Chelsea King's Parents on 'Larry King': "Put These Monsters Behind Bars Forever"

The parents of California teen Chelsea King, who authorities believe was raped and murdered by a registered sex offender, appeared on CNN's "Larry King Live" Thursday evening to talk about their daughter's case and to press for tougher standards against sex offenders, especially repeat offenders. Kelly King told the talk show host that she and her husband, Brent, were "committed for the rest of our lives to be a part of that."

Authorities believe they found the body of 17-year-old Chelsea King Tuesday in a shallow grave not far from where she was to have been running in Rancho Bernardo Community Park in Poway, California, just north of San Diego. The Poway High School cross country runner had been missing since the previous Thursday when she failed to make it home after going to the park. Searches in the area yielded physical evidence that led to the arrest of 30-year-old John Albert Gardner III, a man convicted in 1990 of lewd and lascivious behavior with a 13-year-old neighbor.

Gardner was arraigned Wednesday and pleaded not guilty to the rape and murder of Chelsea King. He also pleaded not guilty to a charge of intent to commit rape against a female jogger that he is alleged to have attacked in December.

"How many times do our daughters need to be raped before we put these monsters behind bars forever?" Kelly King asked her host, Larry King.

In a difficult interview -- Larry King was visibly uncomfortable asking many of the questions about the case -- the Kings revealed that they were committing their lives to altering existing laws to strengthen standards against sex offenders. They were especially outraged that John Gardner had been released even though there had been psychological evidence proffered suggesting he serve the rest of his sentence when incarcerated in 1990. He served five years.

Kelly and Brent King were outraged that he was allegedly staying at his parents house, just a mile from where Chelsea King went missing, when he allegedly committed the crime. His address is listed in the sex offender registry as Lake Elsinore, a town over 75 miles to the north.

Kelly King said, "I just don't -- I don't get it. Change has to be made, and I know that there are people out there that are trying to, you know, get this change in place."

In moving toward a life of child and victim advocacy, Kelly and Brent King will follow in a long line of parents who have dedicated their lives to instituting and strengthening sex offender laws after their children have become victims. Among them, John Walsh, famed for his work with missing children and host of Fox Television's "America's Most Wanted," saw the signing into law of Adam's Law (which created a national sex offender database and categorized sex offenses) in 2006. The Walsh family founded the Adam Walsh Child Resource Center, an organization dedicated to legislative reform. It later merged with the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children.

John Walsh's 6-year-old son, Adam, was abducted from a mall in Florida in broad daylight in 1979. His severed head was recovered 16 days later but the rest of his remains have never been found. In 2008, the case was closed, laying the blame for the crime on convicted serial murderer and rapist Otis Toole, who had confessed to killing Adam Walsh on a number of occasions.

Another advocate for reform is Marc Klaas, who helps run the KlaasKids Foundation, an organization dedicated to instituting stronger sentences against violent sexual offenders. Klaas' daughter, Polly, was abducted and murdered in 1993. Her murderer, Richard Allen Davis, was convicted of her murder and sentenced to death in 1996. KlaasKids Foundation was formed to work in conjunction with (but is not part of) the Polly Klaas Foundation, which is a nonprofit organization that exists to help prevent crimes against children, assists in the recovery of missing children, and lobbies for legislative assistance. Polly Klaas' mother, Eve Nichol, serves on the board of the Polly Klaas Foundation.

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For more information about KlaasKids Foundation, go to KlaasKids.org.

For more information about the Polly Klaas Foundation, go to PollyKlaas.org.

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Sources:

CNN.com
"The Killing Of Polly Klaas," TruTV.com
"The Story of Adam Walsh," AMW.com