With tears streaming down her face, Jennifer Norris, a former Technical Sergeant in the Air Force, describes her harrowing experience with sexual assault and the difficulty she had in seeking justice within the military chain of command, saying, “The system is rigged against the victims” and in favor of the “often higher-ranking perpetrators.” [VIDEO]
New legislation would make it easier for victims of sexual assaults in the military to come forward.
“WASHINGTON, D.C. — A burgeoning scandal over sexual assaults in the military is fueling calls from congressional lawmakers on both sides of the aisle to support a bill that gives victims greater confidence that they’ll get justice. At an emotional press conference on Thursday where former service members spoke of being sexually assaulted while in the military, Sen. Mazie Hirono and Rep. Tulsi Gabbard joined a bipartisan group in both chambers in pushing for reform. The issue was a personal one for Gabbard, who served two tours of duty in the Middle East with the National Guard. Though she was not available for comment Thursday, she told CNN earlier this month that rape culture was prevalent during her first deployment to Iraq, to the point where soldiers were trained on protecting themselves from other soldiers.”
At [the] press conference, Jennifer Norris said she was raped while serving in the U.S. Air Force. “At first I was too afraid to report my assault to my chain of command, but two years later I was forced to report due to the escalation of the behavior and the fear that I would be raped again,” she said. Norris…said she’d been reluctant to report the rape because, “in the Air Force, I witnessed first hand what happens to those who stepped forward to report their assaults. I did not want to be stigmatized for reporting my assault — as I tried to move forward with my career. Instead, the best option for me was to try and endure it, to suck it up and try and make it until I could get transferred somewhere else — only to have it happen over and over again, like a recurring nightmare.” –Honolulu Civil Beat (May 16, 2013)
U.S. Senator Mazie K. Hirono was joined today by victims of sexual assault in the military and organizations who assist victims of Military Sexual Trauma (MST) to announce new bipartisan, bicameral legislation that would reform the military justice system by removing the prosecution of all crimes punishable by one year or more in confinement from the chain of command, except crimes that are uniquely military in nature, such as disobeying orders or going Absent Without Leave. -Mazie Hirono (September 25, 2013)
Senator Mazie K. Hirono joined a diverse coalition, led by Senator Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY), to call for the creation of a fair military justice system to reverse the systemic obstacles that sexual assault victims face. The Military Justice Improvement Act would remove the military’s chain of command’s sole decision-making power over whether cases move forward to trial. -Mazie Hirono (November 6, 2013)
Hirono Speaks In Support Of The Military Justice Improvement Act. -Mazie Hirono (November 14, 2013)
With Vote Looming, Hirono Urges Support For Military Justice Improvement Act -Mazie Hirono (November 20, 2013)
Before Senate Vote, Hirono Urges Colleagues To Pass Military Justice Improvement Act -Mazie Hirono (March 6, 2014)
PBS NewsHour: Hirono Fights For Military Justice Improvement Act -Mazie Hirono (March 7, 2014)
Senator Hirono Calls to Address Military Sexual Assault -Mazie Hirono (May 24, 2016)
Senator Hirono Presses Marine Corps Commandant for Commitment to Address Military Sexual Assualt -Mazie Hirono (March 14, 2017)
CBS News: Former Air Force Sgt. Jennifer Norris, a rape victim, said, “Blaming a civilian hook-up culture for the epidemic does nothing but contribute to victim blaming, excusing perpetrators, and it belittles the serious nature of these crimes.”
She said the system is rigged against low-ranking service members. “Commanders who are responsible for the resolution of these cases are far too often biased in favor of the often higher-ranking perpetrators,” she said.
Norris spoke at a press conference at which Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand and other members of Congress pushed legislation that would allow victims to bypass their commanders.
As far as how to make that happen, the senator said, “Allow them to report directly to a military lawyer, a trained prosecutor, someone who understands sexual assault, and is the one who will do the investigation and then decide whether or not to bring it to trial.”
Virtually all media attention on a Pentagon report last week focused on an increase in service members’ claims of sexual abuse in an anonymous survey, but unmentioned were statistics showing that a significant percentage of such actually investigated cases were baseless. -Washington Times
An allegedly inebriated Air Force Lt. Col. Jeff Krusinski has been arrested under suspicion of sexual battery for an incident that occurred in Arlington May 5.
At 12:35 a.m., according to the police report, “a drunken male subject approached a female victim in a parking lot and grabbed her breasts and buttocks. The victim fought the suspect off as he attempted to touch her again and alerted police.”
ID Go: The crew of a luxury charter yacht falls prey to a fugitive’s cold-blooded escape plan en route to Bimini, a remote Bahamian paradise in the Bermuda Triangle. -Hook, Line & Murder, Murder in Paradise (S1,E4)
Editor’s note: With a cable subscription, you can download the free ID Go app and watch all of the 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. Download the ID Go app and binge away. 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 $2.99 a month. It’s a compilation of older seasons but totally worth the cost if you are a true crime addict.
Date: May 2, 2013 Victim: Maribel Ramos, 33, Army veteran, college student Offender: Kwang Chol “K.C.” Joy, 53, software engineer, unemployed Location: Santa Ana, California Circumstances: Maribel was close with her family, she was positive, caring, loving, supportive and encouraging, Maribel was a Sergeant in the Army, she was in supply and logistics, she wanted to be the female that set the example, she did approximately 160 missions overseas, Maribel had PTSD, one of her fellow comrades lost his life on a mission, she had survivor’s guilt, after 8 years, Maribel left the Army and moved in with her boyfriend, being around people bothered her but she was set on a career in law enforcement, Maribel & her boyfriend broke up, she didn’t feel he was supportive, he was heartbroken, she pursued a degree in criminal justice because she wanted to be a police officer, she took her studies seriously, one month into her studies, her mother was diagnosed with colon cancer, Maribel stepped up to help her mom, 3 months after her diagnosis, Maribel’s mom died in hospice, Maribel was destroyed, it was a huge loss for the family, Maribel regrouped and bounced back, she continued her schooling so she could get her degree, she joined the student veterans association on campus at California State University Fullerton, she addressed her issues and became a veteran advocate, a student in her veterans group started stalking her, he was obsessed with her, she was not interested and he scared her, 3 years after her mom passed, Maribel grew tired of living alone and went on-line looking for a roommate, KC Joy moved in, they were very comfortable together and became great friends and roommates, Maribel was not interested in KC romantically, Maribel wanted to find love and started dating again, she went on Plenty of Fish, meanwhile Maribel’s roommate was a big hit with Maribel’s family, Maribel met Paul, after dating for a month, he started hanging out with the family, he made Maribel laugh but she had doubts about the relationship, he wasn’t that serious about making a commitment, Maribel went back on line looking for love, she met a new guy, a photographer, but Maribel’s ex-boyfriend Chris never gave up, Maribel and KC shared their apartment for 18 months when KC reported to her family that she was missing, he then called the authorities, no one had heard from Maribel, her phone was going straight to voicemail, police receive multiple phone calls from Maribel’s family and friends, she was missing, she didn’t just get up and go, the police went to her apartment to investigate, there were no signs of struggle, or a break in, but her cellphone, keys and ID were missing, KC appeared to be very worried about Maribel, the police asked KC to go back to the police department, he was cooperative, very concerned for Maribel, and he said she must have gone out on a date and didn’t return, that was his concern, the family began an active campaign to look for Maribel, the police started investigating the last people she was with, she was supposed to speak at an event and she missed it, now the police were concerned that she ran into some foul play, the first 48 hours are crucial in any investigation, they needed to act quickly but they found no trace of Maribel’s movements, there was no activity in Maribel’s life, they checked in with her ex-boyfriend Paul, he was on their radar immediately because he was the last person to speak with Maribel, he cooperated with the police and his alibi checked out, the family had an awareness walk looking for more information because they knew Maribel was in trouble, the police looked at video surveillance from the apartment complex, they saw Maribel paying her rent and then was never heard from again, someone from the student vets association called police to tell them about Raymond (the guy stalking her) but they learned he moved back to Japan and wasn’t in the US at the time of her disappearance, analysis of Maribel’s computer lead them to the photographer but he too had an alibi, they went back to roommate KC Joy, he came off as a very concerned friend, they noticed some scratches on his arms, he said he got them in a park after stumbling, the police didn’t believe him, they put him under 24 hour surveillance, they followed him to the public library where he used a public computer, detectives set up a sting across the street from the library, when he went on line, the police used special software to secretly monitor his computer activity, KC Joy was a suspect after this sting, they realized he killed her and dumped her body, he googled ‘how long does it take for a human body to decay,’ he observed Maribel’s facebook page and pulled up the location of where the awareness walk was, he then zoomed in on a remote canyon and the authorities believed KC showed them where the body was (Modjeska Canyon, California), police searched the area and within an hour reported that they found Maribel, she was buried under some small rocks, her body was badly decomposed, forensic testing confirmed it was Maribel, police were never able to determine the cause of death, but circumstantial evidence pointed to KC Joy, the detectives gave KC one last chance to come clean but they don’t let him know they found the body, he pointed to Maribel’s ex-boyfriends again and continued to deny knowing where Maribel was, he got up, walked out, and the police arrested him, but no one knows how KC killed Maribel, authorities theorized by August 2012, KC Joy had grown intense feelings for Maribel, he was obsessed, he even spent $12,000 on cosmetic surgery to make himself look younger, he was wildly jealous of Maribel’s boyfriends, by April 2013, his life was falling apart, KC Joy lost his job and told Maribel he couldn’t pay the rent, she told him if you can’t pay your rent, you have to move out, on the day Maribel disappeared, tensions were thick and they were arguing about the rent, KC Joy didn’t want to move out, Maribel wanted him to move out, she locked herself in her room and called Paul, that same night KC Joy sneaked in her room and killed her, he most likely suffocated her and then dumped her body in a remote location, if I can’t have her, no one can have her Disposition: KC Joy was found guilty of second degree murder and sentenced to life in prison
Source: Control Alt Delete, Web of Lies
Editor’s note: With a cable subscription, you can download the free ID Go app and watch all of the 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. Download the ID Go app and binge away. 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 $2.99 a month. It’s a compilation of older seasons but totally worth the cost if you are a true crime addict.
Investigation Discovery:
ID Go: In California, a woman disappears without a trace. Police suspect her roommate knows more than he claims, but without any hard evidence they become locked in a vicious game of cat and mouse. Aphrodite Jones uncovers a tale of fatal obsession and murder. -Virtual Drive-By, True Crime with Aphrodite Jones (S5, E9)
ID Go: Maribel Ramos is a US army veteran with a complicated love life. When she arranges to meet an online date, she disappears, leaving family and friends desperate for news. Detectives are left to uncover a twisted tale of jealousy and rage. -Control Alt Delete, Web of Lies (S5, E6)
Podcasts:
On this week’s episode, a soldier goes missing but is it a kidnapping or murder? -Maribel Ramos, Queens of Crime
An Air Force Academy cadet has been convicted by a court martial panel on a sexual assault charge and kicked out of the military.
Air Force Academy cadet Jamil Cooks, who pleaded guilty last week to unlawfully entering women’s dorm rooms at the academy, was convicted by a court martial panel on a charge of abusive sexual contact, the academy announced Sunday morning.
SrA Christopher Oliver was a basic military training instructor at Lackland Air Force Base in Texas. He was one of the 35 instructors courts martialed after a base-wide investigation into what is now referred to as the Lackland Sex Scandal. SrA Oliver was accused of having unprofessional relationships with at least 4 new recruits and was accused of sexual assault and sodomy with one of those trainees. He was also accused of adultery and using his rank and authority to gain sexual favors. SrA Oliver pleaded guilty to unprofessional relationships and adultery. Oliver was found not guilty of aggravated sexual assault. In June 2013, a military judge convicted him of consensual sodomy, wrongful sexual contact, adultery, and unprofessional relationships. He may be listed on the sex offender registry because of the wrongful sexual contact conviction. SrA Oliver was sentenced to two years in prison and was given a dishonorable discharge. Although the actions for which he was found guilty were unprofessional and in fact UCMJ infractions, they were not criminal in nature yet he was sentenced to 2 years in prison for consensual sex and adultery, a law that doesn’t exist in the civilian world. The Air Force gave SrA Oliver the fifth longest sentence in the Lackland Sex Scandal. SSgt Craig LeBlanc had the fourth longest sentence at 2 1/2 years for unprofessional relationships & adultery. SSgt Eddy Soto had the third longest sentence at four years for rape but Soto’s conviction was later overturned by the Air Force Criminal Court of Appeals. The rape charge lacked sufficient evidence to prove beyond a reasonable doubt. SSgt Luis Walker and MSgt Michael Silva both received twenty year sentences for rape and sexual assault.
The story of 17 year old Michelle Miller was featured on Forbidden: Dying for Love on Investigation Discovery. U.S. Army Reserve recruiter Adam Arndt, 31, enlisted the Rockville, Maryland high school senior in the Army Reserve Future Soldier’s Program. Michelle enlisted in part to help pay her tuition for Arizona State University. Unfortunately, in what appeared to be a downward spiral triggered by an ongoing military investigation, he took her with him. Because both Adam and Michelle were in the military, Army investigators concluded the investigation. In the end, they would add insult to injury and imply this was a ‘couple’ that wanted to die together in a double suicide despite background, testimony, and physical evidence to the contrary. Michelle’s father believes the Army changed the facts to fit their agenda.
According to her father Kevin Miller, Michelle left her Rockville, Maryland home at around 9:15 p.m. on April 8, 2013 after receiving a text message from someone in her reservist platoon about Staff Sgt. Adam Arndt. Michelle rushed out of her house believing that Arndt was suicidal and told her family she had to help a friend. Her father asked her to send the exact address, but he only received one vague message from her. He called the police and they arrived shortly before 9 a.m. the next day. When they were unable to make contact with anyone inside the house, they forced their way in and found Michelle Miller and Adam Arndt dead in the bathroom tub from what appeared initially to be a murder-suicide. Kevin Miller knows his daughter did not want to commit suicide because she simply had too much going for her.
Investigation Discovery:
ID Go: When high school senior Michelle Miller joins the Future Soldiers program, she sees it as the first step to realizing her dream of enlisting in the Army. But a forbidden affair with her recruiter risks her career in the Army, and her future itself. -The Sergeant & the Schoolgirl, Forbidden: Dying for Love (S2, E1)
Editor’s note: With a cable subscription, you can download the free ID Go app and watch all of the 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. Download the ID Go app and binge away. 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 $2.99 a month. It’s a compilation of older seasons but totally worth the cost if you are a true crime addict.