Amber Dubois Led on Fatal Tour of San Diego

Amber Dubois

(Escondido, CA) On February 13, 2009 Amber Dubois, 14, walked to school with thoughts of the Valentine’s Day cards in her backpack.  Even though she was running a little late, there were still other students standing in front of the campus fence.  She nodded at a group them, and smiled as the breeze blew her bangs across her face.  That was when she felt something digging into her back.  It was a knife, and it came with an order to keep walking quietly.

She obeyed, but adrenaline began to course through her veins as she and her mysterious guide walked past her school toward one of its parking lots.  None of the other bystanders reacted to the development.  She was unable to speak, her lips frozen in fear.  Each step required a precise focus to complete without tripping.    As she approached the cars in the lot, one of them beeped and blinked to signal its unlocking.  The blade led her to it, and the man behind her commanded her to open the door and step in.  Once she had done so, she looked to see her attacker, but he’d gone.  Soon after, the opening of the driver’s door signaled his return from around the car, and she turned to look.

John Albert Gardner III was sitting beside her.  He was a complete stranger: tall, built like a football player, with an angry face.  She asked him what he wanted, and he responded, “We’re just going to go for a ride.”  He pulled the car out of the lot and began Amber’s final journey.  Gardner tried, and failed, to make proper small talk as she tried, and failed, not to cry.  More than once she considered jumping from the vehicle, but Gardner made sure to keep his speed high and his stops minimal.  When they finally reached their destination, Amber no longer recognized where they were, but saw that it was secluded.

Amber loved nature, but at this moment, she feared it.  Events blurred together for her as she was pulled from the car and thrown onto the ground.  John Gardner towered over her as he forced her flat with his legs and began to pull her clothing off with his strong hands.  She yelled and screamed as he explored her body with them, their rough texture scraping across her skin.  She went numb before the violation began, and had blacked out before the ordeal was completed.  This gave Gardner the perfect opportunity to end her life with little violence.  A nearby rock was all he required, raising it high and letting it fall repeatedly on her head until her breathing stopped.

On February 28, 2010, Gardner was arrested for the murder of another girl, 17-year-old Chelsea King.   A few weeks later, John Gardner lead authorities to the remote area of Pala in San Diego where he had buried Amber Dubois’ body.  With this cooperation, he was able to avoid the death penalty, but not the scorn of the parents of the two bright teenagers whose lives he’d ended.