Phillip Garrido Opens Up In Rambling Pen Pal Letter
EL DORADO HILLS (CBS) - A friendship between accused kidnapper Nancy Garrido and another inmate bloomed into a relationship that continued through letter writing. The correspondence eventually included a long, extensive treatise by Jaycee Lee Dugard kidnapping suspect Phillip Garrido.
The letters provide the first real glimpse into the minds of the people who are awaiting trial on accusations of kidnapping an 11-year-old girl in 1991 and holding her captive in an Antioch backyard until her rescue in 2009. Phillip Garrido allegedly fathered two children with Dugard.
In one note, Nancy told her pen pal, Kathryn, that she was enclosing a letter from her husband and said she hoped Kathryn wouldn't mind.
"He loves God so much, Kathryn," Nancy wrote.
Phillip began his 12-page letter by pledging his undying love to Nancy, saying, "she is a beautiful and caring human being," before immediately referencing the alleged crimes that put the Garridos behind bars.
His writing shows an apparent understanding of the worldwide shock and horror over the two decades Jaycee Dugard was held in captivity.
"We understand and do not disagree with people's reactions or their feelings as my past is pathetic and shameful to say the least," Phillip wrote. "There is more to all this than meets the public's eyes as we were standing up to confront these problems and deliver a witness about how the Lord provided a way out for me from these behaviors and provided a powerful freedom that allowed me to love Nancy as God intended. So powerful was this change that it ended 12 years ago. When this becomes public you will understand I am telling the truth."
Garrido went on to say, "There is so much to tell you that would open your eyes, but there is no time for such details."
Garrido filled another eleven pages with Bible verses and beliefs that he knows the secrets God has in store for humankind.
"God knows they all love him and has long been waiting the day when he can reveal a powerful and intelligently placed hidden disclosure from within the scriptures. It will delight you and bring great pleasure to your heart," he wrote.
Garrido's own attorney is questioning his competency to stand trial, and two doctors are now under court order to examine him; one of them is a specialist in seeing if Garrido is exaggerating or faking his mental illness.
Attorney Susan Gellman said, "This 12-page letter, written to another inmate and having no connection with this case, is yet another example of the rambling thoughts of Mr. Garrido. He focuses on galaxies, powerful persuasions, and voices of angels, showing yet again that he may not be competent to be a defendant and make decisions in his criminal case."
Phillip Garrido's criminal case is on hold during the determination of competency, but Nancy's case is moving forward.
Nancy told Kathryn she takes comfort in her writing relationship and seems to support Phillip's writing.
"Miss Kathryn, I think I told you once about how God's spirit is working with my husband, you never comment on it. I'm not crazy, nutty," Nancy wrote.
The Garridos said they take solace in their faith, and Phillip sees it as his salvation.
"Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners, of whom I am the worst," he wrote.
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