Air Force 1st Lt. Anais Tobar, 25, of Miami, Florida died from a non-combat-related injury on July 18, 2016 in Abu Dhabi, UAE. She was supporting Operation Inherent Resolve on behalf of the 4th Aircraft Maintenance Squadron at Seymour Johnson Air Force Base in North Carolina. The Miami Herald reported the Air Force Office of Special Investigations (AFOSI) was investigating the circumstances surrounding her death. The official cause of death is unknown.
“Sexual assault is a huge problem in the US military. And for many victims, the process of reporting their crime and seeking justice can be as traumatic as their assault.
Most members of Congress and military officials agree that these basic facts are true, and that more reforms to the military justice system could help. But there’s a profound disagreement on how, and how much, the system needs to change.
The US Senate is expected to vote this week on the Military Justice Improvement Act (MJIA). Advocates, who have been pushing for the MJIA since 2013, say the reform would make the process of prosecuting sex crimes a lot easier and smoother for victims and help victims feel more empowered to come forward and report the crimes against them.
An unusual bipartisan cadre of senators support the MJIA, from Elizabeth Warren to Ted Cruz. But the Pentagon adamantly opposes it, and many senators listen to the Pentagon when it says the MJIA would undermine “good order and discipline.” So there’s still no filibuster-proof, 60-vote majority for the measure, and it’s been defeated every year it’s come up.”
If you or someone you know has been falsely accused of a crime,
please contact Save Our Heroes.
This animated video describes the obstacles faced by military members who are wrongly or falsely accused of sexual assault. From the recent changes to the UCMJ to the barriers built around the alleged victim, wrongly and falsely accused service members face an uphill battle defending themselves. Court-martial defense lawyer Will M. Helixon, with decades of experience as a sex crimes prosecutor, can team with the military detailed counsel to level the playing field and defend the rights of the wrongly and falsely accused. (www.helixongroup.com)
Tricia Todd, U.S. Air Force Veteran (Photo: HuffPost)
SSgt Steven Williams, 30, US Air Force, and USAF veteran Tricia Todd, 30, were married for 11 years and had one child
Williams and Todd divorced on February 2, 2016
Williams was stationed at Seymour Johnson AFB in North Carolina
Tricia Todd lived in Hobe Sound, Florida with their only child
Williams traveled to Florida to visit their only child
Tricia vanished from Florida on April 26, 2016
Williams is accused in May 2016 of murdering Tricia Todd
Williams admitted to getting in an argument about finances & pushed Todd
Williams pleaded no contest to the second degree murder of Tricia Todd
Williams was sentenced to 35 years in prison if he led investigators to the body
Williams led investigators to her mutilated body in Florida
Williams could face additional federal penalties under the Uniform Code of Military Justice (UCMJ) as he was an active member of the armed forces at the time the crime was committed
According to The Object of Murder (Investigation Discovery), civilian prosecutors want the Air Force to try Williams in a military death penalty trial but the Air Force has not taken any action thus far
In the News:
Part 1: Tricia Todd’s life was filled with intense moments of both love and violence. She wrote in great detail about those moments on her online blog. -True Crime Daily (November 11, 2016)
Part 2: Murdered Woman’s Journal Helps Catch Her Killer -True Crime Daily (November 11, 2016)
Part 1: Tricia Todd divorced her husband Steven Williams after more than ten years of marriage. Before Tricia went missing, she wrote in an online journal about falling for another man, and that her husband had a dark side. She was later found dead. -True Crime Daily (March 30, 2017)
Part 2: Murdered Woman’s Diary Helps Catch Her Killer -True Crime Daily (March 30, 2017)
Tricia Todd’s life was filled with intense moments of both love and violence. She wrote in great detail about those moments on her blog. -True Crime Daily (November 16, 2018)
Investigation Discovery:
In 2016, 33-year-old Tricia Todd was reported missing after failing to pick up her daughter from a babysitter. As her family hoped and prayed, investigators found her online journal that revealed the true horror of what had happened. -Beauty for Ashes, The Object of Murder (S1,E1)
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.
Air Force A1C Nathaniel McDavitt, 22, of Glen Burnie, Maryland died April 15, 2016 as a result of injuries sustained after extreme winds caused structural damage to the building in which he was working. A1C McDavitt was temporarily deployed to Jordan with the 332nd Air Expeditionary Wing for joint training exercises with the Jordan Armed Forces-Arab Army (JAF). He was an F-16 crew chief supporting Operation Inherent Resolve on behalf of the 52nd Equipment Maintenance Squadron, 407th Air Expeditionary Group at Spangdahlem Air Base in Germany. According to The Jordan Times, the US embassy in Amman was looking into the cause of the accident that killed A1C McDavitt. His family set up a memorial scholarship fund in his name.
There is no indication yet whether the building in question was on or off a U.S. military base in the region. A spokesperson for AFCENT said the 407th group is part of the 332nd Air Expeditionary Wing, but that the unit is geographically separated from the wing. Due to “host nation sensitivities,” the Air Force won’t release the 407th’s location. –Air Force Times
Maria Ridulph, 7, disappeared on December 3, 1957 in Sycamore, Illinois. She was found stabbed to death a few months later. Air Force veteran John Tessier (aka Jack McCullough) of Seattle, Washington, 17 at the time, was convicted in 2012 of the kidnapping and murder of Maria and sentenced to life in prison. It was the oldest cold case in the country to be solved but soon that victory would be lost and conviction overturned on appeal. A prosecutor found evidence that supported McCullough’s long-held alibi that he had been 40 miles away at the time of the disappearance. As a matter of fact, the former Captain was enlisting in the Air Force and left for active duty service a few days later. A certificate of innocence was issued and Jack McCullough was set free on April 15, 2016. Despite the past sexual abuse of minors allegations, which McCullough doesn’t deny, he wants to clear his name of the homicide. McCullough is suing the State of Illinois for wrongful conviction. The case remains unsolved to this day.
Retired police officer Jack McCullough was convicted of murder in Illinois more than half a century after the crime. But he was released Friday after a prosecutor found he could not have done it. McCullough says he will sue the state for the suffering five years of imprisonment. “48 Hours” correspondent Erin Moriarty reports.
A lonely ex-military man meets up with a much younger beautiful woman, and together they fall in love. Or so they think. Until a deadly combination of greed, worry, and secrets leaves one dead and the other on the run… wanted for murder. -Shades of Jade, A Stranger in My Home (S3,E8)
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.
The gunman behind the fatal shooting at Joint Base San Antonio-Lackland has been identified as Steven D. Bellino, a former FBI agent who later enlisted in the US Air Force. Bellino was an FBI agent for less than two years before resigning in 2013. Authorities have not confirmed why Lt. Col. William A. Schroeder was targeted in the murder/suicide attack.
ID Go: The promise of peaceful life in Tamarac, Florida is broken when the son of a newly arrived family befriends the neighborhood’s most unruly kids. Bad blood between the neighbors boils over until things come to a horrifically violent end on Halloween. -Nail in the Coffin, Fear Thy Neighbor (S3, E1)
Date: October 31, 2001 Victim: Robert Campbell Offender: Richard Day, Air Force veteran, auto body mechanic, disabled Location: Tamarac, Florida Circumstances: Richard Day’s step-son Walter discovered a pocket knife missing from his tackle box, Walter confronted the Rossier boys and they denied it so he let it go, Richard had a quadruple bypass and was forced to give up his job during his recovery, Richard was down because he couldn’t provide for his family, Richard had diabetes, he would get very irritable, Walter brought his game boy to school and Andrew Rossier took it and wouldn’t give it back to him, Andrew threatened to steal his bike next, Adele Day got a guidance counselor involved to help resolve the bullying issues, Connie Rossier refused to admit that her sons did anything wrong, Walter and the boys continued to hang out, Richard accused the boys of stealing items from their house, after that incident, Richard forbid Walter to hang out with the Rossier boys, Walter continued to sneak over to the boy’s house and discovered the they had some of his game boy games so Walter took them, Connie called Richard and accused Walter of stealing the games, Walter admitted taking the games back because they were his, they were labeled so Richard believed Walter, Richard went over to Connie’s house to confront her about the theft, Richard screamed at Connie as loud as he could and they went back and forth, they were both angry, one night, Richard and family returned home to discover that someone had broke into their home and trashed it and Walter’s bike was missing, Richard was certain the Rossier boys did it and reported the break-in to the police, the police found a fingerprint but never followed up on it with Richard, the Rossier boys taunted Richard from the road near his property, Walter’s parents bought him a new bike, Walter makes new friends but can’t avoid the Rossier boys, Andrew tried to take off on Walter’s new bike but Walter stopped him, Andrew threatened to get back at him for humiliating him, Andrew tried to elicit the help of his brothers to get back at Walter, Uncle Rob tried to keep the peace but the Rossier kids were out for revenge, Walter and Richard were washing the truck in the driveway and the Rossier boys started taunting them and trying to get a rise out of them, Richard was ready to beat these boys but Adele stopped him, the Rossier boys continued to antagonize Richard, Richard felt helpless in dealing with the Rossier boys and called the police but there really wasn’t anything they could do to stop them, Richard moved to Florida for peace but the Rossier boys were determined to make his life miserable, on Halloween things reached a boiling point, Richard ate too much candy for someone who had diabetes, when they returned home, they found that their yard had been egged and doused with shaving cream, it was on the driveway, home and garage, Richard and Walter suspected the Rossier boys so they drove to the Rossier home and threw eggs at their home and the situation quickly got ugly, the Rossier family confronted them and Richard and Walter jumped in the truck to escape the situation, Uncle Rob was dragged from 100-150 feet by the truck but Walter kept driving, the Rossier family found Uncle Rob and he was badly injured and bled to death, Richard Day was arrested for homicide, the police said he used his truck as his murder weapon, the untimely death took a toll on both families mental health Disposition: Richard Day was found guilty of second degree murder and sentenced to life in prison on May 9, 2003, Richard died in prison on April 2, 2009 from diabetes complications
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.
MILITARY JUSTICE FOR ALL 