by John M. Curtis
(310) 204-8700

Copyright May 27, 2002
All Rights Reserved.

ack in the headlines, missing Modesto intern Chandra Levy's skeletal remains were found buried under thick mulch on a remote slope in Washington's Rock Creek Park, ending a yearlong search begun May 6, 2001. On the back burner since 9-11, the Levy's worst nightmare came true, as forensic experts confirmed Chandra's identity with dental records. "The remains found earlier today are, in fact, Chandra Levy," said D.C. Police Chief Charles H. Ramsey. "The manner and cause of death is still pending," fueling speculation that Chandra was indeed the victim of foul play. Lurking on Capitol Hill, Rep. Gary A. Condit (D-Ceres), the six-term congressmen whose career was torpedoed because of his inept handling of the case, continued to duck the press, issuing a perfunctory press release through his chief of staff Mike Lynch. Condit's poor press relations—including an unflattering interview with veteran news anchor Connie Chung—and his refusal to take an FBI-given lie detector test, caused his political undoing at the polls on March 6.

      D.C. Police repeatedly stated that Condit "was not a suspect," despite interviewing him four times, getting scant details and calling him "defensive." During his second interview, Condit admitted to an affair with the missing 24-year-old intern, insisting that he had nothing to do with her disappearance. "This is no longer a missing person investigation," Ramsey said. "It's being handled as a death investigation. And once we find the manner and the cause of death, it could change again," suggesting it could escalate into a homicide case. Now that D.C. coroner Dr. Jonathan Arden ruled homicide, the police must get cracking. No one can figure out why Condit stonewalled the press, caused undue suspicion and destroyed his political career, claiming he was just protecting his privacy. With the autopsy confirming homicide, the police will be forced to re-interview all witnesses—including Condit. "We have to go back over a lot of things," said Ramsey, implying that he had a lot more questions for Condit.

      Combing through the crime scene, police found remnants of Chandra's personal effects, including her footwear, shooting down the theory that she went jogging, some four miles from her Dupont-Circle apartment. On May 1, 2001, Chandra's laptop computer revealed that she performed an Internet search of Klingle Mansion, a stone dwelling about a mile from where her remains were found. When Chandra departed her apartment, she took only her keys, leaving her wallet and belongings intact, expecting to return sometime soon. Though conjecture, it's more likely that she was coaxed out, picked up and whisked away to what she thought was a rendezvous at Klingle Mansion, perhaps with her secret lover Gary Condit, with whom she had a recent falling out. Chandra's April 30 cell phone records indicate that she frantically tried to contact Condit before she disappeared May 1. Instead of meeting Condit, she was abducted, murdered and dumped in a remote part of Rock Creek Park.

      Before her disappearance, Chandra left her 41-year-old aunt Linda Zamsky an urgent message. "She had something big, something important to tell her, and to please call back," said Chandra's message. Shortly thereafter, the National Inquirer reported that the "something big" was that Chandra was pregnant with Condit's baby. When you consider that Condit shunned the media, tried to dispose of evidence, refused to take an FBI lie detector test and tried to coax former lover Anna Marie Smith to sign false affidavit denying an affair, only leads to the conclusion that Condit attempted to cover up key facts in the Levy investigation. With the National Inquirer revelation alone, it gave the D.C. police ample motive to name Condit as a suspect in a criminal probe. Faced with Levy going public with her pregnancy, Condit feared a career-ending catastrophe. Unwilling to accede to Chandra's demands, he found another way keep her from talking. Speculation of not, it warrants naming Condit a suspect in a criminal probe.

      Since the story broke on May 6, 2001, Condit refused to speak with press, following his Washington attorney's advice. Abbe Lowell warned Condit that any public statement could be used against him. During his first interview with the police, Condit denied a sexual liaison with the Modesto intern. Only after Chandra's aunt Linda Zamsky went public with Chandra's affair did Condit admit to a romantic relationship. Condit has never protested his innocence, allowing his attorney and PR handler Marina Ein to do the talking. No truly innocent person buttons his lips. They seek any opportunity to speak out in their own defense. From the get-go, Condit called more suspicion to himself by ducking the press and sacrificing his political career. Last July, when D.C. assistant Police Chief Terrance Gainer said "Condit was not a suspect before the meeting, he was not a suspect during the meeting and he is not a suspect after the meeting," no one bought his logic other than Abbe Lowell. For anyone following the story, Condit's always been the prime suspect—just as any other estranged lover.

      With D.C. medical examiner ruling Chandra's death a homicide, the police now have to fish or cut bait. No longer a missing person, Levy-family Washington attorney William R. "Billy" Martin said the police "will upgrade this death investigation to a homicide investigation. Chandra Levy did not walk over to the park, fall down the hill and die." When that happens, all material witnesses including Rep. Gary Condit will have to answer more questions. Surely the police will want to know why Condit tried to get former lover Anna Marie Smith to sign a false affidavit. They will also want to know why he tried to dispose of evidence, a watch box given to another former lover. Most elected officials deny out-of-wedlock love affairs. But they don't tamper with witnesses, obstruct justice and sabotage their careers by stonewalling the press. So far, the D.C. police have given Condit a free pass. With all the parts of the puzzle falling together, it's time to convene a grand jury and find out what really happened.

About the Author

John M. Curtis is editor of OnlineColumnist.com and columnist for the Los Angeles Daily Journal. He's director of a Los Angeles think tank specializing in corporate consulting and strategic communication. He's author of Dodging The Bullet and Operation Charisma.

©1999-2012 Discobolos Consulting Services, Inc.
(310) 204-8300
All Rights Reserved.