Category: In Their Name

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

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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

Related Links:
Website: Major Chester Garrett
Pair charged for 1977 murder of U.S. Army officer
2 arrested in 1977 cold case murder of Texas Army officer
Chester Garrett, Army Major Killed In 1977, Was Murdered By Wife And Stepson: El Paso Sheriff
Wife and stepson are charged with army veteran’s murder 36 YEARS later after brother claims he was forced to scrub his father’s blood off the garage floor
Mother, Son Held in 1977 Fort Bliss Slaying
Man convicted of murder in 1977 slaying of Army officer
Man convicted of murder in 1977 slaying of Army officer (2)
Roger Garrett Gets 40 Years In Prison For Killing Stepfather
El Paso sheriff’s deputies search home of woman charged with murder in 36-year-old cold case
Lisbeth Garrett murder trial: Witness says she was “suspicious”
Former teacher found guilty in husband’s murder
Woman found guilty in husband’s 1977 murder
Lisbeth Garrett convicted in 1977 cold case murder
Woman faces 99 years in slaying of Green Beret
45 years in prison for Lisbeth Garrett
Garrett sentenced to 45 years in cold case murder
Lisbeth Garrett sentenced to 45 years in prison
Lisbeth Garrett sentenced to 45 years in prison in husband’s 1977 murder
Woman sentenced to 45 years for role in 1977 Texas slaying
Woman sentenced to 45 years for role in 1977 Texas slaying (2)
Ex-Eastwood teacher given 45 years for husband’s murder
Son who turned in Lisbeth Garrett reacts to 45 year sentence
Lisbeth Garrett tries to avoid ABC-7 Camera
Lisbeth Garrett Found Guilty of Murder
45 years in prison for Lisbeth Garrett
Roger Garrett vs. State of Texas Court of Appeals (2015)
Appeal of murder conviction in 1977 case denied
12 honored by Fort Bragg special operations community
Dedication of the Major Chester Garrett Dining Facility


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 By AdministratorIn Armed Forces, Cold Cases, Domestic Violence, Felony Crime, Homicide, In Their Name, Military Policy, Navy1 Comment
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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

Related Links:
Teenager Murdered
Family and friends mourn murdered girl
Police stymied in Hutto murder case
Two Men Now Sought In Murder Of Carol Hutto
Unsolved Homicides Leave Legacy Of Pain
Sailor charged in 1976 death, jailed without bail
Sailor admits killing friend
After 24 years, he’s found guilty
Man Sentenced to Life in 1976 Slaying
Jury rejects accidental death claim, convicts man for 1976 murder
The victim’s mother lectures the killer, sentenced to life
TV show to look at ’76 Largo murder
TV show to detail search for killer
Police work of Jackson native to be featured on Investigation Discovery’s ‘Swamp Murders’
The Carol Hutto Case
Cold Case Files: Carol’s Diary | A&E
Swamp Murders: We Miss You Darling
Cold Case Files: Carol’s Diary


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)

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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

Related Links:
Obituary: Rudy Redd Victor
Montana “Cold Case” remains identified as an AF member
Remains in 43-year-old Montana ‘cold case’ ID’d as Holloman Airman
Holloman Airman who vanished identified 43 years later in Montana
Missing airman ID’d as remains found in Wolf Creek canyon in 1980s
Remains identified as those of missing Holloman Airman, 43-year-old cold case solved
From cold case to case closed: Remains in Montana solve decades-old mystery
Officials determine remains found in Wolf Creek in ’80s belonged to missing airman
Missing airman’s remains identified — 43 years after he went missing
Officials ID remains of airman who vanished in Montana
Remains ID’d of US airman who vanished in Montana in 1974
Remains of Shiprock airman identified in Montana cold case
Montana Cold Case Solved Through NamUs Hit

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

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US Army

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

Related Links:
Man Thought Dead Accused of Murder
‘Barnaby Jones’ Show Inspired Death Plot
Friends Agree: He Has No Business Being Alive Again
Soldier killed in apparent insurance scheme to be buried
Family Confirms Son Did Not Desert in ’72
Murder, Fraud Case in Court
A Soldier Disappears, and His Family Launches a Nine-Year Investigation That Ends in Grief
Murder-for-hire motive often insurance
Servicemen’s Group Life Insurance is a Common Motive for Murder

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

On 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
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

Related Links:
The Black Widow
Wikipedia: Judy Buenoano
Michael Buenoano Goodyear
The prosecutor in the murder trial of a woman…
New Twist In Trial Of Buenoano Daughter Says Brother Poisoned Stepfather
Jury deliberates ‘Black Widow’ case
`Black Widow` Convicted Of Murder
The Black Widow
No tears for the ‘Black Widow’ of Death Row
Supreme Court of Florida: Judy A. Buenoano (1988)
United States Court of Appeals: Judy A. Buenoano (1998)
Florida court denies appeal to killer known as ‘black widow’
‘Black Widow’ Faces Electric Chair Judy Buenoano Was Convicted Of Killing Husband And Son, And Bombing Boyfriend
Buenoano Goes To Chair Appearing Small, Scared
Florida woman dies in electric chair
`Black Widow’ Executed In Florida
Florida Executes ‘Black Widow’
Florida Puts to Death First Woman in 150 Years
Judy Buenoano was executed by electrocution
After a series of insurance fraud schemes — and several poisoned lovers — a southern con artist met her electrifying end
These 20 Lethal Ladies Will Give You The Chills. Seriously Creepy.
The Black Widows of Death Row
Women Who Murder: 10 Deadliest ‘Black Widows’
5 Super-Twisted Serial Killers You’ve Never Heard Of
12 Female Poisoners Who Killed With Arsenic
Pensacola’s most memorable crime stories
A Look Back: The Execution of Florida “Black Widow” Judy Buenoano
Deadly Women Premiered ‘Dark Secrets’ on Investigation Discovery: Black Widow Judy Buenoano Murdered Family for Life Insurance Benefits (October 30, 2008)
Deadly Women: 30 Military and Veteran Homicide Cases Featured on Investigation Discovery
Life Insurance Fraud is a Common Motive for Murder in the Military
Judy Buenoano | Death Penalty Information Center
Judy Buenoano | The Next to Die | The Marshall Project
The New Detectives: Season 3 – Ep 5 “Lethal Dosage”
Dark Secrets | Deadly Women | Investigation Discovery (website)

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

On 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.

Related Links:
MacDonald Family
The Jeffrey MacDonald Information Site
Jeffrey MacDonald on Dick Cavett
Jeffrey MacDonald “Kills” One Of His “Assailants”
In 1979, Observer Editor Rick Thames interviewed MacDonald
On-Scene Detective Identifies Cult Members Responsible for 1970 MacDonald ‘Green Beret’ Murders & Army/Police Complicity in Cover-up
Three Trials for Murder
The Devil and Jeffrey MacDonald
The Fort Bragg murders: is Jeffrey MacDonald innocent?
Since 1979, Brian Murtagh has fought to keep convicted murderer Jeffrey MacDonald in prison
Jeffrey MacDonald DNA: Army Doctor Convicted Of Killing Pregnant Wife, Kids Could Clear Name
Larry King Live – Jeffrey MacDonald: In his own words
Maybe Jeffrey MacDonald was innocent after all
DNA and the Jeffrey MacDonald investigation
After 35 years, ‘Fatal Vision’ author, killer meet again
The Devil’s in the Details: Errol Morris on the Jeffrey MacDonald Case
Richard Herman Attorney on CNN Live: Army Doctor Jeffrey MacDonald Case Reopened
The Jeffrey MacDonald Case – A Round Table discussion with Richard Cahn
How I Changed My Mind About the Jeffrey MacDonald Murder Case
Allen Rogers talks about his friend Dr. Jeffrey MacDonald
The controversial case of Dr. Jeffrey MacDonald
The MacDonald Family Murders
The Fort Bragg murders: Is Jeffrey MacDonald innocent?
Federal judge upholds Jeffrey MacDonald murder conviction; his attorney talks about appeal
The Murders of Colette, Kimberley, and Kristen MacDonald
Former prosecutor Jim Blackburn on the Jeffrey MacDonald case
Did Jeffrey MacDonald Kill His Family? Or Was It A Group of Manson Family-Esque, LSD-Raving Hippies
Lawyers for Dr. Jeffrey MacDonald, Fighting in Court Filing to Overturn 1979 Conviction for Murdering Family, Say Prosecutors Hid Evidence
People Magazine Investigates Green Beret Jeffrey MacDonald’s family murder conviction
Ex-Army surgeon pursues appeal, insists he’s innocent in “Fatal Vision” killings
Jeffrey MacDonald gets new court hearing in ‘Fatal Vision’ murder case
MacDonald hearing, likely last chance for exoneration set for Thursday
Green Beret doctor who claims hippies killed his wife and children in 1970 vows to fight on in bid to clear his name despite latest rejection
Captain Jeffrey MacDonald – 40 Years Later
Jeffrey MacDonald gets new evidence hearing after 40 years
Kathryn MacDonald & Dr Jeff MacDonald Ft Bragg Murders
Crimes And Criminals: Jeffrey MacDonald (YouTube)
Jeffrey MacDonald ‘Fatal Vision’ Murder Case to Get TV Remake
‘Fatal Vision’ becomes final: Jeffrey MacDonald murders get movie treatment again
Timeline of events in the Jeffrey MacDonald case
Violent Crime, Non Combat Death & Suicide at Fort Bragg
The Accused | People Magazine Investigates | Investigation Discovery (S1,E11)
Trailer | Final Vision | Investigation Discovery
Final Vision | Investigation Discovery
Trailer | False Witness | YouTube Movies
False Witness | YouTube Movies

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

On By AdministratorIn Armed Forces, Felony Crime, Homicide, In Their Name, Military Policy, Navy, Non Combat Death2 Comments
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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.

Related Links:
Andrew Lee Muns, Ensign, United States Navy
The Andrew Muns Story
The Charley Project: Andrew Lee Muns
Missouri man incriminated in 33-year-old murder case
Persistence leads to indictment for murder
Bringing Back Honor For Missing Sailor
Navy ensign, once thought to be a deserter, finally honored as hero
Federal Judge Recommends Confession Be Thrown Out
Federal judge recommends confession be thrown out
LeBrun v United States, Opposition (Department of Justice)
USA, Appellant, v. Michael Edward LeBRUN, Appellee (May 14, 2002)
USA, Appellant, v. Michael Edward LEBRUN, Appellee (April 9, 2004)
Case of the long-ago murder
Admissible Evidence
Man Pleads Guilty to Manslaughter in 1968 Killing
Ex-sailor pleads guilty in 1968 shipboard killing
Former seaman gets four years for killing Navy shipmate in 1968
Sailor sentenced for murder
Greenwood Man Sentenced in 1968 Murder
Cold Case Files: Exhuming the Truth
U.S. Navy Cold Case: A Sister’s Persistence Restores the Honor of Murdered Ensign Andrew Lee Muns

Green Beret Doctor Capt. Howard Levy Convicted in Court-martial for Willfully Disobeying Orders & Making Disloyal Statements About U.S. Policy in Vietnam (June 2, 1967)

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History-channel-logo-1

“Capt. Howard Levy, 30, a dermatologist from Brooklyn, is convicted by a general court-martial in Fort Jackson, South Carolina, of willfully disobeying orders and making disloyal statements about U.S. policy in Vietnam. Levy had refused to provide elementary instruction in skin disease to Green Beret medics on the grounds that the Green Berets would use medicine as ‘another tool of political persuasion’ in Vietnam.” Read more from This Day in History here.

Related Links:
1967 Press Photo Howard Levy
Captain Howard Levy
My Visit With Capt. Howard Levy
ACLU History: The Military
GI opposition to the Vietnam War, 1965-1973
Timeline of the G.I. Antiwar Movement
Parker v. Levy (1974)
Vietnam War | National Archives
Green Berets End Testimony in Levy Case
The Press of Peace
The Trial of Captain Levy: II
Court Rejects Cases Challenging Legality of the War
A system of law, tried and found guilty
Vietnam: Where Are They Now?
Following Up | The New York Times
The Real Story of Vietnam Veterans Against the War
Sir! No Sir! | Seattle Weekly
How GI Resistance Altered The Course Of History: “Sir, No Sir,” A Timely Film
Watada, the War and the Law | The Nation
Super Troopers | Village Voice
Back to ‘nam: Cinema looks at the USA’s other hated war
Fonda’s antiwar years are being lived anew
New life for anti-war film Pentagon suppressed
Civil rights-era lawyer for Bond, Ali dies in Fla.
Charles Morgan Jr., 78; was famed civil rights era lawyer
A Memorial Day Remembrance of Peace Activist Soldiers
Please Don’t Thank Me For My Service
The GI Revolt That Ended the Vietnam War
Attica hostages died of gunshots, not cut throats as originally reported in 1971
NY Times Belated obituary for ex-Green Beret, antiwar activist Donald Duncan
Vietnam and the Soldiers’ Revolt
Opinion: Honoring GIs and veterans who fought for peace in Vietnam
I’m Pretty Sure Sergeant Greenwald Tried To Kill Me.
The Look Magazine article from 1968
Vietnam Vets Return to My Lai, Where US Slaughtered 500 Civilians
The Vietnam War and the US Soldiers’ Revolt
Reflections on the Anti-War Documentary, Sir! No Sir!
Dr. Howard Levy Refuses Orders Over Vietnam War; Charges U.S. War Crimes
War Crimes and Vietnam: The “Nuremberg Defense” and the Military Service Resister
Vietnam War on Trial: The Court-Martial of Dr. Howard B. Levy
May 10, 1967: Army Captain Howard Levy Refuses to Train Green Berets During Vietnam War
The Court-Martial of Captain Levy: Medical Ethics vs. Military Law
Book: Sir! No Sir! – The Suppressed Story of the GI Movement to End the War in Vietnam
Movie of the Month: Sir! No Sir! | Portland Public Library
Movie: Sir! No Sir! | The New Yorker

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

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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)

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.

Related Links:
Jay Thomas Arneson (1894-1962) – Find A Grave Memorial
Iva Kroeger | Deadlywomen Wiki | FANDOM
THE PEOPLE, Plaintiff and Respondent, v. IVA KROEGER and RALPH KROEGER, Defendants and Appellants (1964)
Truth Is As Strange As Fiction
“No, She Is Not Normal. She Is Naughty.”
Monte Schulz retells gruesome story from Santa Rosa’s past
The Grandma from Hell
17 infamous crimes in Sonoma County history
Naughty by Monte Schulz
More Naughty, by Monte Schulz
Merging fact and fiction in Naughty
Naughty by nature, Iva Kroeger inspired Monte Schulz! INTERVIEW
Souls of Stone | Deadly Women | Investigation Discovery (S7, E18)
Souls of Stone | Deadly Women | Investigation Discovery (website)
Souls of Stone | Deadly Women | Investigation Discovery (Amazon)
Iva Kroeger | List of Deadly Women episodes
Deadly Women Premiered ‘Souls of Stone’ on ID: Iva Kroeger Strangled Married Couple Because She Wanted What They Had (November 15, 2013)
Deadly Women: 30 Military and Veteran Homicide Cases Featured on Investigation Discovery

Fort Hood Army Deserters George York & James Latham Killed Seven People in Multiple States in Two Weeks; Sentenced to Death in Kansas (May 24, 1961)

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Army soldiers George York and James Latham went Absent without Leave (AWOL) from Fort Hood in Texas on May 24, 1961. In two weeks, they killed seven people in multiple states:

  1. Edward Guidroz (bludgeoned to near death), Louisiana
  2. Althea Ottavio (robbed and strangled), Georgia
  3. Patricia Hewitt (robbed and strangled), Georgia
  4. John Whittaker (robbed, shot, and killed), Tennessee
  5. Albert Reed (stole car, murdered), Illinois
  6. Martin Drenovac (stole gas, murdered), Illinois
  7. Rachel Moyer (molested and murdered), Colorado
  8. Otto Ziegler (murdered), Kansas

On May 24, 1961, York and Latham deserted for the last time. They set out for York’s Florida hometown. Somewhere along the way, they morphed into indiscriminate killers. -NY Daily News

Related Links:
George York and James Latham
State of Kansas v. James Latham & George York (1962)
James Douglas Latham and George Ronald York, Petitioners, v. Sherman H. Crouse, Warden, Kansas State Penitentiary, Lansing, Kansas, Respondent (1964)
In Cold Blood “The Corner”
One Night on a Kansas Farm
Killer’s sister: ‘In Cold Blood’ inaccurate
Killing the “In Cold Blood” killers: The secret remnants of a grisly execution
Two racist, mentally disturbed AWOL soldiers go on killing rampage across the country in 1961
A history of capital punishment in Kansas through 1994
Road Trip to Hell: Men Who Murdered 7 During Cross-Country Killing Spree are Executed by Hanging
Spree Killers: George Ronald York and James Douglas Latham killed 9 people in a multi-state killing spree; Both were executed on 6/22/1965
Glimpse from the gallows