Estevan Maestas Killed After Live Hand Grenade Detonated; Colorado Springs PD Believes Explosive Device Stolen From Fort Carson (November 12, 1978)

On November 12, 1978September 29, 2019 By AdministratorIn Armed Forces, Army, Felony Crime, Homicide, In Their Name, Military PolicyLeave a comment

When a mysterious explosion rocks a sleepy suburb, it’s up to Kenda to ID a pile of charred remains and find the killer who triggered the blast. Then…a young mother’s murder leads the CSPD on a harrowing car chase that ends in a violent showdown. -Point of No Return, Homicide Hunter (S5,E13)

Homicide Hunter is an Investigation Discovery show featuring retired police Detective Lt. Joe Kenda (1973-1996). Lt. Kenda worked for the Colorado Springs Police Department for years and investigated and solved hundreds of cases during his employment. Now in his retirement, he outlines the cases that he encountered on the job and explains how he eventually solved the case. Colorado Springs is home of Fort Carson, an Army base with about 30,000 soldiers. This show is especially interesting given the fact that Lt. Kenda worked in a city with a close proximity to a large base. We have learned over time just how intertwined his job was with a military base known for an active role in fighting wars overseas over the years.

Exercises and deployments continually hone the skills of the Fort Carson Soldiers. When not deployed, Soldiers train annually at Pinon Canyon Maneuver Site and the National Training Center in California. Additionally, units participate in joint exercises around the world, including Central and South Africa, Europe, and Southwest Asia. In 2003, most Fort Carson units were deployed in support of Operations Enduring Freedom and Iraqi Freedom. ~Fort Carson History

Last night, Lt Joe Kenda discussed an explosives case that had been assigned to him. A powerful explosion occurred in a suburban neighborhood of Colorado Springs on November 12, 1978. He was actually working on paperwork on a Sunday when he received a call from police on the scene. They think they found human remains in the remnants of a detached garage near a single dwelling home. Joe was asked to investigate because this could be an intentional act of murder. Joe shared that the scenes he has investigated over the years have been horrific and quite shocking to include this one. As a result, he admitted that he has a hard time eating and sleeping, which are both signs of Post Traumatic Stress of which he admitted he has. This is a normal response for anyone who witnesses these acts of horror, especially over a long period of time.

After Joe arrived on the scene, he deduced that the damage looked like shrapnel damage. But his immediate thought was that it was most likely a gas explosion. He notices in the garage what looks like a large pile of human remains. Based on the remains, he assumed that it was most likely an adult male who was killed. If it’s not a gas explosion, what is it? A couple theories began to emerge including maybe the man lit a cigarette in an area with gas cans and exposed fuel or the victim was booby trapped with hidden wire. This could have been a murder.

Based on his fears of more explosives on scene, he decided to call the Colorado Springs Police Department (CSPD) Bomb Squad to investigate further to determine whether there were any more active munitions. He explained how explosive technicians truly understand explosives and other various devices. As soon as the Bomb Squad arrived at the scene, they immediately recognized the explosive had the smell of a military explosive. Fort Carson had this kind of ammunition on their base since before World War II. The Bomb Squad theorized that somebody from the base most likely smuggled it from Fort Carson and brought it to the current location. A CSPD detective explained how now we have robots to investigate bomb scares but back then we didn’t have that. Explosive technicians put their lives on the line everyday but more so before the advent of robots and other technologies to help minimize the danger of their jobs.

The CSPD Bomb Squad found another hand grenade in the garage that appeared to be live. An ordinance specialist entered the garage and not only found another grenade but he also found evidence of the dead man who was blown up by the first grenade. The second grenade appeared to be untampered with and there were no other explosives found at that location. Police suspected that the victim could have been in the building when someone threw the grenade in. They needed to learn more about the victim to determine if he had any enemies that would do something like this. They learned that the house is a rental and the current tenants only moved in a couple of months ago. The neighbor shared that a man named Estevan had recently retired and moved into this location. While on scene, a police officer found a human index finger quite a distance from the remnants of the garage. This discovery changed the whole direction of the case because the finger was found with a wire around it and this was the pin ring from the hand grenade. The victim may have pulled the pin and detonated the explosive. This could have been an accident.

Joe needed to identify the victim so he started with taking the victim’s finger to the lab so they could attempt to identify him by finger print. The lab technicians told him that without a name, it could take months before they get a match. In the meantime, Estevan’s wife showed up at the police station after learning what happened at her residence. Joe had to tell her that her husband was dead. She shared that his name was Estevan Maestas and he was a custodian at the school with finger prints on file. Estevan was simply going to clean out the garage because the people who lived their before left a bunch of junk in there. She left the house after he went out to the garage. Because his past did not indicate that this could have been a suicide attempt, it was theorized that this was in fact a tragic accident. Estevan most likely found the grenade, had no idea that it was live and maybe he thought it was a toy. He pulled the pin and he never felt a thing, he never knew what hit him.

The CSPD speculated that the grenades had been stolen from Fort Carson and brought into this rental home by a soldier. They assumed that most likely this guy didn’t want to deal with having to dispose of the grenades so he just left them there to become the next person’s problem. This was a hard pill to swallow given a man lost his life over this reckless act. Why was it not followed up on? Given how the military has strict regulations and is supposed to have strict chain of custody records to help them track all explosives, it should be easy to determine whether or not this grenade came from this base. It could have been brought home as a souvenir from World War II, Vietnam, or the Gulf War era. Were they able to cross reference the rental records at the location of the explosion with Fort Carson soldiers? This case revealed more mystery then resolve. If a soldier did smuggle the grenades from the base, why was there no investigation for theft, and now maybe even manslaughter? It is assumed that this person intentionally left them behind because they didn’t want to properly dispose of them.

In theory, no soldier should have been able to get these grenades on a plane or off the base without a search or a documentation trail given how the military usually conducts business. Much like communications security equipment (COMSEC), ammunition is inventoried and kept under lock and key in an effort to prevent compromises with dangerous repercussions. In most circumstances, if Fort Carson recognized that ammunition was missing, they would shut down the base until they found it. If someone dropped the ball at Fort Carson, a man lost his life because of careless documentation and security practices. And the Colorado bomb squad and Lt. Joe Kenda risked their lives in an effort to prevent anyone else from getting hurt or killed. Hopefully, soldiers learn a valuable lesson from this circumstance given it could have been a harmless act that went terribly wrong. Whoever left the grenades behind may not have intended for Estevan Maestas to die but he did. If a military member was responsible, it would be nice to know that the military has implemented safety and security procedures that can help prevent this kind of a tragedy from ever happening in our communities again.

Source: Point of No Return, Homicide Hunter, Investigation Discovery

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.

Army Major Chester Barrett Murdered By Estranged Wife Lisbeth & Step-Son for Military Survivor Benefits; Both Sentenced to Prison 35+ Years Later (1977)

On January 4, 1977January 14, 2018 By AdministratorIn Armed Forces, Army, Cold Cases, Domestic Violence, Felony Crime, Homicide, In Their Name, Military PolicyLeave a comment

Screen Shot 2018-01-14 at 2.48.49 PM — Major Chester Barrett, US Army

Army Major Chester Barrett was found murdered in a desert area in east El Paso, Texas on January 4, 1977. Investigators opened a murder investigation but exhausted all leads and the case went cold for over 35 years. In 2006, the case was reopened by the El Paso Police Department and new tips came in. Investigators would learn that Major Garrett’s wife Lisbeth enlisted the help of her son Roger in a plot to kill him. The pair were arrested and charged with Major Garrett’s murder. At trial, Roger confessed that he and his mother asked his step-father to come to their house to fix the dishwasher. As Major Garrett was leaning over the dishwasher, Roger struck him in the head with a baseball bat; he says his mother then stabbed him several times. Prosecutors said the motive to kill Major Garrett was to collect the money from his military survivor benefits.

Major Garrett and Lisbeth were in the midst of a divorce when the homicide occurred; Major Garrett was living in Officer’s Quarters at Fort Bliss. Lisbeth was accused of using her 18 year old child to lure Major Garrett to the marital home because she wanted to kill him. A witness testified at trial that divorcees of active duty Army officers could not get benefits but widows could get survivor benefits from the Army for the rest of their lives. Roger Garrett was convicted of murder for his part in the crime in 2013; he was sentenced to 40 years in prison. Former high school teacher Lisbeth Garrett, 76, was found guilty of homicide in 2015; she was sentenced to 45 years in prison. Roger Garrett appealed his murder conviction but the case was denied by the Texas Court of Appeals.

“Maj. Chester Garrett served four tours in Vietnam and, while with the 5th Special Forces Group, earned the U.S. military’s second-highest award for valor. According to officials, Garrett was a Special Forces advisor to a Vietnamese strike force on a search and destroy mission near the Cambodian border.” –The Fayetteville Observer

45 years in prison for Lisbeth Garrett -KVIA.com

HS Student Carol Hutto Found Dead in Largo, Florida Pond; Boyfriend & Navy P.O. James Kuenn Sentenced to Life in Prison 2 Decades Later (1976)

On December 13, 1976January 29, 2018 By AdministratorIn Armed Forces, Cold Cases, Domestic Violence, Felony Crime, Homicide, In Their Name, Military Policy, Navy1 Comment

Screen Shot 2018-01-29 at 9.32.23 PM — Carol Hutto, Florida (1976)

Navy Petty Officer James Kuenn, 40, was found guilty on February 9, 2000 for the first-degree murder of his teen girlfriend Carol Hutto on December 13, 1976 in Largo, Florida. Carol Hutto’s half-brother found her dead in a pond in the neighborhood; she was weighed down with cement blocks. An autopsy revealed Carol was hit and strangled, lost consciousness, and then thrown in the water alive. Initially, police suspected Carol’s half-brother committed the crime but they did not have enough evidence to charge him so the case went unsolved for nearly two decades. Then in 1994, two Largo Police Department investigators reopened the cold case.

The detective’s determination to find the killer led them to a former Largo resident who by then was an eleven year Navy veteran stationed at U.S. Naval Submarine Base in Groton, Connecticut. In 1996, DNA testing was making it’s way into police departments across the country so the investigators submitted several unknown hairs to the FBI lab. But they needed a sample of Kuenn’s DNA to see if it was a match. Investigator’s obtained a search warrant to get the DNA via a blood sample and used the interrogation to elicit a confession while they waited for the results. Since Kuenn was active duty Navy, detectives brought in the Naval Criminal Investigative Services (NCIS) in Mayport, Florida to assist with the interrogation.

On July 15, 1998, the NCIS used the interrogation to push Kuenn into a confession. Investigators had no physical evidence linking Kuenn to the scene but that didn’t stop them from bluffing and hoping Kuenn would cave. Kuenn eventually admitted to investigators that the whole thing was an accident and he brought Carol to the lake to cover up the crime. Kuenn claimed that Carol tripped and fell and became unconscious so he took off her clothes to make it look like someone else did it. Despite Kuenn’s tears, detectives believed he was lying because Carol’s injuries did not come from an accidental trip and fall; they came from blunt force trauma and strangulation. Kuenn was charged with murder, convicted, and sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole for twenty-five years.

“Kuenn recalled the fateful night when he and Carol met at the house under construction. They kissed but the young woman was reluctant to have sex with him. As she struggled, her screams rang out through the foggy night air. Kuenn, under the influence of alcohol and marijuana, hit her with a 2 by 4 to quiet her. He then dumped her in the pond, where she drowned, according to the autopsy.” –Tampa Bay Times

16-year-old Carol Hutto is a dependable friend, daughter and sister. She’s a good student, loves wrestling and hanging out with friends. So when she misses her curfew one evening, her mother knows something awful has happened. -Swamp Murders

Holloman Air Force Base Airman Rudy Victor Disappeared; Remains Found in Montana in 1982 Match Rudy Victor’s DNA (June 15, 1974)

On June 15, 1974June 1, 2019 By AdministratorIn Armed Forces, Cold Cases, In Their Name, Military Policy, Suicide, USAFLeave a comment

Screen Shot 2017-06-24 at 8.00.24 PM — A1C Rudy Victor, US Air Force

Officials with Holloman Air Force Base say that a 43-year-old cold case involving an AWOL Airman has come to a close after investigators were able to match DNA and dental records to remains found in the Montana wilderness in 1982 to the missing airman. Airman First Class Rudy Redd Victor, 20, from Shiprock, NM was assigned to Holloman Air Force Base in 1974 when he was awarded leave to visit family in Arizona and Colorado.

Witness reports indicate the last location of Victor was near the Wolf Creek Rest area in Lewis and Clark County, Montana. Shortly thereafter, Victor went missing and he was categorized as AWOL by the U.S. Air Force after he failed to return to duty in June 1974…According to the Lewis and Clark Sheriff’s Office and Lewis and Clark County Coroner, Airman Victor’s death was most likely due to suicide [on or about June 15, 1974].

Read more: El Paso Proud

Army Pvt Kenneth Barnes Disappeared from Ft Gordon on November 10, 1972; Labeled a Deserter But Discovery of Body in 1981 Determined Homicide

On November 10, 1972December 5, 2017 By AdministratorIn Armed Forces, Army, Domestic Violence, Felony Crime, Homicide, In Their NameLeave a comment

Norman and Lillian Barnes, who for nine years challenged the Army’s contention that their son Kenneth had deserted, have finally received official word that he died nine years ago. Kenneth Barnes disappeared from Fort Gordon, Ga., on Nov. 10, 1972. A body believed to be his was traced to a grave in Augusta, Ga., in April 1981. Last week investigators confirmed the identity of the body. –New York Times

Air Force Sgt. James Goodyear Died of Arsenic Poisoning; Judy Buenoano Murdered Husband for Life Insurance Benefits, Executed in Florida (September 16, 1971)

On September 16, 1971November 15, 2019 By AdministratorIn Armed Forces, Army, Domestic Violence, Felony Crime, Homicide, In Their Name, Military Policy, USAF, VeteransLeave a comment

Air Force Sergeant James Goodyear, 37, died on September 16, 1971 in Orlando, Florida. Sergeant Goodyear died just three months after completing a year long tour of duty in Vietnam. He left behind his wife Judy Buenoano Goodyear and her son Michael Buenoano. Judy received $28,000 in military life insurance benefits and military death benefits to help support the family. When her son Michael turned eighteen, he joined the US Army. On his way to his post in Georgia, he stopped in to visit his mother Judy, she fed him, and afterwards he became ill. The illness led to a crippling condition that left him paralyzed in his lower extremities and he was subsequently discharged from the Army as a Private. Michael was disabled and Judy was taking care of him. On May 13, 1980 Judy took Michael for a canoe ride. Judy reported to local authorities that her canoe capsized and her son Michael had drowned. She collected $125,000 in military life insurance benefits for her son’s death.

Judy Buenoano was executed in the State of Florida on March 30, 1998.

In June 1983, Judy was suspected in the car bombing of her fiancé John Gentry of Pensacola, Florida. She stood to gain $500,000 in life insurance money for this death. Judy Buenoano was first convicted of the attempted murder of John Gentry. As a result of her involvement in the attempted murder of John, investigators looked into the ‘accidental deaths’ of her husband James Goodyear and her son Michael. They exhumed John’s body a decade later and an autopsy revealed he had been poisoned with arsenic. Testimony revealed long-term arsenic poisoning had actually caused her son Michael’s disability. And when Judy drowned him, he was wearing an extra 15 pounds of weighted braces. Judy reportedly admitted to being involved in the 1978 death of her boyfriend Bobby Joe Morris as well. She received $50,000 in life insurance benefits for his death. Judy Buenoano was found guilty of first degree murder and sentenced to death. She was executed by the electric chair in Florida on March 30, 1998. Judy Buenoano was motivated by money, profit, and greed.

Source: ‘Dark Secrets’ Deadly Women, Investigation Discovery

Colette, Kimberley & Kristen MacDonald Murdered in NC Home; Former Army Captain Jeffrey MacDonald Convicted of Homicide, Sentenced to Life (February 17, 1970)

On February 17, 1970August 7, 2019 By AdministratorIn Armed Forces, Army, Domestic Violence, Felony Crime, Homicide, In Their Name, Military Policy, Scandals2 Comments

Colette, Kimberley, and Kristen MacDonald

Capt. Jeffrey MacDonald, US Army

Dr. Jeffrey MacDonald, was convicted on August 29, 1979 of the murders of his wife, Colette, and his two daughters, Kimberley and Kristen, at Fort Bragg, North Carolina. The murders occurred on February 17, 1970 while Captain MacDonald was serving as a doctor for Green Berets in the Army. Captain MacDonald was court martialed but a military judge did not find sufficient evidence to proceed with a trial. Captain MacDonald was honorably discharged from the Army. After persistence from Colette’s family, prosecutors in Fayetteville, North Carolina began to pay attention to the homicide case and eventually charged Jeffrey MacDonald with the murders of his family. MacDonald was found guilty by a jury of his peers and received three life sentences. Jeffrey MacDonald maintains his innocence to this day and continues to appeal his convictions.

False Witness:

Trailer: Special Forces Captain and Princeton man Jeffrey MacDonald has been in Federal prison since 1979 for murdering his wife and two young daughters in his quarters at Ft. Bragg eight years earlier, but his conviction might be vacated pursuant to evidence. -False Witness, YouTube Movies (December 4, 2012)

Special Forces Captain and Princeton man Jeffrey MacDonald has been in Federal prison since 1979 for murdering his wife and two young daughters in his quarters at Ft. Bragg eight years earlier, but his conviction might be vacated pursuant to evidence presented for the first time in Federal Court in September, 2012. -False Witness, YouTube Movies (December 4, 2012)

Investigation Discovery:

An army surgeon, Jeffrey MacDonald, is the lone survivor of a brutal 1970 home invasion that claims the lives of his wife and daughters. But authorities doubt his story of murderous hippies and believe MacDonald is the culprit. -The Accused, People Magazine Investigates (January 9, 2017)

The ID Original Movie, FINAL VISION tells the true story of Jeffrey MacDonald, a handsome, Ivy League-educated U.S. Army Green Beret doctor, who was convicted of brutally murdering his pregnant wife and two young daughters in the middle of the night. -Final Vision, Investigation Discovery (December 3, 2017)

ID Go: A writer is enlisted by a former Green Beret who stands accused of murdering his family to cover his trial and proclaim his innocence, but the tables turn when the writer has doubts. -Final Vision, Investigation Discovery (December 10, 2017)

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.

Andrew Muns Disappeared from USS Cacapon, Listed AWOL; 30 Plus Years Later, NCIS Cold Case Squad Solved Murder; Michael LeBrun Plead Guilty (1968)

On January 17, 1968January 7, 2018 By AdministratorIn Armed Forces, Felony Crime, Homicide, In Their Name, Military Policy, Navy, Non Combat Death2 Comments

Screen Shot 2016-08-07 at 7.36.01 PM — Andrew Muns, US Navy

After U.S. Navy sailor disappears in 68, the Navy claims he went AWOL. But his sister works for over 30 years to prove that he was really killed. -Cold Case Files

The 1968 disappearance of Ensign Andrew Lee Muns, 24, US Navy, was long a mystery. But his family never gave up. As a result, the case was reopened by the Navy in 1998 at the urging of Muns’s sister, Mary Lou Taylor. Muns’s body was never found and the Navy listed him as a deserter after $8,600 was discovered missing from a ship safe. He was not eligible for burial at Arlington National Cemetery because he didn’t have an honorable discharge. His family wanted to set the record straight in an effort to honor his name. An NCIS Cold Case Squad investigation revealed that cashier and payroll clerk, Andrew Muns, caught Michael LeBrun stealing from the ship’s safe. Muns threatened to report him and LeBrun panicked. He punched him, Muns punched him back, they struggled, and LeBrun overpowered Muns and strangled him in an effort to silence him. Then he needed to get rid of the body. LeBrun wanted to throw him overboard but was afraid others would hear the splash and the body would float. He threw his body in a muck tank instead knowing it would not be inspected for a year and a half. LeBrun eventually pleaded guilty to voluntary manslaughter in September 2005 for killing Andrew Muns. He was sentenced to four years in prison. Andrew Muns was buried in Arlington National Cemetery with full honors and the flag was given to his family.

Army Veteran Larry Ranes Murdered Gary Smock, Charles Snyder, and Air Force Service Member Vernon LeBenne After Jailed and Discharged from Military for Violence (1964)

On April 6, 1964April 2, 2017 By AdministratorIn Armed Forces, Army, Felony Crime, Homicide, Military Policy, ScandalsLeave a comment

Screen Shot 2017-04-02 at 2.33.08 PM — Larry Ranes, US Army Veteran

Brothers Larry and Danny Ranes grew up in Kalamazoo, Michigan. They were the product of a divorce after their father abandoned them and left one day to start a new relationship with a woman in Florida. In high school, Larry and Danny dated the same girl, Paula. She went back and forth between the two brothers. She really liked Larry and Danny really liked her but after graduation, Larry enlisted in the Army in 1962. One night, Larry got drunk and because one of his buddies stole his chips, he flipped out on all his friends. It was reported that he ran after them with a knife, was hauled off by the military police, and spent the rest of his stint in the brig until he was discharged. When he got home, he had nowhere to go and no sense of direction; he felt disgraced. Paula was now dating his brother Danny so he started dating someone else, an older woman. He eventually proposed to her but she rejected him. He was devastated and felt completely aimless and done with life.

Gary Smock, 34, was found tied up and murdered in his vehicle on the side of the road in Kalamazoo, Michigan on May 30, 1964. Gary’s wife reported him missing and while she was at the police station, she learn that his car has been spotted on the side of the road and he was dead. He had been tied up, robbed, and shot in the head with a 22 caliber. Detectives begin their investigation by piecing together the last hours of Gary’s life. That same morning, a group of fisherman found Charles Snyder, a gas station attendant who had been shot in Elkhart, Indiana. It appeared to be another robbery/homicide. Investigators wondered if the two murders were connected considering the motive was robbery and a 22 caliber was used in both crimes. On April 6, 1964 Vernon LeBenne, 23, was found robbed and shot at a Battle Creek, Michigan gas station he worked at part-time. Vernon was an active duty Air Force member stationed at the Fort Custer Training Center in Michigan. When he was found the next day, he was still alive but in a coma; he died twelve hours later. The police were never able to question him but were concerned all three murders were connected.

Five days later, Larry Ranes called the police claiming that he wanted to commit suicide. Police arrived at his home and found him alive. He was taken to the police station, questioned, and admitted to killing Gary Smock and Charles Snyder. Larry admitted killing Gary because he was upset that he was making noise in the trunk of his own car. He then admitted to driving to Elkhart and robbing and killing a gas station attendant Charles Synder. Ironically, he was waved through a police roadblock with Gary’s body in his trunk. The police didn’t suspect him because he was cool, calm and collected. Larry also admitted to killing airman Vernon LeBenne. Initially he declined a defense attorney so the prosecution ordered a psychiatric evaluation. He told the psychiatrist that he never thought his life would amount to much especially after getting discharged from the military. He had no sense of direction. He admitted feeling worthless and that it sent him into a bad place. He tried to take his own life before and was sent to a hospital for two weeks but he felt that nobody paid attention to his needs.

In September 1964, Larry was charged with Gary Smock’s murder. The defense claimed he was temporarily insane at the time of the crime. They claimed that he was taking his resentment’s towards his abusive, alcoholic dad who abandoned him out on Gary Smock. The jury didn’t buy it and he was found guilty of murder in 1964 and sentenced to life in prison. Meanwhile with Larry out of the picture, Danny married his high school sweetheart Paula. They had two children but Paula still daydreamed about Larry and wrote to him while he was in prison. Danny eventually found the love letters between his brother and wife and the two of them begin fighting regularly; Danny left the marriage. Danny decided to move to Wyoming and while there, he committed a crime. He abducted a couple of teenagers, released them and then turned himself in. It is believed that he secretly hoped Paula would like him more now that he committed a crime like his brother Larry. Paula and Danny tried the relationship again and had a third child but it didn’t work. After divorcing Paula, Danny committed another crime and was arrested for felonious assault of a child.

In 1971, seven years after Larry’s murder conviction, he appealed his case and was granted a re-trial. Meanwhile Danny is released from prison in 1972 for his felony crimes and moved back to Kalamazoo, Michigan. Danny learned Larry was back in the papers because of his re-trial and within a month, he committed another crime. A man reported his wife and child were missing and the next day a woman reported that she found a baby walking around unsupervised covered in blood. The police found his mother Patricia Howk stabbed to death in the woods; she had been murdered but there were no suspects. A few months later, some citizens found a car in the woods with two dead decomposed bodies inside: Linda Clark and Claudia Bidstrup from Chicago, Illinois. They were on their way to Ann Arbor, Michigan. Police were concerned that these two murders were connected to Patricia Howk. Finally, Kalamazoo Police received a tip that helped them solve the cases. Brent Koster informed investigators that he was an accomplice to the violent rapes and murders of Linda Clark and Claudia Bidstrup with Danny Ranes.

Brent Koster testified that Danny bragged about killing Patricia Howk. He claimed he admitted to attacking her as she was getting in her car. Patricia fought back so he stabbed her in the back and twisted the knife until she was dead. On July 6, 1972, Linda Clark and Claudia Bidstrip pulled into the gas station where Danny Ranes was working. Danny pretended to check their oil but instead took one of the spark plug wires out. The car wouldn’t start so he told them to pull around the back of the gas station. After they were isolated, the pair pulled knives on them and took turns raping them. They murdered them a few hours later and dumped their bodies near the Kalamazoo River. Brent Koster agreed to a plea deal in exchange for his full cooperation and during this exchange admitted to one more murder. The two picked up, raped, and murdered Patricia Fearnow who was hitchhiking on the campus of Western Michigan University. Brent Koster was sentenced to life for the second degree murder of Linda Clark. Danny Ranes changed his ‘not guilty’ plea to ‘no contest’ and received two additional life sentences for the murders of Linda Clark and Claudia Bidstrup. And finally Larry Ranes’ insanity defense fell apart and he pleaded guilty to the murder of Gary Smock and was sentenced to life.

For one family in Michigan, winning isn’t everything, it is the only thing. But when one competition heats up, they end up doing the unthinkable. The small, Midwestern town the family calls home will come face to face with multiple rounds of pure evil. -Investigation Discovery

Iva Kroeger Murdered Motel Owners Mildred Arneson and WWI Army Veteran Jay Arneson in California; Sentenced to Life in Prison (August 20, 1962)

On August 20, 1962August 14, 2019 By AdministratorIn Armed Forces, Army, Felony Crime, Homicide, In Their Name, VeteransLeave a comment

Jay Thomas Arneson — Jay Arneson, U.S. Army Veteran (photo courtesy of Find a Grave)

“Iva Kroeger was a housewife with dreams of owning her own business, and took over her friend Mildred Arneson’s motel in Santa Rosa, California. Iva murdered Mildred and buried the body in her basement, then claimed Mildred moved to Brazil and left her the motel. Shortly afterward, she also murdered Mildred’s husband, Jay. Iva and her husband Ralph, whose role in the murders is unknown, were both convicted of first degree murder. Ralph died in prison, and Iva was released after serving 13 years.”

Source: Iva Kroeger | Deadlywomen Wiki | FANDOM

Dates: December 15, 1961, January 1962, August 20, 1962
Location: Santa Rosa, California and San Franciso, California
Offenders: Iva Kroeger & Ralph Kroeger
Victims: Mildred Arneson (motel owner), Jay Arneson (68 y.o. disabled Army veteran)
Motive: Greed, money
Pathology: Murder by strangulation, dug a hole in the basement of her San Franciso home, and buried two victims
Disposition: Iva Kroeger sentenced to death for 2 counts of first degree murder, later changed to life imprisonment with parole, served 13 years; Ralph Kroeger convicted of 2 counts of first degree murder on March 26, 1963, sentenced to life in prison
Status: Iva Kroeger paroled in 1974, deceased in 2000; Ralph Kroeger died in prison
Red Flags: Claims she fled an abusive marriage, dutiful wife to new husband Ralph Kroeger, kept everything neat & clean, engaging personality, sweet, kind, and caring but it was a front, obsession with nursing, worked in nursing homes with the vulnerable, first arrest was for impersonating a nurse, pulled a gun on a repairman because she didn’t want to pay her bill, stole $1,400 from a nursing home in San Jose in 1954, used aliases in various scams, master of the sob story, faked a limp, told people she had cancer, claimed she was crippled in a streetcar accident, said she was going blind, kidnapped her own son’s two children & then abandoned them on the streets of Oakland, California, stole $8,000 from a joint account with husband Ralph Kroeger, quoted as saying “If you act crazy, you can get away with anything because people will think you are eccentric,” during murder trial, claimed to be the mother of God, sang, threw things and constantly interrupted the witnesses and judge, psychiatrists testified that she was sane, but deceitful and manipulative, arrested in 1985 for threatening a man with a gun in Florida, two stolen nurses IDs found in her possession, wanted the life Mildred had, strangled her victims, abuser, user, strong desire not to pay for anything, psychopath but not always cool, calm and collected, lied constantly with complete conviction, won’t admit to any wrongdoing, and police record going back to 1945

Naughty by Monte Schulz (Book):

This crime noir novel, set in the 1950s, was inspired by the real life story of Iva Kroeger and her husband, indicted for the murders of Mildred and Jay Arneson in 1962. -Monte Schulz, Mr. Media Interviews By Bob Andelman

Investigation Discovery:

Selfish women will sometimes sell their souls to the devil to get what they want. A scorned lover weaves a web of lies, a teenage Goth orders a reign of terror, and a gold-digger buries secrets in her basement. -Souls of Stone, Deadly Women (S7, E18)

MILITARY JUSTICE FOR ALL

Category: Felony Crime

Estevan Maestas Killed After Live Hand Grenade Detonated; Colorado Springs PD Believes Explosive Device Stolen From Fort Carson (November 12, 1978)

Army Major Chester Barrett Murdered By Estranged Wife Lisbeth & Step-Son for Military Survivor Benefits; Both Sentenced to Prison 35+ Years Later (1977)

HS Student Carol Hutto Found Dead in Largo, Florida Pond; Boyfriend & Navy P.O. James Kuenn Sentenced to Life in Prison 2 Decades Later (1976)

Holloman Air Force Base Airman Rudy Victor Disappeared; Remains Found in Montana in 1982 Match Rudy Victor’s DNA (June 15, 1974)

Army Pvt Kenneth Barnes Disappeared from Ft Gordon on November 10, 1972; Labeled a Deserter But Discovery of Body in 1981 Determined Homicide

Air Force Sgt. James Goodyear Died of Arsenic Poisoning; Judy Buenoano Murdered Husband for Life Insurance Benefits, Executed in Florida (September 16, 1971)

Colette, Kimberley & Kristen MacDonald Murdered in NC Home; Former Army Captain Jeffrey MacDonald Convicted of Homicide, Sentenced to Life (February 17, 1970)

Andrew Muns Disappeared from USS Cacapon, Listed AWOL; 30 Plus Years Later, NCIS Cold Case Squad Solved Murder; Michael LeBrun Plead Guilty (1968)

Army Veteran Larry Ranes Murdered Gary Smock, Charles Snyder, and Air Force Service Member Vernon LeBenne After Jailed and Discharged from Military for Violence (1964)

Iva Kroeger Murdered Motel Owners Mildred Arneson and WWI Army Veteran Jay Arneson in California; Sentenced to Life in Prison (August 20, 1962)

Share this:

Share this:

Share this:

Share this:

Share this:

Share this:

Share this:

Share this:

Share this:

Share this: