Murder suspect charmed some people

He shoveled snow and carried groceries for a neighbor. He cared for a sick girlfriend by pressing a cool cloth to her head all afternoon. A former high school girlfriend called him "the one person who has made me feel completely safe in this world." Testimonies from family and friends in a 2000 child molestation case cast a sympathetic light on 30-year-old John Albert Gardner III, now accused of murdering 17-year-old Chelsea King while he was on a run and raping or attempting to rape her. Gardner, who pleaded not guilty Wednesday to murder and assault with intent to commit rape, was linked to King's death from semen found in the v i c t i m ' s c l o t h i n g , s a i d California Department of Justice of spokesman Christine Gasparac. A body that authorities believe is Chelsea's was discovered Tuesday in a shallow grave on the south shore of Lake Hodges in a wilderness area near a park where she was last seen five days earlier in running clothes. Her car was discovered at the park with her belongings inside. Gardner stood silently in court, wrists shackled to his waist and eyes cast downward during Wednesday's brief hearing. Brent and Kelly King, Chelsea's parents, sat several rows back. "We know that this has rocked San Diego," said District Attorney Bonnie Dumanis. "It has rocked all of us." A court-appointed psychiatrist, Dr. Matthew Carroll, urged the "maximum sentence allowed by law" in 2000 for Gardner for molesting a 13-yearold neighbor at his home, according to court documents. He called him "an extremely poor candidate" for treatment because he refused to admit any responsibility. Dr. Mark Kalish, who shares an office with Carroll, said his colleague was saddened and angered by the news about Gardner, feeling his advice was ignored. "He didn't want there to be any ambiguity or doubt about his assessment," Kalish said. "How much bigger a red flag could Dr. Carroll have raised?" A defense sentencing memorandum shows Gardner also had sympathizers.