- in the past.

"Miss Dugard is fully committed to working with law enforcement to ensure that Mr. Garrido is held fully accountable for the crimes he has committed," Scott said.

Dugard was 11-years-old when she was abducted. She resurfaced in late August in the East Bay.

The case broke after Garrido was spotted with two children as he tried to enter the University of California, Berkeley, campus to hand out religious literature. The officers said he was acting suspiciously toward the children. They questioned him and did a background check, determining he was a parolee, and informed his parole officer.

Garrido was ordered to appear for a parole meeting and arrived with Dugard, his wife and two children.

According to a report from the state Office of the Inspector General, Dugard told parole officers Garrido was a "changed man and a great person who was good with her kids," when she and Garrido showed up at the parole office.

When she was questioned further, Dugard, who'd identified herself as "Alyssa," told officials "she might need a lawyer."

Then, "Alyssa said she was sorry she had lied," according to the report. "She explained that she was from Minnesota and had been hiding for five years from an abusive husband. She was terrified of being found."

However, "Alyssa" later identified herself as Dugard, and "confirmed that she had been kidnapped and raped by Garrido."

The inspector general's report blasted the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation for its supervision of Garrido's parole.

-KCRA.com provided this report.

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