Five employees of the U.S. Attorney's Office in Idaho, including Assistant U.S. Attorneys Wendy Olson and Traci Whelan, have been honored with the Attorney General's Award for Excellence in Law Enforcement for their work on the Joseph Duncan case, U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder announced today. All five were part of the Duncan prosecution team; in addition to the two attorneys, those honored included Paralegal Specialist Denise Price, Litigation Support Specialist Pam Rocca, and Victim-Witness Specialist Kristi Johnson. "It is my privilege to honor these recipients for their outstanding service and commitment to our country," Holder said. "Their varied accomplishments have advanced the interests of justice on behalf of the American people, and I'm proud to call them my colleagues."

Duncan was given three death sentences plus multiple life prison terms in federal court in Idaho for his 2005 attack on the Groene family in Coeur d'Alene, which left four family members dead and which just one 8-year-old child survived.

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