Chandra Ann Levy, an American intern at the Federal Bureau of Prisons in Washington, D.C., disappeared in May 2001 and was later presumed murdered. Her skeletal remains were found in Rock Creek Park in May 2002, attracting significant attention from the American news media.
The Metropolitan Police Department of the District of Columbia (MPD) failed to follow its own search parameters in Rock Creek Park, leading to Levy's body decomposing for a year. Despite being informed that Ingmar Guandique, who had attacked women in the park, had confessed to attacking Levy, the MPD dismissed this information. Instead, much focus was placed on Levy's affair with Congressman Gary Condit, a senior member of the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence, who was never named a suspect and was eventually cleared of involvement. The media scrutiny and revelation of the affair led to Condit losing his bid for re-election in 2002.
After investigative reports by The Washington Post in 2008, the MPD obtained a warrant in 2009 to arrest Guandique, who had been convicted of assaulting two other women in Rock Creek Park around the time of Levy's disappearance. Guandique was convicted of Levy's murder in 2010 and sentenced to 60 years in prison. However, in 2015, he was granted a new trial, and in 2016, prosecutors announced they would not proceed with the case and instead seek to have him deported. Guandique was deported to El Salvador in 2017, and Levy's murder remains unsolved.
Life and background
Levy was born in Cleveland, Ohio, to Robert and Susan Levy. The family later relocated to Modesto, California, where she attended Grace M. Davis High School. Her parents were members of Congregation Beth Shalom, a Conservative Jewish synagogue, at the time of her disappearance. Levy pursued her education at San Francisco State University, graduating with a degree in journalism. She then interned for the California Bureau of Secondary Education and worked in the office of Los Angeles Mayor Richard Riordan before enrolling at the University of Southern California to pursue a master's degree in public administration.
For her final semester, Levy moved to Washington, D.C., to work as a paid intern with the Federal Bureau of Prisons. Starting her internship at the bureau's headquarters in October 2000, she was assigned to the public affairs division. Her supervisor, bureau spokesperson Dan Dunne, was impressed by Levy's work, particularly her handling of media inquiries related to the execution of Timothy McVeigh, who was convicted of bombing the Oklahoma City Federal Building. However, Levy's internship was cut short in April 2001 because it was discovered that her academic eligibility had expired in December 2000. Despite having completed her master's degree requirements, she was set to return to California in May 2001 for graduation.
Disappearance and search
Levy was last seen on May 1, 2001. The Metropolitan Police Department received its first alert on May 6 when Levy's parents called from Modesto, reporting that they had not heard from their daughter in five days. Police checked hospitals and visited Levy's apartment in Dupont Circle, finding no signs of foul play. On May 7, Levy's father informed the police about his daughter's affair with a U.S. congressman, later identifying him as U.S. Representative Gary Condit. Levy's aunt also contacted the police, mentioning that Chandra had confided in her about the affair. A formal search of Levy's apartment was authorized on May 10, revealing her credit cards, identification, and mobile phone left behind in her purse, along with partially packed suitcases. The answering machine was full, containing messages from her relatives and two from Condit. A police sergeant, not a trained technician, accidentally corrupted the internet search data while attempting to examine Levy's laptop computer.
It took computer experts a month to reconstruct the data. They determined that on the morning of May 1, Levy had searched for websites related to Amtrak, Baskin-Robbins, Condit, Southwest Airlines, and a weather report from The Washington Post. Her final search at 12:59 p.m. was for Alsace-Lorraine, a region in France. Detectives speculated that she might have arranged to meet someone at the Pierce-Klingle Mansion, which houses the park headquarters in Rock Creek Park, as evidenced by her search for information about the park and the mansion.
On July 25, 2001, three D.C. police sergeants and 28 police cadets searched along Glover Road in the park but found no evidence related to Levy. A subsequent search also yielded nothing. Levy's parents and friends organized numerous vigils and press conferences in an effort to locate her and bring her home.
Relationship with Condit
The controversy surrounding Levy's disappearance captured the attention of the American news media. Gary Condit, a married congressman representing the Levy family's congressional district, initially denied having an affair with her. While police did not consider Condit a suspect, Levy's family believed he was being evasive and might be withholding information.
Unnamed police sources claimed that Condit admitted to the affair during an interview with law enforcement officers on July 7, 2001. Condit described Levy as a vegetarian who abstained from drinking and smoking. He believed she would return to Washington, D.C., after graduation and was surprised to learn that her apartment lease had ended. Investigators searched Condit's apartment on July 10 and questioned flight attendant Anne Marie Smith, who alleged that Condit discouraged her from speaking to the FBI about their relationship, leading to federal officials investigating Condit for possible obstruction of justice.
Despite media pressure and leaks, Condit declined to take a polygraph test administered by the D.C. police but reportedly passed a privately administered test on July 13. During a televised interview with Connie Chung on August 23, Condit avoided direct questions about the affair. Media coverage of the case continued until the September 11 attacks shifted focus away from the story.
A national poll conducted in July 2001 indicated that 44 percent of respondents believed Condit was involved in Levy's disappearance, with 27 percent thinking he should resign. Half of the respondents felt he was acting guilty, but a poll sample from Condit's congressional district viewed him more favorably. Condit lost the Democratic primary election for his congressional seat to Dennis Cardoza on March 5, 2002, with the Levy controversy cited as a factor. He was subpoenaed to appear before a grand jury on April 1, 2002, and left Congress at the end of his term on January 3, 2003, after failing to win re-election.
Discovery of her remains
On the morning of May 22, 2002, around 9:30 am, skeletal remains were discovered near Broad Branch Creek in Washington, D.C., by a man walking his dog and searching for turtles in Rock Creek Park. These remains were found to match Levy's dental records. Detectives found bones and personal items scattered but not buried in a forested area along a steep incline. Among the evidence recovered were a sports bra, sweatshirt, leggings, and tennis shoes. Despite previous searches covering over half of the park's 1,754-acre (710 ha) main section, the wooded slope where Levy's remains were found had not been searched. This was due to a miscommunication, as police officers were instructed to search within 100 yards (91 m) of every road, but they only searched within 100 yards of each road and trail. The remains were located about four miles (6 km) from Levy's apartment.
A preliminary autopsy led District of Columbia police to open a homicide investigation, with D.C. medical examiner Jonathan L. Arden officially declaring Levy's death a homicide on May 28. However, he noted, "There's less to work with here than I would like. It's possible we will never know specifically how she died." Arden found damage to her hyoid bone, suggesting possible strangulation, but did not consider it conclusive evidence of the cause of death. On June 6, private investigators hired by the Levys found her shin bone with some twisted wire about 25 yards (23 m) from the other remains, after the police had completed their search. Police Chief Charles H. Ramsey stated, "It is unacceptable that these items were not located."
Memorial services
On May 28, 2002, the Levy family organized a memorial service at the Modesto Centre Plaza, which was attended by over 1,200 people, including some from as far as Los Angeles. The 90-minute ceremony featured speakers such as Levy's brother, grandmother, great-aunt, and friends. Rabbi Paul Gordon delivered a eulogy in Hebrew and English, describing Levy as "a good person taken from us much too soon." About a year later, on May 27, 2003, Levy's remains were buried in Lakewood Memorial Park Cemetery in Hughson, California, near her hometown of Modesto. Approximately 40 of Levy's friends and family members attended the private ceremony, which concluded with the release of 12 white doves.
Identification of the prime suspect
In September 2001, the lawyer of an informant held in D.C. Jail contacted Washington, D.C. police and federal prosecutors, claiming his client knew about Levy's killer. The informant, whose identity was protected, alleged that Ingmar Guandique, a 20-year-old undocumented immigrant from El Salvador also held in the jail, said that Condit paid him $25,000 to kill Levy.
Investigators dismissed the story about Condit due to Guandique already admitting to assaulting two other women in the same park where Levy's remains were found. Guandique had also failed to show up for work on the day of Levy's disappearance, and his former landlady noted his scratched and bruised face around that time. However, investigators did not interview the other Rock Creek Park victims. Police chief Ramsey described Guandique as a "person of interest," avoiding calling him a suspect.
Guandique denied attacking Levy. The informant failed a polygraph test on November 28, 2001, while Guandique's test on February 4, 2002, had inconclusive results officially ruled as "not deceptive." Guandique, not fluent in English, had his polygraph test administered by examiners who also lacked fluency in English.
The case remained a "cold case" until 2006 when Cathy L. Lanier became D.C. police chief and replaced the lead detective with three more experienced investigators. In 2007, The Washington Post assigned a new team of reporters to re-examine the case, focusing on the police's past failure to fully investigate Guandique's connection to the attacks in Rock Creek Park. In September 2008, investigators found a photo of Levy in Guandique's federal prison cell. After interviewing Guandique's acquaintances and witnesses of the other Rock Creek Park incidents, an arrest warrant was issued on March 3, 2009.
Guandique was returned to the custody of the District of Columbia Department of Corrections on April 20, 2009, and charged with Levy's murder two days later. He was indicted on six counts and pleaded not guilty at his arraignment. The trial was initially set for January 27, 2010, but was postponed to October 4, 2010, due to processing errors that contaminated some evidence with DNA from prosecution employees.
Trial of Guandique
Jury selection for the trial began on October 18, 2010, in the Superior Court of the District of Columbia before Judge Gerald I. Fisher. Assistant U.S. Attorney Fernando Campoamor-Sanchez presented potential witnesses for the trial, including FBI agent Brad Garrett and two women whom Guandique had previously assaulted. The prosecution's case was expected to last about four weeks, while the defense was expected to take only one day.
On October 25 and 26, Halle Shilling and Christy Wiegand testified about their attacks by Guandique while jogging in Rock Creek Park. Wiegand described being grabbed from behind, dragged down a ravine, and threatened with a knife.
On October 26, 2010, Robert Levy, Chandra's father, took the stand and refuted past suspicions about Condit, stating that he no longer believed his daughter would have been too cautious to jog in the woods alone. He admitted to saying things to point to Condit as the villain but now believed otherwise. Condit testified on November 1, declining to answer questions about his relationship with Chandra. FBI biologist Alan Giusti testified that DNA matching Condit's was found on underwear from Levy's apartment.
Armando Morales, a fellow inmate of Guandique, testified that Guandique admitted to killing Levy during a robbery attempt but denied raping her. The prosecution rested its case on November 10, dropping two charges related to sexual assault due to the statute of limitations.
The defense rested its case on November 15 without calling Guandique to the stand. Other prison witnesses contradicted Morales' testimony. The jury began deliberations on November 17 and, after two days, all but one juror had voted to convict Guandique. The jury asked Judge Fisher to clarify the definition of assault, and he responded that any physical injury could be considered an assault. On November 22, 2010, Guandique was found guilty of both counts of first-degree murder.
After the trial, a juror cited Morales' testimony as decisive. Susan Levy, Chandra's mother, expressed that there would always be sadness and that the verdict did not provide closure. She has since worked to keep photographic evidence of her daughter's remains sealed from the media.
Sentencing and appeals
On February 1, 2011, Guandique's lawyers filed for a new trial, alleging that the verdict had been improperly influenced. They claimed that the prosecutors had made emotional appeals and referenced facts not in evidence. The motion also accused one juror of breaching the judge's instructions by not taking notes but being influenced by another juror's notes. The prosecution opposed a retrial, arguing that the issue regarding the notes was a technicality and did not significantly impact the verdict.
Guandique faced a minimum sentence of 30 years to life imprisonment without parole. The prosecution sought the maximum sentence, stating that Guandique would always remain a danger to women. They cited instances of his harassment of female prison staff, including solicitation and indecent exposure. Prosecutors also investigated allegations that Guandique had fled El Salvador due to suspected attacks against local women.
During the sentencing hearing on February 11, Guandique expressed sorrow to Levy's family and maintained his innocence. Judge Gerald Fisher denied Guandique's motion for retrial and sentenced him to 60 years in prison, emphasizing Guandique's status as a sexual predator.
Guandique reiterated his innocence during sentencing and has continued to do so since. His public defender filed an appeal of his conviction on February 25, 2011, with the District of Columbia Court of Appeals. The appeal process typically takes around 588 days. In 2012 and 2013, a series of secret hearings took place, with the subject of the meetings sealed by the judge. After transcripts were unsealed in February, revealing that new evidence had been presented, a fourth hearing was scheduled for April 2013.
Dropped charges
In May 2015, prosecutors decided to support a new trial following defense claims that their key witness, Armando Morales, had committed perjury. The defense argued that Morales, who had denied being a jailhouse informant, had a history of being untrustworthy. They claimed Morales fabricated Guandique's confession to enhance his credibility with prosecutors. On June 3, the defense revealed a new witness, a neighbor, who had called 911 on the day Levy was last seen alive, reporting a 'blood-curdling scream' possibly from Levy's apartment. The next day, Judge Gerald Fisher granted a motion for a new trial. Judge Robert E. Morin initially set the retrial for March 1, 2016, but it was later rescheduled to October 11.
In November 2015, prosecutors admitted to a D.C. Superior Court judge that they had failed to provide certain documents to the defense before the first trial. In December 2015, the defense argued for dismissal of the charges due to these errors. They claimed they had only received two out of three pages of a memo detailing Morales's contacts with prosecutors, which contradicted his testimony that he had never cooperated with law enforcement before the Levy case. The missing page indicated that Morales had discussed gang activity with law enforcement in the past. The defense argued that this information was intentionally withheld to suggest Morales had tailored his testimony to please prosecutors.
On July 28, 2016, prosecutors announced they would not pursue the case against Guandique and would seek his deportation instead. This decision came after learning that Morales, now living in Maryland, had been recorded admitting to lying on the witness stand during the 2010 trial. The U.S. Attorney's Office cited new information that had come to light, indicating there was no longer enough evidence for a retrial. Guandique lost his bid to remain in the United States and was deported to El Salvador in May 2017.
Disciplinary proceedings against prosecutors
Defense attorneys representing Guandique alleged that Fernando Campoamor-Sánchez and Amanda Haines intentionally withheld the first page of the Morales memo. They filed a complaint with the Justice Department's Office of Professional Responsibility (OPR), claiming misconduct. After a two-year investigation, OPR found no ethical or legal violations.
Campoamor-Sánchez left the Justice Department to join the Securities and Exchange Commission, while Haines retired. In 2020, the District of Columbia Bar's Office of Disciplinary Counsel (ODC) announced it would investigate the allegations, eventually bringing charges in May of the following year.
During the hearing, both attorneys testified in their defense. Haines stated that she believed the full memo had been disclosed to the defense and that they had misplaced the first page. She did not see any reason for the prosecution to withhold it, as it was not damaging to their case. However, she admitted to sometimes delaying the disclosure of more specific witness information to the defense out of concern for their safety. Both Haines and Campoamor-Sánchez testified that they had disagreements over what information to disclose to the defense and when. They noted that there were no clear rules in the Justice Department at the time, leading to tensions over trial strategy and responsibilities. Campoamor-Sánchez had initially been assigned to question Morales and handle the closing argument, but Haines reassigned those tasks to herself, leading to Campoamor-Sánchez feeling marginalized.
Three months later, ODC preliminarily concluded that both attorneys had violated bar rules requiring prosecutors to disclose potentially exculpatory evidence to the defense. ODC recommended a six-month suspension from practicing law for both. Both attorneys disputed the punishment, with Haines's attorney calling it unreasonable and unsupported by legal precedent. Haines and Campoamor-Sánchez have maintained their innocence and denied any wrongdoing.
Media coverage
Chandra Levy's disappearance captured national attention in the summer of 2001, with 63% of Americans closely following the case. The media inundated Levy's parents from the moment they arrived in Washington, D.C., to search for their daughter. Congressman Gary Condit recalled that about a hundred reporters were camped outside his apartment on the morning of September 11, 2001, but they dispersed after news of the terrorist attacks in New York and Washington broke. Media critics and cable news executives later pointed to the Levy case, along with sensationalist coverage of shark attacks, as examples of the news media's focus before 9/11.
In 2002, D.C. newspaper Roll Call first reported Ingmar Guandique's possible connection to the case, but the media continued to focus on Condit. Conservative commentator Michelle Malkin criticized the media for not highlighting Guandique's status as an illegal immigrant in their coverage. She noted that out of 115 news items, none mentioned his status as a "criminal illegal alien". Malkin called this omission a "newsworthy act of negligence" and highlighted that only the conservative publication Human Events reported on his immigration status.
In 2005, investigative journalist Dominick Dunne suggested on Larry King Live that Condit might have more information about the case than he had revealed. Condit filed two lawsuits against Dunne, resulting in a financial settlement. In 2008, a lawsuit alleging slander against Dunne was dismissed by U.S. District Judge Peter Leisure.
During the summer of 2008, The Washington Post ran a 13-part series criticizing the media's role in derailing the investigation into Levy's disappearance. The series highlighted the rush to judgment in implicating Condit and emphasized the disproportionate attention given to a glamorous white victim compared to other victims in the city.
Criticism of the media's coverage continued even after Ingmar Guandique was convicted of Levy's murder in November 2010. Condit's lawyer expressed frustration, stating that while the conviction was a vindication, it came too late to restore Condit's career.
On the 17th anniversary of Levy's homicide, her mother continued to advocate for further investigation into her daughter's death. The podcast You're Wrong About released an episode on May 25, 2020, revisiting the events surrounding Levy's disappearance and the subsequent search for her.
Impact
Levy's death has left a lasting impact, in part due to the efforts of her family and friends. Her disappearance occurred among several other high-profile cases that led to the creation of resources for missing young adults. Levy's parents sought assistance from the Carole Sund/Carrington Memorial Reward Foundation, a nonprofit established after three female tourists disappeared from Yosemite National Park in 1999. This foundation provided the Levys with staff support and contributed to a cash reward for information about Chandra's disappearance. Eventually, the foundation merged into the Laci and Conner Search and Rescue Fund in 2009. Susan Levy had previously been involved in efforts to find Laci Peterson, another missing woman from Modesto.
When Kristen Modafferi disappeared in 1997 from the San Francisco Bay Area shortly after her 18th birthday, her parents were ineligible for help from the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children. Consequently, Congress enacted "Kristen's Law" in October 2000, establishing the National Center for Missing Adults (NCMA) within the U.S. Department of Justice to coordinate missing persons cases. By the time Levy disappeared, institutions were in place to provide her family with support and assist in a nationwide search.
Despite the Levy family's efforts, including offering a cash reward, hiring investigators, and seeking media attention, their search for Chandra or her killer was overshadowed by speculation about her relationship with Condit. Susan Levy later teamed up with Donna Raley, whose daughter also disappeared in 1999, to form "Wings of Protection," a support group for families with missing loved ones. Susan Levy received the annual Criterion Award from the publisher of the Journal of Women's Health and Gender-Based Medicine for her work with "Wings of Protection" in May 2002.
The media's coverage of the Levy case may have contributed to increased skepticism of "herd mentality" and a willingness to consider alternative suspects. The D.C. police acknowledged a miscommunication that delayed the discovery of Levy's body in Rock Creek Park. Since then, both the chief of detectives and the chief of police have left the force. Ingmar Guandique, who is serving time for drug-related offenses, was scheduled for release in August 2016. Condit retired from politics and moved to Phoenix, Arizona, where he managed real estate and briefly owned two Baskin-Robbins franchises.
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