Polly Klaas
Encyclopedia
Polly Hannah Klaas was an American murder victim whose case gained national attention. At the age of twelve, she was kidnapped
at knife point from her mother's home during a slumber party
in Petaluma, California
, on October 1, 1993. She was later strangled. Richard Allen Davis
was convicted of her murder in 1996 and sentenced to death
.
covered the kidnapping.
At the time, Davis was a wanted man: the California Highway Patrol
had issued an all points bulletin
for a violation of parole
for a previous crime; any police officer encountering him was to arrest him on that charge. (The bulletin was broadcast on the CHP channel, which only CHP radios could receive. CHP practice changed after the case; such bulletins are now broadcast on all police channels.)
During the search, police officers encountered Davis in a nearby rural area, where his Ford Pinto
was stuck in the mud. Unaware of the APB, the local police let him go after calling his driver's license
number in to their dispatcher (which only returned his driving record, and not his criminal record). It is believed that he promptly drove to an isolated spot, killed Polly, and buried her in a shallow grave.
On November 30, police arrested Davis for violation of parole during routine patrol and the arresting officer recognized him from police sketches. As his palm print had been found in Klaas' bedroom, he was charged with the crime. Four days later, he led police to Polly's body near Cloverdale
. Davis said that he strangled her from behind with a piece of cloth. Although there was no method to scientifically validate this statement, as the body had decayed for three months, it was consistent with the evidence.
was tried and convicted in 1996 of first-degree murder and four special circumstances (robbery, burglary, kidnapping, and a lewd act on a child) of Polly Klaas. A San Jose, California, Superior Court jury recommended the death sentence for Davis on August 5, 1996. At his formal sentencing by a judge, Davis provoked national outrage by taunting his victim's family. He is currently on death row in San Quentin State Prison, California.
, who had been raised in Petaluma, offered a $200,000 reward for Polly's safe return during the search. After Polly's death, Ryder starred in a film version
of Little Women
and dedicated it to Klaas' memory, since the novel had been Polly's favorite book.
In December 2002, during Ryder's sentencing for shoplifting, her defense attorney mentioned Ryder's efforts during the search. The prosecution attorney countered that statement with the remark, "What's offensive to me is to trot out the body of a dead child." Ryder was visibly upset by this, and the prosecution attorney was admonished by the judge. Marc Klaas later defended Ryder's character and expressed outrage at the prosecutor's comments.
by her family.
In the wake of the murder, Polly's father, Marc Klaas, became a child advocate and established the KlaasKids Foundation. He has made himself available to parents of kidnapped children, and has appeared frequently on Larry King Live
, CNN Headline News
, and Nancy Grace.
Five years after Klaas' murder, a performing arts center was named in her honor in Petaluma.
The story of Klaas' kidnapping and the manhunt for Davis was depicted in episode 1, season 1 of The FBI Files
documentary show, titled "Polly Klaas: Kidnapped" (which premiered October 20, 1998).
In the wake of the murder, politicians in California and other U.S. states supported three strikes law
s, and California's Three Strikes act was signed into law on March 8, 1994.
In 2004, Klaas' paternal grandfather, writer Joe Klaas (who, coincidentally, was best known for having co-authored a book about missing aviator Amelia Earhart
) endorsed California Proposition 66 to "fix the flaw in the [Three Strikes] law". His son, Marc, opposed the law.
Kidnapping
In criminal law, kidnapping is the taking away or transportation of a person against that person's will, usually to hold the person in false imprisonment, a confinement without legal authority...
at knife point from her mother's home during a slumber party
Slumber Party
Slumber Party is an indie rock band from Detroit, Michigan. In 2000, 2 years after the band's formation, they signed to Kill Rock Stars.-Albums:*Slumber Party - Kill Rock Stars *Psychedelicate -Kill Rock Stars...
in Petaluma, California
Petaluma, California
Petaluma is a city in Sonoma County, California, in the United States. In the 2010 Census the population was 57,941.Located in Petaluma is the Rancho Petaluma Adobe, a National Historic Landmark. It was built beginning in 1836 by General Mariano Guadalupe Vallejo, then Commandant of the San...
, on October 1, 1993. She was later strangled. Richard Allen Davis
Richard Allen Davis
Richard Allen Davis is a convicted murderer, whose criminal record fueled support for passage of California's "Three strikes law" for repeat offenders...
was convicted of her murder in 1996 and sentenced to death
Capital punishment
Capital punishment, the death penalty, or execution is the sentence of death upon a person by the state as a punishment for an offence. Crimes that can result in a death penalty are known as capital crimes or capital offences. The term capital originates from the Latin capitalis, literally...
.
Background
On October 1, 1993, Klaas invited two friends for a sleepover. Around 10:30 p.m., she opened her bedroom door to fetch sleeping bags, when she saw a man with a knife. He tied the girls up, told Klaas' friends to count to 1,000, and then kidnapped Klaas. Over the next two months, about 4,000 people helped search for her. TV shows such as 20/20 and America's Most WantedAmerica's Most Wanted
America's Most Wanted is an American television program produced by 20th Television, and was the longest-running program of any kind in the history of the Fox Television Network until it was announced on May 16, 2011 that the series was canceled after twenty-three years, with the final episode...
covered the kidnapping.
At the time, Davis was a wanted man: the California Highway Patrol
California Highway Patrol
The California Highway Patrol is a law enforcement agency of the U.S. state of California. The CHP has patrol jurisdiction over all California highways and also acts as the state police....
had issued an all points bulletin
All points bulletin
An all-points bulletin is a broadcast issued from one US law enforcement agency to another. It typically contains information about a wanted suspect who is to be arrested or a person of interest, for whom law enforcement officers are to look. They are usually dangerous or missing persons. As...
for a violation of parole
Parole
Parole may have different meanings depending on the field and judiciary system. All of the meanings originated from the French parole . Following its use in late-resurrected Anglo-French chivalric practice, the term became associated with the release of prisoners based on prisoners giving their...
for a previous crime; any police officer encountering him was to arrest him on that charge. (The bulletin was broadcast on the CHP channel, which only CHP radios could receive. CHP practice changed after the case; such bulletins are now broadcast on all police channels.)
During the search, police officers encountered Davis in a nearby rural area, where his Ford Pinto
Ford Pinto
The Ford Pinto is a subcompact car produced by the Ford Motor Company for the model years 1971–1980. The car's name derives from the Pinto horse. Initially offered as a two-door sedan, Ford offered "Runabout" hatchback and wagon models the following year, competing in the U.S. market with the AMC...
was stuck in the mud. Unaware of the APB, the local police let him go after calling his driver's license
Driver's license
A driver's license/licence , or driving licence is an official document which states that a person may operate a motorized vehicle, such as a motorcycle, car, truck or a bus, on a public roadway. Most U.S...
number in to their dispatcher (which only returned his driving record, and not his criminal record). It is believed that he promptly drove to an isolated spot, killed Polly, and buried her in a shallow grave.
On November 30, police arrested Davis for violation of parole during routine patrol and the arresting officer recognized him from police sketches. As his palm print had been found in Klaas' bedroom, he was charged with the crime. Four days later, he led police to Polly's body near Cloverdale
Cloverdale, California
Cloverdale is a city in Sonoma County, California, United States. The San Francisco and North Pacific Railroad reached Cloverdale in 1872. The Cloverdale Rancheria of Pomo Indians of California is headquartered here...
. Davis said that he strangled her from behind with a piece of cloth. Although there was no method to scientifically validate this statement, as the body had decayed for three months, it was consistent with the evidence.
Conviction
Richard Allen DavisRichard Allen Davis
Richard Allen Davis is a convicted murderer, whose criminal record fueled support for passage of California's "Three strikes law" for repeat offenders...
was tried and convicted in 1996 of first-degree murder and four special circumstances (robbery, burglary, kidnapping, and a lewd act on a child) of Polly Klaas. A San Jose, California, Superior Court jury recommended the death sentence for Davis on August 5, 1996. At his formal sentencing by a judge, Davis provoked national outrage by taunting his victim's family. He is currently on death row in San Quentin State Prison, California.
Winona Ryder
Actress Winona RyderWinona Ryder
Winona Ryder is an American actress. She made her film debut in the 1986 film Lucas. Ryder's first significant role came in Tim Burton's Beetlejuice as a goth teenager, which won her critical and commercial recognition...
, who had been raised in Petaluma, offered a $200,000 reward for Polly's safe return during the search. After Polly's death, Ryder starred in a film version
Little Women (1994 film)
Little Women is a 1994 American drama film directed by Gillian Armstrong. The screenplay by Robin Swicord is based on the Louisa May Alcott novel of the same name. It is the fifth feature film adaptation of the Alcott classic, following silent versions released in 1917 and 1918, a 1933 George...
of Little Women
Little Women
Little Women is a novel by American author Louisa May Alcott . The book was written and set in the Alcott family home, Orchard House, in Concord, Massachusetts. It was published in two volumes in 1868 and 1869...
and dedicated it to Klaas' memory, since the novel had been Polly's favorite book.
In December 2002, during Ryder's sentencing for shoplifting, her defense attorney mentioned Ryder's efforts during the search. The prosecution attorney countered that statement with the remark, "What's offensive to me is to trot out the body of a dead child." Ryder was visibly upset by this, and the prosecution attorney was admonished by the judge. Marc Klaas later defended Ryder's character and expressed outrage at the prosecutor's comments.
Aftermath
Klaas was cremated and her ashes spread over the Pacific OceanPacific Ocean
The Pacific Ocean is the largest of the Earth's oceanic divisions. It extends from the Arctic in the north to the Southern Ocean in the south, bounded by Asia and Australia in the west, and the Americas in the east.At 165.2 million square kilometres in area, this largest division of the World...
by her family.
In the wake of the murder, Polly's father, Marc Klaas, became a child advocate and established the KlaasKids Foundation. He has made himself available to parents of kidnapped children, and has appeared frequently on Larry King Live
Larry King Live
Larry King Live is an American talk show hosted by Larry King on CNN from 1985 to 2010. It was CNN's most watched and longest-running program, with over one million viewers nightly....
, CNN Headline News
CNN Headline News
HLN, formerly known as CNN Headline News and CNN2, is a cable television news channel based in the United States and a spinoff of the cable news television channel, CNN. Initially airing tightly-formatted 30-minute newscasts around the clock, since 2005, the channel has increasingly aired long-form...
, and Nancy Grace.
Five years after Klaas' murder, a performing arts center was named in her honor in Petaluma.
The story of Klaas' kidnapping and the manhunt for Davis was depicted in episode 1, season 1 of The FBI Files
The FBI Files
The FBI Files is an American television docudrama series that originally ran from 1998 to 2006. It was carried by the Discovery Channel cable network and produced by New Dominion Pictures of Suffolk, Virginia...
documentary show, titled "Polly Klaas: Kidnapped" (which premiered October 20, 1998).
In the wake of the murder, politicians in California and other U.S. states supported three strikes law
Three strikes law
Three strikes laws)"are statutes enacted by state governments in the United States which require the state courts to hand down a mandatory and extended period of incarceration to persons who have been convicted of a serious criminal offense on three or more separate occasions. These statutes became...
s, and California's Three Strikes act was signed into law on March 8, 1994.
In 2004, Klaas' paternal grandfather, writer Joe Klaas (who, coincidentally, was best known for having co-authored a book about missing aviator Amelia Earhart
Amelia Earhart
Amelia Mary Earhart was a noted American aviation pioneer and author. Earhart was the first woman to receive the U.S. Distinguished Flying Cross, awarded for becoming the first aviatrix to fly solo across the Atlantic Ocean...
) endorsed California Proposition 66 to "fix the flaw in the [Three Strikes] law". His son, Marc, opposed the law.