A fifteen year old teenager Jacob Kinney was arrested and charged with the fatal shooting of Army Pfc. MarStratton Gordon, 23, on August 28, 2016 in Harriman, Tennessee. Pfc. MarStratton was in Tennessee on leave visiting his girlfriend at the time of the shooting. Pfc. MarStratton enlisted in the US Army in November 2014 and was most recently assigned as a heavy truck driver with the 101st Sustainment Brigade at Fort Campbell, Kentucky. WATE reported that court documents allege Jacob Kinney shot Pfc. Gordon in the head with a .357 round after a fight broke out between Gordon and his girlfriend, Kinney’s sister. The documents say Jacob pointed the weapon at Pfc. Gordon and fired one round which hit him in the left cheek, killing him. Also reported was after the shooting, a judge ordered the teen to undergo an evaluation and treatment at a mental health facility to determine his competency and IQ. Jacob Kinney has been charged with delinquent second degree murder and the Roane County prosecutors announced that they will try him as an adult. His bond was set at $50,000. On November 7, 2018, a Tennessee judged ruled Jacob Kinney acted in self-defense and dismissed the reckless homicide charges.
Russel Douglas was found murdered in his car in a remote location on Whidbey Island in Washington on December 26, 2003. Russel was shot execution style in the head and there were few clues at the scene but the police knew it was a murder because they couldn’t find the gun. It took the police a few years but eventually they got a phone call from someone who said they had information about a murder. Investigators learned that a man by the name of Jim Huden admitted that he wanted to kill someone and did in fact kill someone. Through the course of the investigation, they also learned that Jim, who was married, had been having an affair with Peggy Thomas, a Navy veteran and former beauty queen in Washington. Peggy was the connection to Russel Douglas because she once worked with his wife Brenna at a hair salon and Russel’s wife was renting a home from her on Whidbey Island. When Jim Huden and Peggy Thomas were interviewed by the police, they didn’t admit to anything and would not cooperate. Therefore, detectives didn’t have enough evidence to arrest them.
After being questioned by police, Jim Huden started drinking more and fled to Mexico; Peggy Thomas got married and divorced; and the police continued investigating Russel Douglas’ murder. And then the unexpected happened. Jim’s estranged wife was arrested for drugs and check fraud. Detectives offered her a deal and promised if she gave them information about the Russel Douglas’ murder and where Jim was located, they would drop the charges against her; she gave them the information. Investigators began developing a theory based on the witnesses they had interviewed and the evidence they gathered. They believed the end game was money for Peggy and she was the one that put things in motion. Russel and his wife were having marital problems and investigators believe that Peggy offered to help Brenna murder her husband in return for some of the life insurance pay out. They theorized that Peggy convinced Jim that Russel was abusive so he would want to kill him. Jim was abused as a child so he was easily manipulated to believe that Russel deserved to die. In the end, both Peggy and Jim conspired to murder Russel Douglas for different motives.
Jim Huden wanted revenge for his childhood abuses and Peggy Thomas wanted cash. Investigators suspected the duo committed the murder for Brenna who claimed Russel abused her but there was no past history of domestic violence or child abuse on record; Jim didn’t know that and most likely went on the word of Peggy who used it to manipulate him. In court, Brenna testified that Russel mentally abused her but never admitted to any physical abuse. Unfortunately, police didn’t have enough evidence to charge Brenna Douglas with any crimes because both Jim and Peggy refused to talk. Jim Huden and Peggy Thomas were charged with Russel Douglas’ murder. In July 2012, Jim Huden was found guilty and sentenced to eighty years in prison. A month later, Peggy Thomas agreed to a plea deal in exchange for a reduced sentence and was given four years in prison for her role in the murder. Jim refused to testify against Peggy and pleaded the fifth at her trial. Peggy continues to deny any involvement in the murder and claims she didn’t know Jim was going to kill Russel. Peggy Thomas was released from prison in 2016.
Peggy Thomas, U.S. Navy Veteran
Jim Huden
Killer Couples (Oxygen):
A Las Vegas red haired siren and her millionaire boyfriend become suspects in a murder, hundreds of miles away. -Peggy Sue Thomas & Jim Huden, Snapped: Killer Couples
Killer Couples: S8 E4 After the Verdict – Peggy Thomas and Jim Huden | Oxygen
Full Episode:A Las Vegas red haired siren and her millionaire boyfriend become suspects in a murder, hundreds of miles away. -Peggy Thomas & Jim Huden, Snapped: Killer Couples (S8, E4)
In the News:
From pageants to famous husband to prison, murder suspect allowed to visit NM. -KRQE (October 7, 2011)
Some women can’t resist boy toys. But fur flies when these Deadly Women reveal they’re “Killer Cougars.” -Deadly Women (S10,E1)
Kevin and Gina Spann know that life in the military is anything but easy. But when Kevin goes away, Gina plays. Adam Kostewicz and Grace Pianka are trying to live the American dream. But when that dream turns into a nightmare, someone ends up dead. -Special Delivery, Deadly Affairs (S2,E9)
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.
California student Julie Kibuishi is found dead in the bed of her friend, Sam Herr, a decorated war hero. But Sam is nowhere to be found. As police hunt for their prime suspect, they’ll find this case is far more complicated than it first appeared. -Curtain Call, The Perfect Murder (S3,E13)
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.
Richland County Sheriff’s Department says a man who engaged in an hours-long standoff with law enforcement agents on August 8th was a former member of the military and suffered from Post Traumatic Stress Disorder. James Jennings Jr., 69, died from multiple gunshot wounds to the upper body, one self-inflicted. Police were called to a domestic situation at Jennings’ residence. Jennings barricaded himself inside his home and police responded after he pointed a weapon at his wife and threatened to kill her. “He wanted us to kill him,” said the Richland County Sheriff Leon Lott. After he went down, he was transported to the hospital where he later died from the injuries. The Sheriff’s Department said that Jennings suffered from PTSD after serving in the military and believes it played a role in his death.
“It is real, these people are suffering and they need help.” Sheriff Lott
Air Force A1C Rhianda Dillard, 20, was found dead in her dorm room at Offutt Air Force Base in Nebraska on August 1, 2016. A1C Timothy Wilsey, 21, disappeared after the murder and was arrested eleven days later in Emporia, Virginia on desertion and murder charges. Timothy Wilsey was charged with pre-meditated murder under the Uniform Code of Military Justice (UCMJ). A1C Dillard was from Biloxi, Mississippi and had only been in the Air Force for five months before she was murdered. She was a cyber systems operation specialist assigned to the 55th Strategic Communications Squadron. On August 4, 2018, AP reported that Wilsey’s court martial was scheduled for trial at Omaha’s federal courthouse. If found guilty of the federal charges, Wilsey risked a life sentence without parole. “Court-martial proceedings were moved off the base to a federal courthouse to make room for the public.” Wilsey pleaded guilty to a single count of premeditated murder and one count of deserting his unit. On April 11, 2018, a military judge sentenced Timothy Wilsey to life in prison with no possibility of parole but because of a pretrial agreement with his command (26th Air Force) Wilsey will be eligible for parole in the future. “Wilsey also received a reprimand and reduction to the lowest enlisted rank, forfeits all future pay and allowances, and is to be dishonorably discharged.”
“I killed Airman Dillard by putting my arm around her neck. Then I switched arms,” he said as he entered his guilty plea. “I sat on top of her and strangled her with both my hands.” -Timothy Wilsey (Clarion Ledger, April 6, 2018)
Airman 1st Class Timothy M. Wilsey of the 55th Intelligence Support Squadron has been charged with premeditated murder and desertion in connection with the death of Airman 1st Class Rhianda N. Dillard at Offutt Air Force Base, a news release from the 55th Wing said. -KETV (December 13, 2016)
Steensland said his client is a disabled veteran of the U.S. military: “It’s my understanding he’s 100 percent disabled, and diagnosed with PTSD,” Steensland said. “I believe he served a 15-month tour in Iraq, and served approximately eight years in the Army.” Read more from Dothan Eaglehere.
The Lackland Air Force Base sex scandal erupted in the 2011/2012 time frame. Sig Christenson, a reporter from San Antonio Express, slowly began to reveal the sex scandal issues at the basic military training facility in Texas and reported on most of the courts martials initiated by the Air Force. As a result of the escalating media coverage and other forces at play, it gave military sexual assault advocacy organizations a reason to request hearings in front of the House Armed Services Committee. Congressional hearings were held on January 23, 2013. Both General Edward Rice and General Mark Welsh testified at this hearing along with two retired Air Force women and Dr. David Lisak. In the end, 35 Basic Military Training personnel were courts martialed for allegedly abusing trainees or sex related offenses. Now that the dust has settled and some time has passed, whistleblowers have disclosed that the Air Force investigations trampled on due process rights. And individuals were railroaded with collateral charges which forced them to take plea deals to avoid excessive punishments. Two were found guilty of rape and sentenced to twenty years. The Air Force is being accused of going on a “witch hunt” after being politically motivated to clean up the basic training facility while under the watchful eye of the media, advocates, and Congress. This post was inspired by Never Leave an Airman Behind: How the Air Force Faltered & Failed in the Wake of the Lackland Sex Scandal by Lt Col Craig Perry, USAF Retired.
The Department of Defense Inspector General’s office held a Worldwide Hotline Outreach Conference today July 28, 2016. One of their keynote speakers was Lt Col Teresa James, US Army, Retired, highlighted before on this site. The DoD IG twitter feed shared excerpts from her presentation summarized below. As she spoke, I tweeted with them to bring awareness to the specifics that Lt Col James noted and why they are so important. For a complete listing of the tweets by the DoD IG, please visit their Twitter feed here.
Hillary Clinton picked Senator Tim Kaine of Virginia as her Vice Presidential running mate. What is interesting about this pick is at one point in a Time magazine article in 2014, Clinton showed public support of the Military Justice Improvement Act, yet she chooses Senator Tim Kaine (D-VA) as her vice presidential running mate who has been blocking the bill since 2013. Of course Senator Angus King (I-ME) endorses this choice since he too has been blocking the due process bill sponsored by Senator Kirsten Gillibrand, Senator Susan Collins, Senator Rand Paul, Senator Ted Cruz, and many other bi-partisan Senators advocating for constitutional rights for military personnel and veterans.
“The move was surprising in that it means that if she becomes President, the normally hawkish Clinton would go against the advice of military brass and remove the cases from the chain of command. It also must have had a little bit of a silver lining dig at McCaskill, who endorsed Barack Obama over Clinton in 2008.” ~Time (2014)
The 
MILITARY JUSTICE FOR ALL 