Illegal immigrant suspected in Chandra Levy murder may have escaped justice after botched probe: detective

Twenty-five years aft Washington intern Chandra Levy vanished, the high-profile lawsuit remains unsolved — and inactive haunted by questions astir whether aboriginal missteps allowed a suspected slayer to gaffe away.

The lawsuit drew nationalist attraction successful 2001, fueled by aggravated media sum and scrutiny of Levy’s narration with a sitting congressman. The premier suspect, however, turned retired to beryllium an amerciable migrant doubly convicted of assaults connected different women astir the clip of Levy's suspected execution and successful the aforesaid park, according to national prosecutors.

Ted Williams, a erstwhile Washington, D.C. homicide detective and Fox News contributor who has been pursuing the lawsuit for decades, said authorities failed to thoroughly hunt Rock Creek Park aboriginal on, delaying the find of Levy’s remains — and perchance weakening the lawsuit built mostly connected circumstantial evidence.

Fox News Digital has reached retired to metropolis constabulary for comment.

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A Washington Metropolitan Police Officer stands down constabulary lines successful Rock Creek Park successful Washington, May 22, 2002. A skull and different quality bones were recovered successful the parkland and aboriginal determined to beryllium to Chandra Levy, the 24-year-old erstwhile intern who disappeared successful May 2001. (REUTERS/William Philpott WP/HB)

Levy's skeletal remains were recovered successful a distant country of the parkland successful May 2002, conscionable implicit a twelvemonth aft she vanished.

"They did behaviour a grid hunt of portions of Rock Creek Park, but they ne'er went truly down into the ravine, the country successful which Chandra Levy's remains were found," helium told Fox News Digital. "And the lone mode that those remains were discovered was that determination was a antheral who, walking his dog, came upon the remains. Absent that, we whitethorn precise good inactive beryllium looking for Chandra Levy."

If a much thorough grid hunt had been conducted earlier successful the investigation, investigators whitethorn person been capable to retrieve carnal grounds linking the fishy to the crime, Williams said.

"Twenty-five years later, due to the fact that of the mode and the reckless mode successful which they conducted the investigation, we are inactive near with a question people arsenic to who killed Chandra Levy," helium said.

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Chandra Levy is shown successful this undated handout photograph from the Washington, D.C. Metropolitan Police Department. (REUTERS/Metropolitan Police Department/Handout)

Levy, a California native, was a 24-year-old intern astatine the Federal Bureau of Prisons. She was past seen successful nationalist astatine a gym adjacent her flat successful Washington, D.C., connected April 30, 2001. Investigators tracked her net usage the pursuing morning, showing she was inactive live astatine 1 p.m. connected May 1.

Chandra Levy, a Washington intern who went missing, is shown successful this photo. (Mai/Getty Images)

On May 6, her parents called D.C. constabulary and their congressman, then-Rep. Gary Condit, a California Democrat who would aboriginal beryllium alleged to person been carrying connected an matter with the missing woman.

The matter ended Condit's governmental career, starring to a nonaccomplishment successful the Democrat superior successful his territory successful 2002. Attempts to scope him for remark were unsuccessful.

"I don't deliberation that the congressman truly had thing to bash with her having gone missing," Williams said.

Then-U.S. Congressman Gary Condit (D-CA) pushes past quality media aft leaving his flat gathering successful the Adams Morgan conception of Washington, July 12, 2001. Condit admitted to constabulary authorities that helium was romantically progressive with Chandra Levy earlier her disappearance. (Reuters)

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However, the legislature necktie ignited a ungraded that apt distracted investigators, Williams said.

"Because helium was a subordinate of Congress, it appears arsenic though instrumentality enforcement officers were intimidated by his status, and they were not capable to get a large woody of accusation retired of him," helium said.

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Police aboriginal cleared him arsenic a fishy and refocused connected different man.

In April 2009, they arrested an amerciable migrant from El Salvador named Ingmar Guandique, besides known arsenic Ingmar Guandique-Blanco, who had attacked different women successful Rock Creek Park astir the clip of Levy's murder.

Ingmar Guandique pictured successful national custody successful an undated photograph provided by Immigration and Customs Enforcement. When prosecutors declined to bring him to tribunal for a retrial successful the execution of Chandra Levy, the purported MS-13 subordinate was deported to El Salvador. (ICE)

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Guandique, described by the authorities arsenic an MS-13 member, had been accused of stalking a pistillate successful the parkland connected the aforesaid time of Levy's disappearance. He was convicted aboriginal that twelvemonth of attacking 2 much women successful the parkland with a knife, 1 connected May 14, 2 weeks aft Levy's murder, and different connected July 1.

He served a decennary successful situation for the weapon attacks. Then jurors recovered him blameworthy of Levy's execution aft a proceedings successful 2010, partially acknowledgment to the grounds of a chap inmate who described a jailhouse confession.

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ICE released this representation of a deportation formation preparing for takeoff on with an announcement that Ingmar Guandique had been deported to El Salvador aft prosecutors dismissed their lawsuit against him successful the execution of Chandra Levy. (ICE)

But his attorneys convinced a justice to assistance a caller proceedings successful 2016 amid concerns implicit the witness' credibility.

In a courtroom surprise, prosecutors moved to disregard the lawsuit owed to "unforeseen developments" alternatively than effort him a 2nd time. So the lawsuit was dropped, and Immigration and Customs Enforcement sent him backmost to El Salvador.

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"They deported possibly a slayer alternatively than to enactment him connected proceedings a 2nd time," Williams said. "That is besides a mystery."

While helium said helium inactive believes Guandique is an important suspect, the lawsuit officially remains unsolved 25 years later.

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"I'm conscionable precise wide that the household volition ne'er beryllium capable to get implicit the decease of this promising young miss who came to Washington arsenic an intern," Williams said.

Fox News' Stephanie Nolasco and The Associated Press contributed to this report.