Got 'im... too late
Sometimes I'm glad I'm not a real journalist: This is one of those times.

When the Kern County Sheriff's office announced that those two teenaged girls had been raped, it didn't surprise me. It's not as if the law was hot on the guy's heels from the moment of the abduction: He had plenty of time. He had a record. And what other motive could he possibly have had?

But every reporter and editor in the country froze. They all have firm policies about not naming rape victims in reports. (Sean Hannity was silenced for five full seconds when he heard about it, live on the air during his radio show.) But the girls' names and photos were already the lead story at every news outlet, local and national. Countless pre-taped reports were already set to air throughout the evening and overnight hours. No one, apparently, anticipated the story developing in this manner.

Except me. I was startled that the girls were named in the early reports, given the (I thought) likely motive of their attacker.

On the other hand: If they hadn't been named, if their faces and circumstances hadn't been widely known, would their abductor have been caught? Would he have been caught in time? He was clearly preparing to kill them and dispose of the bodies.

Personally, I'd rather be alive -- and well known for something I'd prefer nobody knew about -- than anonymously dead. Here's hoping everyone directly involved in this case feels the same way. It would sadden me terribly to see this awful story conclude with a lawsuit.