A Month in Review: In the News on Military Justice for All (February 2018)

January 2018 copy 2

Reward Offered:
Reward offered in case of service dog found shot, dumped at train tracks

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ACTIVE DUTY

Stateside Deaths:
Army Ranger died during free-fall training in January
CMC facing court-martial committed suicide, police say
Altus airman killed in bicycle accident
Special Forces soldier dies in motorcycle crash outside Fort Bragg
Virginia Beach sailor killed in crash had “high aspirations” for a better life in America
Airman from Vandenberg Air Force Base killed in early-morning crash
Air Force identifies airman killed after being run over by bus
Identity revealed of airman killed near Vandenberg; donations being solicited for services
Young Army soldier found dead in parking lot from apparent suicide
Army: Paratrooper, 19, found dead in North Carolina
Army Ranger killed in accidental shooting at training facility has been identified
Officials ID Army Ranger who died at Oregon training facility
Soldier commits suicide after Army wives bullied her, told her she should die
Marine from Riverside who served multiple deployments killed in car crash
Death of 82nd Airborne Paratrooper in Fayetteville under investigation
Shooting death of Army Ranger at Camp Rilea prompts investigation
Soldier dies in accidental shooting at Oregon’s Camp Rilea
Soldier dies in shooting at Oregon’s Camp Rilea

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Army Reservist Sgt. Christina Shoenecker Died of a Non-Combat Related Incident in Baghdad, Iraq (February 19, 2018)

Christina Schoenecker

Sgt. Christina Schoenecker, U.S. Army Reserve

Army Reservist Sgt. Christina Schoenecker, 26, died of a non-combat related incident on February 19, 2018 in Baghdad, Iraq. Sgt. Schoenecker was supporting Operation Inherent Resolve on behalf of the 89th Sustainment Brigade, 451st Expeditionary Sustainment Command in Wichita, Kansas. Sgt. Schoenecker’s home of record is listed as Arlington, Kansas. According to Honor the Fallen at Military Times, Sgt. Schoenecker enlisted in the military in May 2009 and served as a human resources specialist. At the time of the press release, the incident was under investigation which is typical with any non combat death but an official cause of death has not been determined or publicized by authorities. The site Popular Military shared that a source close to them in Iraq in an unofficial report believed it was a suicide. This could not be confirmed in other media reports.

In the News:

The body of U.S. Army Sergeant Christina Marie Schoenecker is escorted from the Hutchinson Airport to Elliot Mortuary by the Patriot Guard, Hutchinson Police and the Hutchinson Fire Departments. SGT Schoenecker died February 19, 2018, from a non-combat related incident, in Baghdad, Iraq at the age of 26. She will be buried in her hometown of Arlington, Kansas, Monday, March 5, 2018. -The Hutchinson News (March 2, 2018)

U.S. Army Sergeant Christina Marie Schoenecker was buried at Arlington Cemetery, Arlington, Kansas on Monday, March 5, 2018. SGT Schoenecker died February 19, 2018, from a non-combat related incident, in Baghdad, Iraq at the age of 26. -The Hutchinson News (March 5, 2018)

Related Links:
DoD Identifies Army Casualty
Honor the Fallen: Sgt. Christina M. Schoenecker, U.S. Army Reserve
Christina Marie “Tina” Schoenecker | 1992 – 2018 | Obituary
Kansas soldier dies in Iraq
Kansas soldier dies in non-combat incident in Iraq
Female soldier dies in accident in Iraq
US soldier dies in non-combat incident in Baghdad
SGT Schoenecker’s body returns home
Army Sgt. Christina M. Schoenecker honored in dignified transfer Feb. 22
Army identifies soldier killed in noncombat incident in Baghdad
Army Identifies Sergeant Who Died While Deployed Supporting ISIS Fight
Kansas soldier dies in non-combat incident while supporting ISIS fight in Iraq
U.S. Army sergeant dies in Iraq, unofficial report suggests it was suicide
Mystery surrounds ‘non combat’ death of female soldier battling ISIS in Iraq as her body is returned home and Department of Defence announce an investigation
IGTNT: “She will be sorely missed” | Daily Kos
Funeral held for KS soldier who died last month in Iraq
Family and friends celebrate the life of Christina Schoenecker
Family, friends gather to honor fallen Arlington soldier
SGT Christina Marie Schoenecker’s burial service
Latest U.S. military deaths in Afghanistan, Iraq
On Memorial Day: Three stories to remember the soldiers we have lost
CJTF-OIR reflects on significant military gains, fighting ISIS in 2018
Non Combat Deaths of Female Service Members in the U.S. Military (Iraq)
Military Policy and Legislation Considerations for the Investigations of Non Combat Death, Homicide, and Suicide of US Service Members

48 Hours Premiered ‘Rodney Alcala: The Killing Game’ on CBS (2018)


A photographer who was on “The Dating Game” became one of the nation’s deadliest serial killers. Eight years after “48 Hours”‘ first report, new victims emerge. Correspondent Peter Van Sant has the latest Saturday, Feb. 17 at 10/9c on CBS.

Rodney Alcala was born in San Antonio, Texas in 1943. His father abandoned the family when he was young. At 17, Alcala enlisted in the Army but there were problems, allegations of sexual misconduct, a nervous breakdown…the Army discharged him. “The military realized in 1963 that they had him, that he was a sexual deviant.” -Stefano Braccini, Former Cold Case Detective, NYPD (48 Hours)

Related Links:
Sneak peek: Rodney Alcala – The Killing Game
Former FBI profiler on the psychology of a sexual serial killer
48 Hours Mystery: The Killing Game (2010)
Serial Killer Rodney Alcala TV Gameshow Appearance
Rodney Alcala: On the trail of a serial killer
Serial Killer Rodney Alcala’s Photos Released: Can You ID Any Of These Women?
Judge Cries During Sentencing of Serial Killer Rodney Alcala
The Horrifying Story Of Rodney Alcala, The Serial Killer Who Won ‘The Dating Game’ During His Murder Spree
Decades-old photo links serial killer Rodney Alcala to yet another slaying, this one in Wyoming, prosecutors say
How a Serial Killer and Rapist Ended up on The Dating Game — and Was Chosen by the Girl
Flashback: Serial Killer Appears on ‘The Dating Game’ Mid-Spree
Rodney Alcala The Dating Game Killer: A Psychological Profile
The Haunting Photography of a Serial Killer
Rodney Alcala: The Killing Game (CBS Website)

Evil Lives Here Premiered ‘First Love, Forever Evil’ on ID: Michael Dean Overstreet Abused Wife, Raped & Murdered Kelly Eckart (February 11, 2018)

Melissa Holland was certain that her high school boyfriend, Michael Overstreet, was the man she’d always dreamed of. But only after they were married did she begin to realize that her determination to live happily ever after had put her in mortal danger. -First Love, Forever Evil, Evil Lives Here (S3,E6)

Editor’s note: With a cable subscription, you can download the free ID Go app and watch Investigation Discovery programming at your convenience. And for those who do not have cable, you can watch “unlocked” episodes on the ID Go app including the latest premieres. For those who prefer commercial free programming during your binge session, Prime Video has an ID channel: ‘True Crime Files by Investigation Discovery” available for $3.99 a month. It’s a compilation of older seasons but totally worth the cost if you are a true crime addict. Download the ID Go app or purchase ID True Crime Files & binge away.

Related Links:
First Love, Forever Evil | Evil Lives Here | IMDb
First Love, Forever Evil | Evil Lives Here | Investigation Discovery (S3,E6)
First Love, Forever Evil | Evil Lives Here | Investigation Discovery (website)
First Love, Forever Evil | Evil Lives Here | Investigation Discovery (Amazon)
Kelly Eckart Found Murdered in Indiana; Michael Overstreet Sentenced to Death But Court Ruled Not Competent for Execution (September 27, 1997)
Forensic Files Premiered ‘Blanket of Evidence’: Michael Dean Overstreet Raped & Murdered Franklin College Student Kelly Eckart (April 4, 2007)
Murder Comes to Town Premiered ‘All-American Sweethearts’ on ID: Kelly Eckart Found Raped & Murdered in Indiana State Park (January 27, 2014)
Forensic Files: 6 Active Duty Military and Veteran Homicide Cases

Oxygen Premiered ‘Killing Versace: The Hunt for a Serial Killer’ (February 11, 2018)

“Killing Versace: The Hunt For A Serial Killer” re-examines the infamous manhunt for Cunanan through new and revisited expert insider interviews. Watch new episodes of Killing Versace, premiering February 11th at 7/6c, only on Oxygen.

1) Jeffrey Trail was [Andrew] Cunanan’s friend.

According to Newsweek, Cunanan told friends in April 1997 he was headed to Minneapolis “to visit an old friend with whom he had unfinished business.” The old friend was Trail, who had previously been a naval officer. Vanity Fair reports Cunanan described Trail as his best and “my brother.”

CBS News reported Trail was a Gulf War veteran and a graduate of the U.S. Naval Academy in Annapolis. Friends called him “an upbeat, fun-loving, compassionate man.” Trail’s father told The Washington Post in July 1997, “Jeff was the kind of guy who was always trying to help people out… He went out of his way to be helpful to people.”

Read more from Harpers Bazaar here.

Related Links:
Five Lives Cut Short (1997)
Friends Remember Cunanan Victim (1997)
First Killing May Offer Clues to Four Others (1997)
Killing Versace: Hunt For a Serial Killer | Oxygen
The Gianni Versace Case, Explained – Very Real | Oxygen
Killing Versace: The Hunt for a Serial Killer – Premiering February 11th at 7/6c | Oxygen
Inside look at the Gianni Versace murder | ABC News
American Crime Story Season 2: The Assassination of Gianni Versace Trailer (HD)
Andrew Cunanan, the Versace Killer | The Crime Network
A Look Back at the Murder of Gianni Versace, 20 Years Later | Inside Edition
Versace’s murderer Andrew Cunanan kills his first two victims
Why Did Andrew Cunanan Go on a Killing Spree? American Crime Story Explores His Motives
Who Were Jeffrey Trail and David Madson? American Crime Story Explores Andrew Cunanan’s First Victims
Who Were Jeffrey Trail And David Madson, Andrew Cunanan’s First Victims?
Who Was Jeffrey Trail? ‘The Assassination Of Gianni Versace’ Explores Andrew Cunanan’s Alarming Fixation On Him
Who Is Jeff Trail In ‘The Assassination Of Gianni Versace: American Crime Story’?
Versace: Watch Jeff Trail’s Real-Life Interview About Being Gay in the Military
‘American Crime Story’: Watch Jeff Trail’s Real ’48 Hours’ Don’t Ask Don’t Tell Interview (Video)

Homicide Hunter Premiered ‘Bring My Baby Home’ on ID: Baby Rachel Ann White Abducted by Air Force Spouse Maritza Beato Rentz (February 7, 2018)

A four-week-old girl is kidnapped, leaving her mother in anguish and police scrambling to find her. As days go by with no sign of the baby or demands for ransom, sergeants Joe Kenda and Robert Sapp fear she’s been sold on the black market or worse. -Bring My Baby Home, Homicide Hunter (S7,E20)

Editor’s note: With a cable subscription, you can download the free ID Go app and watch Investigation Discovery programming at your convenience. And for those who do not have cable, you can watch “unlocked” episodes on the ID Go app including the latest premieres. For those who prefer commercial free programming during your binge session, Prime Video has an ID channel: ‘True Crime Files by Investigation Discovery” available for $3.99 a month. It’s a compilation of older seasons but totally worth the cost if you are a true crime addict. Download the ID Go app or purchase ID True Crime Files & binge away.

Related Links:
Bring My Baby Home | Homicide Hunter | Investigation Discovery (S7,E20)
Bring My Baby Home | Homicide Hunter | Investigation Discovery (website)
Bring My Baby Home | Homicide Hunter | Investigation Discovery (Amazon)
Bring My Baby Home | Homicide Hunter | Investigation Discovery (Hulu)
Baby Rachel White Abducted by Air Force Spouse; Paul Rentz Denied Involvement, Maritza Rentz Used Insanity Defense, Hospitalized for One Year (February 19, 1988)