Body of War, a film by Ellen Spiro and Phil Donahue. It is an intimate and transformational feature documentary about the true face of war today. -The Real News
Overview: “Tomas Young is another casualty of the war in Iraq. After less than a week on duty, a bullet wound to the back left him paralyzed. This emotional documentary follows the veteran as he returns home and undergoes a transformation, becoming one of the many voices protesting the war. Directed by Phil Donahue and Ellen Spiro, BODY OF WAR features two original songs performed by Eddie Vedder.” –Booksamillion.com
Sergeant Brent Burke earned his stripes at Fort Campbell, Kentucky — home base for his division, the legendary 101st Airborne. Once under the command of former General David Petraeus, the soldiers of the 101st have seen more action than most soldiers in the U.S. Army. It is also where Sgt. Burke will learn if he will continue to serve in the Army, or if he will serve out his life in prison, because military prosecutors in the Army’s Judge Advocate General’s Corps, known as JAG, will court martial Sgt. Brent Burke for double homicide.
“I would say that the tough part of any case like this is the fact that it was four years old … and it was mostly circumstantial evidence and when you put all that together it certainly makes for a difficult case,” JAG prosecutor Lt. Col Matthew Calarco told “48 Hours” correspondent Richard Schlesinger. Lieutenant Colonel Matt Calarco’s mission, after four civilian trials failed to get a verdict, is to finally prove Sgt. Burke shot and killed his wife, Tracy, and her ex-husband’s mother, Karen Comer, on Sept. 11, 2007.
Preview: The Ballad of Billi-Jo, True Crime with Aphrodite Jones (S4,E9)
On May 29, 2007, Billi Jo and Wayne Smallwood experienced a fire in their Fort Campbell, Kentucky home. They had three children living with them at the time of the fire: Sam, Rebekah, and Nevaeh. The neighbors ran outside to see what was going on only to find a chaotic scene. Wayne was on the ground with a broken ankle and Billi Jo was still on the roof attempting to escape the smoke and fire and screaming for help; she was holding her 14 month old Nevaeh. After passing the child down to firefighters, Billi Jo was reluctant to get off the roof because her other children were still in the home. Firefighters entered the burning home and found Rebekah but she was already dead and Sam was still alive when they carried him out of the house but he wasn’t stable enough to fly to the burn unit in Nashville. He died of his injuries at the local hospital. Billi Jo was airlifted to a Nashville hospital with second and third degree burns on her legs and one of her arms. Wayne arrived later in Nashville with a shattered ankle.
Before the fire, Wayne and Billi Jo had a pretty normal life. Wayne returned from his first deployment to Iraq nine months earlier. Like most military families, the Smallwood family struggled with their finances and the stresses of military life too. Both Billi Jo and Wayne had children from other relationships. Rebekah and Sam were Billi Jo’s kids and they stayed with her and Wayne’s son Cote lived with his mother. And just over a year before the fire, the couple had their own baby together: Nevaeh. Local authorities brought in federal authorities to investigate the burned out home. They found that one of the smoke detectors had been taken down and placed on a baby highchair. ATF also found a partly burned spout on a gasoline can. They brought in a working dog and the dog discovered an accelerant; the ATF believed gas had been used to start the fire and this was arson. They also found the Smallwood’s car had been vandalized, all the tires had been slashed, and someone left a threatening note keyed on the car.
Investigators interviewed Billi Jo and Wayne Smallwood in the hospital. Billi Jo told them earlier in the day they had driven back from Georgia after visiting Wayne’s family. On this day, Wayne was being especially nice to Sam which was atypical because he was usually pretty hard on him. According to Billi Jo, when they returned home, Wayne took the last of the cash and headed down to a bar on base to drink with his friends; the couple struggled financially. Billi Jo claims that while Wayne was gone, a man called the house threatening to harm Wayne. Billi Jo called the military police to report the threatening phone call, then she called Wayne at the bar. Instead of rushing home to check on his family, Wayne stayed at the bar. The MP’s checked in with Billi Jo but they told her soldier’s quite often played pranks on one another. Eventually, Billi Jo fell asleep with Nevaeh and Wayne fell asleep with Rebekah. When Billi Jo realized the house was on fire, she grabbed Nevaeh so they could get to safety yet Wayne jumped from the second story floor without any of the children.
ATF Agents interviewed the Smallwood’s small circle of family and friends to see if they could find anyone who had a reason to commit this crime. They learned that Wayne was embroiled in a contentious custody battle with his ex-wife. According to Billi Jo, Wayne had recently met with his ex-wife about their son and it lead to an argument; the two fought often. In the meantime, arson investigators determined that because all the locks were engaged downstairs, someone from inside the house had to have started the fire. Agents scrutinized both Billi Jo and Wayne looking for any inconsistencies. Billi Jo told them she went to Wal-Mart earlier in the evening to pick up some items for the baby but when they checked surveillance footage, there was no sign of Billi Jo at the Wal-Mart. When investigators questioned her about the inconsistency, she told them that it was a K-Mart, not Wal-Mart. The second time Billi Jo told the investigators what she bought, it included a gas can. This was a disturbing revelation but Billi Jo’s explanation was simple: military members are fined if they don’t mow the grass.
Samuel Fagan (9)
Rebekah Smallwood (2)
Prosecutors wanted to prove that Billi Jo torched her home on base in an effort to kill her husband Wayne and collect the $400,000 life insurance pay-out. When constructing their arguments, they noted that the Smallwood’s already had a couple gas cans in the back yard therefore Billi Jo didn’t need to purchase another one. Billi Jo said she forgot to bring a gas can with her when she ran errands and it was easier to just buy another one. ATF Agents visited K-Mart and learned that BJ had in fact visited the store that day. They also learned that the the nozzle on the gas can she bought matched the one found in the fire. And although Billi Jo said she needed to mow the grass, it had not been mowed that day. Federal investigators suspected someone who lived in the house started the fire so they interviewed Wayne and gave him a polygraph; he passed. In a separate interview, Billi Jo admitted she saw blue flames and this was a moment of revelation for the investigators because you are only going to see blue flame when the fire is first lit.
Billi Jo and Wayne argued a lot and Billi Jo testified that Wayne had a violent side too. Billi Jo admitted to confronting Wayne numerous times about his inability to manage money; Wayne’s gambling caused problems too. Investigators theorized Billi Jo had enough of Wayne and this was her motive. On the same night as the fire, the Smallwood’s were overdrawn on their bank account and Wayne had spent the last of their money on alcohol. If Wayne died in the fire, Billi Jo would receive $400,000. Hoping to find out who made the threatening phone calls, prosecutors subpoenaed the telephone records and found no threatening call had been made. Billi Jo says there was a phone call but the phone company said their records are almost 99% accurate. Prosecutors believe everything that comes out of Billi Jo’s mouth is a lie. Billi Jo’s injuries to the legs and one arm were also suspicious. They believed these burns were caused when a fire was ignited in front of her; they believe she was kneeling when she lit the fire.
In preparation for trial, the remains of the Smallwood’s home were removed and taken to a crime lab. It was at this time that forensic experts found overlooked evidence. They determined that the dining room window had been up about 6-8 inches at the time of the fire. This information damaged the prosecution’s theory to an extent because Billi-Jo believed a stranger entered the home and started the fire. The investigators believed either Wayne or Billi Jo started the fire because the house was locked up. Prosecutors moved forward with Billi Jo as their prime suspect because of her connection to a gas can and a financial motive to kill her husband. The prosecution took a look at the intruder theory and couldn’t understand how an adult got through the window and didn’t break or knock anything over. Investigators deduced it was highly unlikely that an intruder would enter the home and not alert the family dog.
Six months after the fire, Billi Jo reported that Wayne was acting erratically and in November 2007, he attacked Billi Jo with a knife. He was convicted of assault and spent eleven months in jail. Billi Jo and Nevaeh move to Georgia with her mother. Two weeks after Wayne was released from jail, Billi Jo was arrested for setting the fire that killed her two children Sam and Rebekah. Five years after the fire that killed Sam and Rebekah, Billi Jo went to trial. The prosecution claimed Billi Jo’s motive was to kill her husband for the life insurance money but the plan backfired and she accidentally killed two of her children. In court, the defense attacked the prosecution’s circumstantial evidence but the jury wasn’t buying it. Billi Jo Smallwood was found guilty and sentenced to twenty-five years in federal prison. Billi Jo’s mother believes she is innocent and that someone out there knows something.
Source: The Ballad of Billi-Jo, True Crime with Aphrodite Jones
Investigation Discovery:
ID Go: When a house fire takes the lives of Wayne and Billi Jo Smallwood’s two young children, everyone on the Fort Campbell military base is grief-stricken for them. But when it turns out the fire was intentionally set – grief turns to outrage. -The Ballad of Billi-Jo, True Crime with Aphrodite Jones (S4,E9)
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.
The Other PTSD: Sexual Abuse of Women in the Military, NBC Nightly News (May 4, 2007)
“All the stories you hear about women not doing anything about it and crawling into their own little hole and hiding from it and not talking about it — I always thought, ‘Well, that’s ridiculous. If it happens to me, I’m gonna be out there,” Tina says. “That’s not what I did at all. I hid and I didn’t talk about it.” –NBC Nightly News
After “48 Hours” correspondent Erin Moriarty tracks down the accused killer of a decorated military pilot in Brazil, the woman is extradited to the United States . Will the pilot’s family get justice?
To get justice for his death, Karl Hoerig’s family in the United States must first navigate the Brazilian criminal justice system, which may keep his suspected murderer from facing extradition. -48 Hours
Rep. Tim Ryan (D-Ohio, 13th District) has appealed to three U.S. Presidents to try and help Major Karl Hoerig’s family get justice for the U.S. Air Force veteran’s murder. “48 Hours” Erin Moriarty talks to the congressman about his push to have Claudia Hoerig extradited to the United States to stand trial. -48 Hours
The family of a murdered military hero is embroiled in an international fight for justice. Karl Hoerig was killed in his Ohio home in March 2007. His family immediately suspected his wife, Claudia, but she boarded a flight to her native Brazil hours after her husband’s death. U.S. investigators charged Claudia with murder, but more than 10 years later, the Hoerig family is still seeking justice. Erin Moriarty, who traveled to Brazil to track down Claudia, joins “CBS This Morning” to preview her “48 Hours” report.
Marine veteran Joseph Kerekes and Navy veteran Harlow Cuadra murdered Porn Producer Bryan Kocis and set his home on fire in Pennsylvania on January 23, 2007. They drove from their Virginia Beach, Virginia home to Pennsylvania to commit the homicide of Kocis which automatically made the crime an across state line matter that involved law enforcement agencies from three states and the federal authorities. Eventually investigators gathered enough evidence to arrest Kerekes and Cuadra and charge them with first degree murder and other charges. Joseph Kerekes pleaded guilty to second degree murder and is serving a life sentence without parole; he cannot appeal his sentencing. Harlow Cuadra was convicted of first degree murder in 2008 and was sentenced to life in prison; he’s appealing his case. The case garnered some attention from Hollywood and was the inspiration for a film called King Cobra featuring Christian Slater.
“Law enforcement officials from three states and at least three federal agencies aggressively investigated the crimes, and in May police arrested Harlow Cuadra, 26, a former Navy enlisted man, and Joseph Kerekes, 33, a one-time youth pastor who was briefly in the Marines. From their home in Virginia Beach, Va., the couple who, like Lockhart and Kocis, also met on the Internetran a gay escort service, which they say employed active-duty servicemen from military bases in the area, and they produced and starred in bareback porn on their military-themed Web site, Boybatter.com.” –Out Magazine
Army Major Gloria Davis, 47, died in a non combat related incident in Baghdad, Iraq on December 12, 2006. Major Davis was supporting Operation Iraqi Freedom on behalf of the Defense Security Assistance Agency in Washington, D.C. At the time of the press release, the Department of Defense announced the incident was under investigation. Reports later indicate Major Davis committed suicide hours after she provided names and testimony to the Army Criminal Investigation Division (CID) investigators in Iraq. Logistics soldiers were being accused of involvement in a bribery scheme in Kuwait and she was a witness to the crimes and would have been a witness for the prosecution in the Cockerham Case. She was one of three people in the same logistics group in Kuwait tied to the bribery scheme investigation that committed suicide. Both Denise Lannaman, Army (2006) and Lt. Col. Marshall Gutierrez, Army (2006) deaths were also ruled suicides by the Army. Did they commit suicide? Was homicide ever considered? How could this have been prevented? Were any of these cases investigated as homicides? Did anyone question why three soldiers tied to one bribery investigation killed themselves?
Col. Kevin Davis, 52 years old, is the highest-ranking officer to be implicated in a scheme known among federal investigators as the Cockerham Case, for Major John Cockerham, who pleaded guilty last year to receiving more than $9 million in illegal payments for defense contracts, primarily to service the Camp Arifjan military base in Kuwait. Early in the probe, Major Gloria Dean Davis, came under suspicion by investigators in the case. She committed suicide in Baghdad in December 2006, hours after confirming she received more than $225,000 from the same contractor Col. Davis later joined as a civilian, LDI. The two officers weren’t related, however investigators familiar with the case say they were involved romantically. ~Wall Street Journal
Pinyon Pines – It’s a Triple Homicide Investigation Gone Cold. It’s been six years and still no arrests. Now the family is taking action to find answers. -KMIR (August 6, 2012)
KMIR’s Elizabeth Beaubien investigates an unsolved triple murder case. -KMIR (April 26, 2013)
Elizabeth Beaubien’s EXCLUSIVE reporting on the 7th anniversary of the triple murders at Pinyon Pines in 2006. -KMIR (September 17, 2013)
New Angle in Pinyon Pines Murder Investigation. -KMIR (February 4, 2014)
It’s been over seven years since three people were brutally murdered and set on fire in the community of Pinyon Pines just up Highway 74. Now, the father of the youngest victim, 18 year old Becky Friedli, wants justice. -KMIR (February 4, 2014)
Although, we have uncovered another connection to this triple murder that brings to light many more questions of a possible conflict of interest. That connection is the death of 18 year old Danica Denton. She was killed in a hit and run in Cathedral City February 11, 2009. She was 8 months pregnant at the time and the baby did not survive. -KMIR (February 12, 2014)
KMIR News was the first to report two men have been arrested in the 2006 triple murders in Pinyon Pines. -March 11, 2014)
The latest information on the Pinyon Pines triple murder cold case. -KMIR (March 13, 2014)
Supporters of the suspects and friends and family of the victims are taking to Facebook to post their opposing views of the arrests in the 2006 Pinyon Pines triple murders. -KMIR (March 14, 2014)
DA Paul Zellerbach speaks with Elizabeth Beaubien about the Pinyon Pines triple murder investigation. -KMIR (March 17, 2014)
Opening statements were delivered in a trial for the triple homicide that happened in September 2006 in a Riverside County area known as Pinyon Pines. -ABC7 (April 17, 2018)
A tragic set of horrible circumstances brought jurors to a Riverside County courtroom to hear the grim details of a 12-year-old murder case. -ABC7 (May 22, 2018)
True Crime Daily:
A home burns to the ground high above the Coachella Valley in California. The triple-homicide made headlines, and may finally be solved. But it’s not the first time investigators have thought they had their men. -True Crime Daily (October 19, 2016)
The blazing fire left a cold trail for years — but now a suspect might come to light in the triple-homicide. -True Crime Daily (October 19, 2016)
Over half a decade after the unsolved murders of on Jon Hayward, his girlfriend Vicki Friedli and her daughter Becky Friedli, suspicions turn to Cristin Smith and Becky’s ex-boyfriend, Robert Pape. -True Crime Daily (October 19, 2016)
Seven years after the triple-homicide, Becky’s ex-boyfriend and his friend were arrested for the crime — but not for long. Things get complicated. -True Crime Daily (October 19, 2016)
Becky Friedli, her mom Vicki Friedli, and Vicki’s boyfriend Jon Hayward were living high above California’s Coachella Valley in a secluded neighborhood called Pinyon Pines. -True Crime Daily (June 19, 2019)
48 Hours CBS:
A family murdered in their home. Years later, an arrest but then the two suspects are unexpectedly freed. “48 Hours” Troy Roberts reports. -CBS New York (January 16, 2015)
Drew Friedli recites a poem her sister, Becky, left on Myspace, before her murder in 2006. Drew feels the poem, “If I Knew It was the Last Time,” encompasses who Becky was because she always let people know that she loved them. -48 Hours (January 16, 2015)
Saturday, Aug. 1 starting at 9/8c on CBS: A triple murder, a young woman set afire in a wheelbarrow. Police have suspects until a courtroom twist changes everything. Then at 10/9c: Was an alleged religious cult responsible for a young bride’s death? -48 Hours (July 28, 2015)
The new district attorney for Riverside, California, has promised to look at the Pinyon Pines murder cold case with “an open mind.” “48 Hours” correspondent Troy Roberts discusses the case with CBSN. -CSBN (July 31, 2015)
A triple murder, a young woman set afire in a wheelbarrow. Police have suspects until a courtroom twist changes everything. “48 Hours ” has the latest on the case including an emotional verdict Saturday, July 28 at 10/9c on CBS. -48 Hours (July 27, 2018)
Podcasts:
The Friedli family home in Pinyon Pines, California was burned to the ground in 2006. This was no accident. Inside, investigators found the charred remains of Vicki Friedli and her boyfriend, Jon Hayward. Out front, posed grotesquely in a wheelbarrow, were the remains of 18 year old Becky Friedli. She, too, was burned beyond recognition. This terrible crime went unsolved for years even though family and friends of the victims had no doubt who was responsible. Finally, justice may be in sight. -True Crime Brewery (November 6, 2016)
The Pinyon Pines Murders Part 1 -California True Crime (February 14, 2019)
The Pinyon Pines Murders Part 2 -California True Crime (February 21, 2019)
“More than 100 young women who expressed interest in joining the military in the past year were preyed upon sexually by their recruiters. Women were raped on recruiting office couches, assaulted in government cars and groped en route to entrance exams.
A six-month Associated Press investigation found that more than 80 military recruiters were disciplined last year for sexual misconduct with potential enlistees. The cases occurred across all branches of the military and in all regions of the country.”
“More than 100 young women who expressed interest in joining the military in the past year were preyed upon sexually by their recruiters. Women were raped on recruiting office couches, assaulted in government cars and groped en route to entrance exams.
MILITARY JUSTICE FOR ALL 