Victim's Chilling Memories as Serial Child Rapist Granted Parole Under Controversial Law
Amelia Markson was just three years old in December 1995 when serial child rapist David Allen Funston appeared at her Sacramento apartment complex. The depraved sex offender lured the toddler into his car with promises of a Barbie doll, then kidnapped and sexually assaulted her at his home before abandoning her in an unfamiliar neighborhood.
Now 33 years old, Markson shared her spotty but chilling memories exclusively with the Daily Mail. 'I remember him putting me in the house. I remember being in a bathtub,' she recalled. 'I can remember seeing his fireplace and stuff.' One particularly disturbing image has never left her: 'Then when he put me on the bed, he was getting dressed up, like in some fishnets and like a little tutu with makeup.'
Controversial Parole Decision Sparks Public Outcry
Despite being sentenced in 1999 to three life terms for kidnapping and child molestation involving at least six children during a six-month spree in the Sacramento area, Funston was granted parole on February 24 under California's controversial Elderly Parole Program. The 64-year-old was scheduled to walk free at the end of last month, with neither Markson nor other victims receiving notification of his impending release.
At Funston's original sentencing hearing, Sacramento Superior Court Judge Jack Sapunor had called him 'the monster parents fear most.' Markson expressed her horror at the parole decision: 'I was like, what the f***? I'm like, f*** that. You don't need to be out. You need to stay where you're at. He doesn't deserve no freedom. It makes me want to cry. I'm still afraid of him. I'm not going to feel safe if he gets out.'
California's Changing Parole Laws
The parole decision stems from legislative changes in California. In 2018, while Gavin Newsom served as lieutenant governor preparing to take office, lawmakers passed legislation allowing inmates aged 60 who had served at least 25 years to be considered for parole. After Newsom became governor in 2019, his administration supported additional criminal justice reforms. In 2020, with Newsom's approval, the legislature lowered the eligibility threshold to convicts aged 50 with 20 years served.
Critically, the law did not exclude sex offenders serving life terms for crimes against children. Court documents obtained by the Daily Mail reveal that during a 2022 parole board hearing, Funston admitted he still masturbated to fantasies about children, specifically mentioning an eight-year-old girl who lived across from where he lived with his daughter.
Last-Minute Arrest on New Charges
Just as Funston prepared to walk free amid mounting public outcry, Placer County District Attorney Morgan Gire filed new charges stemming from a 1996 sexual assault of a child in Roseville, a northern suburb of Sacramento. Funston was arrested on February 26 and booked without bail. He pleaded not guilty on March 9 to a felony charge of committing lewd or lascivious acts on a child younger than 14 years old.
Former Sacramento District Attorney Anne Marie Schubert, who prosecuted the original case, told the Daily Mail: 'I was horrified when I found out he was getting out. I applaud the Placer County DA for doing this but let's not forget that he was released from prison. They let him out. So while he's back in jail for now he won't be back in prison until convicted of these new charges.'
Community Response and Victim Impact
Sacramento County Sheriff Jim Cooper called the decision to release Funston 'dead wrong' and questioned 'what the hell is happening' in California. 'Someone that does these type of things, they don't deserve a second chance in life,' Cooper stated.
Funston's modus operandi involved luring children into his car with offers of Skittles, Tootsie Rolls, or dolls. Schubert noted that several victims were recent Ukrainian immigrants who barely spoke English. 'He was picking these little kids because they're little,' she explained. 'A stranger kidnapping very very young children, toddlers, was jaw-dropping. He hunted these children. It's not like he did it over 20 years. He did it in a six-month period of time.'
Heroic Intervention and Lasting Trauma
Funston was ultimately identified after neighbor Nansey Honeycutt, now 65, spotted him attempting to lure two young Ukrainian sisters into his car and wrote down his license plate number. Honeycutt, who watched from her upstairs window as Funston tried to take the sisters walking home from their grandmother's apartment, immediately called 911 and tracked his exit from the complex.
Martha Romaso, now 34 and one of the sisters Honeycutt saved, considers her 'our angel.' 'I think we were the only two that were unharmed,' Romaso said. 'He just grabbed us, but nothing worse than that. He lured us with candy. I think it was a Tootsie Roll. And then he said something about giving us a ride home.' She noted the offer didn't make sense since they were already in their apartment complex and almost home.
Honeycutt, reduced to tears during her interview with the Daily Mail, stated: 'It is a travesty that this animal was going to be released. I saw it on the news and I literally was sickened.' Though the Romaso sisters were physically unharmed, Martha revealed her mother remains traumatized to this day, and her older sister suffered night terrors for years, waking up screaming.
Funston's next court hearing is scheduled for April 6. While many are relieved he is back behind bars, concerns remain that he could beat the new charges and that the parole system failed to protect the public from a dangerous predator.
