Murder of Megan Kanka

Megan Nicole Kanka (December 7, 1986 – July 29, 1994) was an American child who was raped and murdered by her neighbor Jesse Timmendequas. It happened in Hamilton Township, Mercer County, New Jersey by a convicted sex offender, when she was seven years old.

Timmendequas tricked Kanka to come into his house by saying he had a puppy inside. Once Kanka noticed there was no puppy Timmendequas raped her, slammed her head into a dresser, wrapped her head in a plastic bag, and strangled her with a belt. He put her body in his car and assaulted her once more before placing her in a toy chest and dumping it in a park in nearby West Windsor, New Jersey. When he went to court the jury sentenced him to death after convicting him of kidnapping, rape, sodomy and murder.

The aftermath of this led the New Jersey Legislature to pass a law called "Megan's Law" which requires convicted sex offenders to tell the local police department when they move into a neighborhood.