Krystal Dawn Steadman
| Krystal Dawn Steadman | |
|---|---|
| Born | Krystal Dawn Steadman August 25, 1990 |
| 💀Died | March 19, 2000 (aged 9) South Lake Tahoe, NevadaMarch 19, 2000 (aged 9) |
| Cause of death | Lacerations, Exsanguination |
| Body discovered | March 20, 1990, Nevada State Route 400 |
| Burial place | Happy Homestead Cemetery, Sierra Nevada |
| Monuments | Nevada State Route 400 near Carson City, Nevada (dismantled) |
| 💼 Occupation | |
| 👴 👵 Parent(s) | Elizabeth and John Steadman |
| 👪 Relatives | Les Bucknell (grandfather) John Bucknell (uncle) |
| Family | Sonya Klempner (sister) |
Krystal Dawn Steadman is a 9-year-old girl who was raped and murdered by Thomas Soria, Sr., with the complicity of his son, Thomas Soria, Jr., in South Lake Tahoe, Nevada, in 2000.
Crime[edit]
On March 19, 2000, Krystal and her mother Elizabeth visited friends at the Lakeview Apartments in Stateline, Nevada. Krystal disappeared when she was let outside to play. The next day, March 20, she was found dead in an embankment off what was then Nevada State Route 50, several miles from Carson City. Krystal was raped, she was killed from her throat being slashed, and she was found naked and wrapped in a garbage bag. When Elizabeth tried to search for her, she arrive at the Sorias' apartment when she heard Krystal was with Soria, Jr., when she went missing. Jr. let her in, but he alleged his uncle was sleeping and refused her entry through the closed door of the master bedroom. Soria, Jr., would later admit in testimony he lured Krystal to the apartment, reportedly at the behest of his father.[1]
Victim[edit]
Accordingly, to Krystal's father, John Steadman, her parents divorced when she was 4, but the breakup wasn't peaceful and took a toll on the family. John moved with his girlfriend Virginia to Tennessee, reserving a room in their house for Krystal, but he had difficulties with acquiring visitation rights. John hired a lawyer in 1994 to speak with the district attorney in Los Angeles, where their divorce was finalized. It was difficult to find Krystal, as she and Elizabeth moved several times, including to Canoga Park, California and even to Hawaii. In December 1999, John finally had the address of Krystal and Elizabeth from newly filed child support papers. To be careful with reestablishing his bond with her, John sent Krystal Christmas presents by mail carrier. In June 2000, John received a letter from the district attorney's office in El Dorado County, California was "paid in full". When he called the office for answers, he found out his daughter was murdered.[2][3]
Perpetrators[edit]
Robert Thomas Soria, Sr. lost his mother, Janey Mozinga, when his stepbrother Ronny raped and tortured her to death. Ronny's uncle, Soria Sr.'s cousin Douglas Mozinga, committed a mass shooting with a semi-automatic rifle in the Mother Lode Bar in North Sacramento, California in 1982 after a petty scuffle, killing three people and injuring nine more. Douglas would partake in a jail break, then commit suicide shortly after his capture, both in 1985. Sr. was arrested in June 1998 for an obscene phone call. After failing to be hired as an investigator or lottery security officer in Sacramento, Sr. found work as a computer technician. Such proficiency would likely explain text document files stored on his computer, depicting rape and violence against women and girls.[4][5][6]
Robert Thomas Soria, Jr., was repeatedly raped by his father, since he was 4 or 5. Soria, Sr., made Soria, Jr., bring him girls to his house to rape, including girls Soria, Jr., was in love with and wanted to have relationships with. The confirmed reported case publicized is a 15-year-old girl who was raped by Sr. after Jr. told her Sr. had "brain tumors" that would "explode" and kill him if he was upset that he didn't get to rape her. The Sorias originally lived in North Highlands, California, until January 1999. Jr. was hired seven months before the murder at the Lake Tahoe Boys and Girls Club, which gave him access to children. His background check only turned up a charge of suspected check kiting.[7][8][9]
Aftermath[edit]
Soria, Jr., took a guilty plea to rape, murder, and kidnapping charges and was sentenced to life imprisonment, staying housed at Ely Correctional. On December 19, 2001, Soria, Sr., was found dead in his cell when discovered unresponsive, the day after his first and only day of his trial to decide on capital punishment. Theories of cause of death included a hole in Sr.'s heart, as he was confirmed to be taking prescriptions for cardiac problems he had since 1987. Final conclusions revealed Soria, Sr., died by suicide, age 40. The state paid for his cremation and sent the ashes to his wife in Sacramento, California.[1]
Local resident Cathy Boffa arranged a candlelight vigil on a beach at Lake Tahoe in Krystal's memory. John, who lit his own candle back in Tennessee has worked to make it law that a parent who pays child support is contacted when their child is found to be in any danger. The apartment complex where Krystal was killed has been demolished for redevelopment. Northern Nevada law enforcement developed the Krystal Child Abduction Alert Plan, a program focused on disseminating information about missing children to find and save then sooner.[2]
Krystal is now buried in the Happy Homestead Cemetery, overlooking the Sierra Nevada. Her grave and memorial at the highway where she was found have been adorned with flowers, Teddy bears, Valentine's day candy, and even a Christmas tree. The memorial is a cross, constructed and donated by the Vietnam Veterans and Legacy motorcycle clubs from Reno, Nevada in their collaborative efforts, a man from Incline Village, Nevada providing decorations. Krystal's older sister, Sonya Klempner, and her boyfriend Tracy Heer were resent during and participated in the cross' placement in its cement foundation, Sonya tying four pink balloons to the monument. One of the bikers read a prayer to complete the ceremony.[10][11]
There, however, was much outrage over the memorials, with reasons varying from being in the paths of snow plows to being considered a health hazard to drivers, despite its placement just behind a traffic barrier. Two memorials previously placed have even been subjected to vandalism. Much to the outrage of Krystal's family and their supporters, the Nevada Department of Transportation removed the last memorial, especially under pressure of lawsuits from other civilians.[12]
In Popular Culture[edit]
Crime fiction has adapted Krystal's murder into their own ripped from the headlines productions, including:
- Cold Case, Season 1, Episode 23 "Lover's Lane".[citation needed]
- Law & Order: Special Victims Unit, Season 12, Episode 20 "Totem".[citation needed]
See also[edit]
- Murder of Kristin Smart, another rape and murder of a young female victim with the complicity of the killer's father.
References[edit]
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 "Soria death ends murder trial". Sierra Sun. 19 December 2001. Retrieved 25 March 2023.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 "Father remembers slain little girl". Tahoe Daily Tribune. 19 December 2001. Retrieved 25 March 2023.
- ↑ Lohr, David. "The Murder of Krystal Dawn Steadman". Crime Library. Retrieved 25 March 2023.
- ↑ "Murder defendants come from criminal family". Nevada Appeal. 20 December 2001. Retrieved 25 March 2023.
- ↑ "Alleged Triple Slayer Dies in Jail Cell". Associated Press. 28 October 1985.
- ↑ "A 29-year-old man hospitalized for attempted suicide was charged..." UPI. 2 October 1982. Retrieved 25 March 2023.
- ↑ "Like Father Like Son". Reviewing the Evidence. March 2003. Retrieved 25 March 2023.
- ↑ "Father of Man Charged in Slaying Also a Suspect". Los Angeles Times. 29 March 2000. Retrieved 25 March 2023.
- ↑ Riley, Brenda (29 March 2000). "Father, son implicated in Tahoe girl's murder". Las Vegas Sun. Retrieved 25 March 2023.
- ↑ "Tag Archives: Krystal Dawn Steadman". Billy Woerner. 7 August 2014. Retrieved 25 March 2023.
- ↑ "Veterans plant memorial cross for 9-year-old Tahoe victim". The Record Courier. 19 December 2001. Retrieved 25 March 2023.
- ↑ "Though her cross will be gone, her memory lives on". Nevada Appeal. 13 November 2023. Retrieved 25 March 2023.
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