Sunday School Teacher Pleads Guilty in Girl's Murder

Melissa Huckaby denies sexually abusing Sandra Cantu

(AP) - A California Sunday school teacher who pleaded guilty to kidnapping and murdering an 8-year-old neighbor made a tearful apology to the victim's family today as she was sentenced to life in prison. "She did not suffer, and I did not sexually molest her," said Melissa Huckaby, who avoided the death penalty with the plea. "I'm asking you, Maria, for your forgiveness. I can't imagine forgiving someone who harmed my daughter. I hope someday you can forgive me." More»

(NEWSER) - The accused killer of an 8-year-old California girl has been linked to an earlier abduction of a child in the same community, reports the Tracy Press. A 7-year-old girl was led from her neighborhood in January by a woman driving the same kind of car belonging to Sunday school teacher Melissa Huckaby. The teacher was charged last week with murdering Sandra Cantu, a friend of Huckaby's young daughter. Huckaby, Cantu and the abducted girl all lived in the same trailer park. More»

(NEWSER) - Family and friends of Melissa Huckaby can’t believe the Sunday school teacher might have killed and raped 8-year-old Sandra Cantu, the San Francisco Chronicle reports. "She was actually really mellow and a good friend, and she loved her daughter so much,” a college friend says. And with police still working the case, some observers suspect that another arrest is on the way—and that Huckaby is just covering up for a man. More»

Huckaby swallowed three knife blades before arrest

(NEWSER) - Days before she was arrested for the rape and murder of Sandra Cantu, California Sunday-school teacher Melissa Huckaby attempted suicide by swallowing three razor blades, CBS reports. She was hospitalized and remained under suicide watch until yesterday’s hearing, where a sobbing Huckaby learned she could face the death penalty for murder, kidnapping, and rape with a foreign object of her daughter’s 8-year-old playmate. More»

Prosecutors file charges of murder, kidnapping, and rape

(NEWSER) - A California Sunday school teacher arrested for the murder of 8-year-old Sandra Cantu is now eligible for the death penalty after prosecutors added three “special circumstances,” to her charges today, the San Francisco Chronicle reports. The San Joaquin County DA alleges that Melissa Huckaby killed the girl after kidnapping her, sexually assaulting her, and raping her with a foreign object. More»