Ex-Marine & Police Officer Robert McClain Convicted of Rape, Torture & Kidnapping of Wife & Lover, Sentenced to 20 Years & 4 Consecutive Life Terms (2008)

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Robert McClain, US Marine Corps Veteran

In July 2012, ex-Marine and police officer Robert McClain was sentenced to 20 years and four consecutive life terms for brutalizing his wife and her lover in an hours long attack on September 28, 2008 in Irvine, California. Once McClain learned of his wife’s affair, he asked her to introduce him to her new boyfriend because he wanted to meet the man who would be around his children. Unbeknownst to her, McClain brought knives and guns to the meeting so he could punish both victims because of their affair. According to his wife Summer Lang, McClain was extremely jealous, controlling and violent during the marriage. When he learned his wife wanted to divorce him after 12 years of marriage, he planned the attack on her and her lover, Michael Heflin. McClain was convicted of several felonies including rape, torture, and kidnapping. Although Michael Heflin survived the attacks, he was beaten and stabbed multiple times, resulting in permanent brain damage and other life long injuries. Summer was tortured, kidnapped, and raped but managed to escape after Robert McClain fell asleep.

“What’s scary about this case is if he can do that to his wife he can do that to anybody.” -The Orange County Register

Related Links:
Man beaten in Irvine to require facial reconstruction
Deputy charged in sexual torture
Los Angeles sheriff’s Deputy Robert McClain
Ex-Sheriff’s Deputy Was Sane When He Raped And Tortured Wife, Her Lover
Former sheriff’s deputy Robert McClain goes on trial in brutal torture case
Woman testifies of torture by former deputy
Former sheriff’s deputy’s wife testifies: Husband tried to force me to castrate lover
Defense: Wife of ex-deputy accused of torture lied
Robert McClain Guilty of Torture and Sex Assaults on Wife and Her Lover
Ex-L.A. County sheriff’s deputy convicted of mayhem, torture, rape
Prosecutor: Former L.A. deputy tortured wife, her lover
Ex-deputy gets 4 life terms for torture
Jury: Ex-deputy sane during torture, rape
Jury: Ex-deputy sane when he tortured, assaulted wife, her lover
Wife of former sheriff deputy testifies her husband tried to force her to ‘castrate her boyfriend after two hours torturing the pair’
Robert Avery McClain, Deputy-Turned-Sadistic Torturer, Leads the Prison McChain Gang
Deadly Affairs: Swan Song (Amazon Video)
Deadly Affairs: Swan Song (Investigation Discovery)


Love is in bloom for a young marine and his wife, until a musician sweeps in, leaving behind lies and treachery. Passion and jealousy will explode into murder. -Discovery ID

Army SSG Renee Deville Found Unresponsive in Hospital Room at the Walter Reed National Military Medical Center (September 1, 2008)

Renee Deville
SSG Renee Deville, U.S. Army (Photo: Army.mil)

Army SSG Renee Deville, 44, died unexpectedly while in treatment at the Walter Reed National Military Medical Center on September 1, 2008. SSG Deville was being treated for wounds in the line of duty in Iraq when her husband found her unresponsive in her hospital room. SSG Deville was supporting Operation Iraqi Freedom when she was injured. The Department of Defense did not list SSG Deville on the monthly casualties report and the official cause of death is unknown.

“Staff Sgt. Renee Antoinette Deville, an Operation Iraqi Freedom veteran recovering from complex injuries at Walter Reed Army Medical Center, died Sept. 1 in her room at the Mologne House. She was 44. Deville was found unresponsive by her husband, who began CPR and called for help. Walter Reed Emergency Services personnel transported the Soldier to the Walter Reed Emergency Department, where she was declared dead at 5:10 a.m.” ~Walter Reed Army Medical Center Public Affairs Office

Related Links:
SSGT Renee Antoinette Deville | Find A Grave
4 wounded warriors graduate from BNCOC
First Warrior Transition NCO Class Graduates
Walter Reed Army Medical Center Public Affairs Office
Non Combat Deaths of Female Service Members in the U.S. Military (Iraq)
Military Policy and Legislation Considerations for the Investigations of Non Combat Death, Homicide, and Suicide of US Service Members

Civilian Jacqwelyn Villagomez Died at the Hands of Boyfriend and Retired Army Private John Needham (2008)

Jacqwelyn Joann Villagomez (2008)
Jacqwelyn Villagomez

Honoring Jacqwelyn Joann Villagomez, 19, who tragically died on September 1, 2008 at the hands of Army Private John Needham, a medically retired soldier struggling with Post Traumatic Stress Disorder and Traumatic Brain Injury. Although John was charged with her murder, he died on February 19, 2010 shortly before the trial of an apparent overdose on painkillers.

Related Links:
Woman, 19, dies after apparent beating in condo
‘Mentally unstable’ Iraq veteran arrested in death of girlfriend, 19
Iraq vet charged with killing girlfriend is found dead in Arizona
Former Carson soldier Needham, charged in slaying, dies in Arizona
Private Needham’s War: A soldier is accused of killing the woman he loves
Deadly duty for Fort Carson
‘Lethal Warriors’ in Iraq, Linked to String of Crimes Back Home
John Needham Back in Court
Iraq War Vet’s Dad Accused of Threatening Victim’s Friend
Was PTSD to blame? Mystery over troubled Iraq veteran who killed girlfriend and was found dead after overdosing 18 months later
Soldier in “Coming Home” series dies after surgery
Iraq veteran accused of murder has died
Troubled Iraq vet charged with murder dies
Military Whistleblower Ends Up Dead
A Focus on Violence by Returning G.I.’s
The Hell of War Comes Home: Newspaper Series Documents Murder, Suicide, Kidnappings by Iraq Vets
John Needham, Iraq Veteran, Accuses Army Of War Crimes
New Photos Released of Iraq Atrocity, With Documents and Video
Are they both victims? Veteran Suffering Traumatic Brain Injury Beats Girlfriend to Death, Kills Himself
Army Ranger John Needham Exposes Possible American War Crimes in Iraq, and is Punished For it
Project Censored Recommends: Video “On the Dark Side in Al Doura, A Soldier in the Shadows” Addresses Soldier’s War Crimes Allegations & Iraq Atrocity Photos
On the Dark Side in Al Doura – A Soldier in the Shadows
“48 Hours” preview: Private Needham’s war

August: U.S. Department of Defense Casualties Report (2008)

Department of Defense

08/29/2008:  DoD Identifies Army Casualty: Michael Gonzalez, 20, Iraq, 340th Military Police Company, Fort Totten, N.Y. 

08/29/2008:  DoD Identifies Army Casualty: David Cooper, 25, Iraq, Fort Hood, Texas

08/28/2008:  DoD Identifies Army Casualty: Tan Ngo, 20, Afghanistan, Hohenfels, Germany

08/26/2008:  DoD Identifies Army Casualty: Brian Studer, 28, Afghanistan, Mannheim, Germany

08/24/2008:  DoD Identifies Army Casualty: David Paquet, 26, NCD, Afghanistan, Fort Hood, Texas

08/22/2008:  DoD Identifies Army Casualty: David Todd Jr., 36Afghan Regional Security Integration Command-West, Herat, Afghanistan

08/22/2008:  DoD Identifies Army Casualty: George Stanciel, 40, Iraq, Bamberg, Germany

08/22/2008:  DoD Identifies Marine Casualty: Nickolas Hopper, 27, Iraq, II Marine Expeditionary Force, Cherry Point, N.C.

08/20/2008:  DoD Identifies Marine Casualty: Travis Stottlemyer, 20, NCD, Bahrain, Marine Corps Security Forces, Norfolk, Va

08/19/2008:  DoD Identifies Army Casualty: Jonathon Luscher, 20, NCD, Afghanistan, Pennsylvania Army National Guard

08/19/2008:  DoD Identifies Army Casualties: Donald Carwile, 29, and Paul Conlon Jr., 21, Aghanistan, Fort Campbell, Kentucky

08/19/2008:  DoD Identifies Army Casualty: Janelle King, 23, NCD, Iraq, Fort Polk, Louisiana

08/19/2008:  DoD Identifies Army Casualty: Kristopher Rodgers, 29, Afghanistan, Fort Hood, Texas

08/18/2008:  DoD Identifies Marine Casualties: Anthony Mihalo, 23, and Juan Lopez-Castaneda, 19, Afghanistan, I Marine Expeditionary Force, Twentynine Palms, California

08/18/2008:  DoD Identifies Marine Casualty: Jacob Toves, 27, Afghanistan, I Marine Expeditionary Force, Twentynine Palms, California

08/15/2008:  DoD Identifies Marine Casualty: Daniel McGuire, 19, Iraq, Camp Lejeune, North Carolina

08/14/2008:  DoD Identifies Army Casualty: James Hale, 23, Iraq, Fort Bliss, Texas

08/14/2008:  DoD Identifies Marine Casualty: Michael Ferschke Jr., 22, Iraq, Okinawa, Japan

08/13/2008:  Missing WWII Pilot Is Identified: Howard Enoch Jr., US Army Air Forces

08/12/2008:  DoD Identifies Marine Casualties: Adam McKiski, 21, and Stewart Trejo, 25, Iraq, Camp Pendleton

08/11/2008:  DoD Identifies Army Casualty: John Mattox, 23, NCD, Afghanistan, Fort Hood, Texas

08/11/2008:  DoD Identifies Army Casualty: Kenneth Gibson, 25, Iraq, Schofield Barracks, Hawaii

08/11/2008:  DoD Identifies Army Casualty: Jose Ulloa, 23, Iraq, Mannheim, Germany

08/10/2008:  DoD Identifies Navy Casualty: Anthony Carbullido, 25, Guam, Naval Hospital Corps School, Great Lakes, Illinois

08/09/2008:  DoD Identifies Army Casualty: Danny Maybin, 47, NCD, Kuwait, Fort McPherson, Georgia

08/07/2008:  DoD Identifies Army Casualty: Errol James, 29, NCD, Afghanistan, Grafenwoehr, Germany

08/06/2008:  DoD Identifies Army Casualty: Ronald Schmidt, 18, NCD, Iraq, Kansas Army National Guard

08/06/2008:  DoD Identifies Army Casualty: Timothy Hutton, 21, NCD, Iraq, Bamberg, Germany

08/06/2008:  DoD Identifies Marine Casualty: Garrett Lawton, 31, Afghanistan, Camp Lejeune, North Carolina

08/06/2008:  DoD Identifies Army Casualties: Gary Henry, 34, and Jonathan Menke, 22, Iraq, Indiana Army National Guard

08/05/2008:  DoD Identifies Army Casualty: Jaime Gonzalez, Jr., 40, Afghanistan, Texas Army National Guard

08/05/2008:  DoD Identifies Army Casualty: Brian Miller, 37, NCD, Iraq, Indiana Army National Guard

08/04/2008:  DoD Identifies Army Casualty: Ryan Baumann, 24, Afghanistan, Fort Campbell, Kentucky

08/04/2008:  DoD Identifies Army Casualty: Jennifer Cole, 34, NCD, Iraq, Fort Campbell, Kentucky

08/04/2008:  DoD Identifies Army Casualty: Andre Mitchell, 25, NCD, Iraq, Fort Hood, Texas

08/04/2008:  DoD Identifies Army Casualties: David Badie, 23, Michael Girdano, 23, William Mulvihill, 20, and Jair De Jesus Garcia, 29, Afghanistan, Fort Hood, Texas

08/04/2008:  DoD Identifies Army Casualty: Kevin Dickson, 21, NCD, Iraq, Fort Carson, Colorado

08/04/2008:  Sailor Missing from The Vietnam War is Identified: Manuel Denton, US Navy

Related Links:
August: Department of Defense Casualties Report (2002)
August: Department of Defense Casualties Report (2003)
August: Department of Defense Casualties Report (2004)
August: Department of Defense Casualties Report (2005)
August: Department of Defense Casualties Report (2006)
August: Department of Defense Casualties Report (2007)
August: Department of Defense Casualties Report (2009)
August: Department of Defense Casualties Report (2010)
August: Department of Defense Casualties Report (2011)
August: Department of Defense Casualties Report (2012)
August: Department of Defense Casualties Report (2013)
August: Department of Defense Casualties Report (2014)
August: Department of Defense Casualties Report (2015)
August: Department of Defense Casualties Report (2016)
August: Department of Defense Casualties Report (2017)
Non Combat Deaths of Female Soldiers in the US Military (Iraq)
Non Combat Deaths of Female Soldiers in the US Military (Afghanistan)
Non Combat Deaths of Female Soldiers in the US Military (Other Areas)

Cold Case: Army Veteran Kanika Powell Shot Several Times at Doorway of Maryland Home, No Known Suspects At This Time (August 28, 2008)

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Kanika Powell, US Army veteran

Army veteran Kanika Powell, 28, was brutally gunned down outside the door of her home on August 28, 2008 in Prince George’s County, Maryland. Kanika enlisted in the Army in 2000, served in Korea, and then got out of the military and was finally living her dream job in national security. Kanika had a top secret security clearance. Prior to the murder, Kanika had some odd encounters. Two men showed up at her house claiming to be the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI). They called her by name and put a fake FBI badge up to her peephole. She did not open the door. She called her work to ask if someone sent them; they had not. The incident frightened Tanika. Five days later another man showed up at her house, asked for her by name, claimed to have a package for her then left. Twelve hours later someone else showed up again claiming to have a package for her then left. Tanika was fearful for her safety. A few days later Kanika was shot several times. The gunman was standing right outside her door waiting for her. The police report that no hand gun was found and there are no known suspects at this time. The case has turned up few leads. Kanika’s wallet and keys were found next to her body so robbery was ruled out as a motive. The police do not believe her job was the motive. The police and Crime Watch Daily welcome tips.

“On Saturday, August 23rd, 2008, Kanika had a frightening experience where a man posing as an FBI agent had tried to gain access to her apartment. He knew her name, and approached her door, but Kanika was intelligent enough to not allow him inside. She later called the police to report the incident…When she arrived back at her apartment at approximately 11:50 a.m., someone was waiting in the hallway and shot her multiple times…Police were baffled by the seemingly motiveless crime and didn’t have so much as a single suspect.” –Trace Evidence

The Murder of Kanika Powell (027) | Trace Evidence

Related Links:
Prince George’s Killing, Apparently Planned, Opens Host of Mysteries
Unsolved: National security worker gunned down amid mysterious circumstances
Don’t Open the Door: The Kanika Powell Murder
Crime Watch Daily: Military Veteran Found Dead at Door; Who Killed Her?
The Mysterious Unsolved Murder of Kanika Powell
The Murder of Kanika Powell (027) | Trace Evidence
The Murder of Kanika Powell (EP.#027) True Crime Podcast – Trace Evidence

The Denver Post Published ‘Waging Internal War’: An Examination of the Army’s Tendency to Deploy Soldiers Who Need Medication Management (August 26, 2008)

An event on the Auraria campus aimed to help community members understand mental health issues in returning veterans. -The Denver Post (November 17, 2011)

“Chad Barrett’s war on terror started in the hours after the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks, when he was called to help dig bodies out of a smoking Pentagon. It ended Feb. 2, 2008, in Mosul, Iraq, when his roommate awoke to find him gasping and gurgling, with foam coming from his mouth. Barrett had been cleared for a third combat tour in Iraq despite a recent suicide attempt, crushing headaches and a mental illness treated with medication for anxiety and depression. Two months after he arrived, he killed himself by swallowing an unknown number of pills. He was the sixth soldier from Fort Carson to commit suicide in Iraq. At least 10 others have killed themselves in the U.S., nine after returning from the war.” -David Olinger & Erin Emery, The Denver Post (August 26, 2008)

An analysis of the information showed that:

• Army suicides in Iraq tripled in three years, from 10 in 2004 to 32 in 2007.

• In 2006 and 2007, 20 of the 59 soldiers who killed themselves in Iraq were deployed from a single base — Fort Hood in Texas.

• Fourteen of the soldiers who killed themselves in Iraq were 19 years old. Nearly half were 23 or younger.

Read more ‘Waging Internal War’ from The Denver Post here.

Related Links:
Understanding Mental Health in Veterans
Waging internal war – The Denver Post

Army SFC Kelly Stewart Accused of Sexual Assault by German Citizen in a ‘He Said She Said’ Case; Despite Proving Innocence, Railroaded With Collateral Charges (August 23, 2008)

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Sgt. 1st Class Kelly Stewart, US Army

The early morning hours of August 23, 2008 changed Army Special Forces soldier Sgt. 1st Class Kelly Stewart’s life forever. Stewart went out for a night of drinking and partying in Germany with some other soldiers. Stewart was approached by a woman, a German citizen, and they began to dance. An hour or so later, they would leave together to engage in a casual one night stand. The next morning they said their goodbyes and she gave Stewart her number. A couple months later, Stewart would learn from German police and the Army Criminal Investigation Division (CID) that he was being accused of sexual assault by this same woman. Three Days in August by Bob McCarty takes the reader step by step through Kelly Stewart’s military court proceedings in Germany in August 2009. This book reveals the reasons so many concerned citizens are fighting for military justice reform. Whether you believe he is guilty or not, Kelly Stewart was railroaded with collateral charges in this particular court martial. There was no evidence, no forensic testing, and no witnesses to prove guilt beyond a reasonable doubt yet Kelly Stewart paid the price for embarrassing the US Army in an international incident.

Kelly Stewart had a stellar career and zero history of any wrong-doing in his more then ten year career, including behavioral and criminal. But the military prosecutor would lead you to believe he was a violent rapist luring his one victim with manipulation, not force. You read the book and decide for yourself if Kelly Stewart fits the modus operandi of a would be predator. After watching the Netflix docuseries Making a Murderer and reading Kelly Stewart’s record of trial, it’s looking like we have a case of making a rapist. As with all investigations, this is a testament to the value of the right to remain silent whether talking to your Chain of Command or an investigator. Given the military’s track record with aggressive and ruthless tactics, silence will prevent them from twisting your statements into something they are not. Kelly Stewart may have committed adultery and he owned up to it but what if when questioned he had said nothing and denied even knowing her. It’s not his fault that he or any of our soldiers think they can trust the system only to learn that it will betray them. Nothing can stop us from educating our soldiers about their due process rights, the same rights protected by the very Constitution they are willing to die for.

Related Links:
Save This Soldier: Kelly Stewart, US Army
SFC Kelly A. Stewart Gives Up Peacefully to Military Police at Stuttgart Garrison
Green Beret Released From Prison, Fighting to Clear Name of Sex Assault Charges
Found guilty, he ran; now ex-soldier is on last-ditch appeal
A Travesty Of Justice: Collateral Charges In Military Sexual Assault Cases
My Answer Hasn’t Changed After Four Years
Save Our Heroes Files Complaint with Tennessee Bar & USDOJ – Army JAG Judge, & Former Prosecutor, LTC Jacob Bashore in the Wrongful Conviction of Army Sergeant Mario Jeffers
Three Days In August: A U.S. Army Special Forces Soldier’s Fight for Military Justice

Fort Hood Army Staff Sgt. David Paquet Died of Undetermined Causes While Conducting Patrol at Combat Outpost Vegas in Afghanistan (August 20, 2008)

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Staff Sgt. David Paquet, U.S. Army

Army Staff Sgt. David Paquet, 26, died August 20, 2008 of undetermined causes while conducting a patrol at Combat Outpost Vegas in Jalalabad, Afghanistan. Staff Sgt. Paquet was supporting Operation Enduring Freedom on behalf of the 1st Battalion, 26th Infantry Regiment, 3rd Brigade Combat Team, 1st Infantry Division at Fort Hood, Texas. At the time of the Department of Defense press release, the incident was under investigation. The outcome of the investigation and the official cause of death are unknown. 

Related Links:
DoD Identifies Army Casualty
Honor the Fallen: Army Staff Sgt. David L. Paquet
Rising Sun graduate dies in Afghanistan
Army sergeant from Cecil dies in Afghanistan
David Paquet dies in Afghanistan
Commemorating loss of ‘hometown heroes’
Big crowd at 30th Hall of Fame awards
Fallen troops memorialized
August: Department of Defense Casualties Report (2008)
Violent Crime, Suicide, and Non Combat Death at Fort Hood, Texas
Army Soldiers at Fort Hood in Texas Are Dying at Alarming Rates Stateside (January 1, 2016 to Present)

Fort Polk Army Pvt. Janelle King Died of Injuries Suffered in a Non-Combat Related Incident in Iraq; Official Cause of Death Unknown (August 14, 2008)

Janelle King
Pvt. Janelle King, U.S. Army

Army Private Janelle King, 23, died of injuries suffered in a non-combat related incident in Baghdad, Iraq on August 14, 2008. Private King was working as a combat medic stationed at Camp Cropper, a military detainee center near Baghdad International Airport, on her first tour of duty at the time of her death. Pvt. King was supporting Operation Iraqi Freedom on behalf of the 115th Combat Support Hospital at Fort Polk, Louisiana. At the time of the Department of Defense press release, the incident was under investigation. The outcome of the investigation and the official cause of death is unknown. Janelle was from Merced, California, she graduated from Rancocas Valley Regional High School in Mount Holly, New Jersey in 2003, and attended a culinary arts school in San Francisco, California before joining the Army in May 2007. Janelle’s father served in the active duty Air Force and she grew up as a military dependent.

“The eldest daughter of an Air Force official, King was born in Altus, Okla., and lived in California, Panama and Hawaii before graduating from Rancocas Valley Regional High School in Mt. Holly, N.J., in 2003. Brian King said his daughter’s death makes his own work in the Air Force harder at times.” –Los Angeles Times (October 26, 2008)

Related Links:
Pvt Janelle Franshawn King (1985-2008)
DoD Identifies Army Casualty
Army Pvt. Janelle F. King
Janelle F. King | Health.mil
Fort Polk soldier dies in Baghdad
Merced soldier, 23, dies in Baghdad
Army Pvt. Janelle F. King, 23, Merced; medic dies in non-combat-related incident in Iraq
Valley Soldier Dies in Iraq | Her Death is Under Investigation
Congressional Record Volume 154, Number 177 (Thursday, November 20, 2008)
No. R-70. House Concurrent Resolution in Memory of the American Military Personnel Who Have Died in the Service of Their Nation in Iraq from March 26, 2008 to Jan 20, 2009.
Non Combat Deaths of Female Soldiers in the US Military (Iraq)
August: Department of Defense Casualties (2008)
Military Policy and Legislation Considerations for the Investigations of Non Combat Death, Homicide, and Suicide of US Service Members

Air Force SrA Sabrina Autrey Found Dead at Off Base Apartment in Arlington, Virginia; Official Cause of Death Unknown (August 13, 2008)

Sabrina Autrey
SrA Sabrina Autrey, U.S. Air Force

Air Force SrA Sabrina Autrey, 23, was found dead in her off base apartment in Arlington, Virginia on August 13, 2008. She was declared missing after failing to show up for work at the Pentagon and then discovered at her home. SrA Autrey was assigned to the Military Personnel Flight, 11th Mission Support Squadron at Bolling Air Force Base in Washington D.C. The Arlington Police Department reported there were “no signs of a forced entry or suicide” and “an autopsy found no obvious signs of foul play or trauma” (a toxicology report was pending). The outcome of the investigation and the official cause of death is unknown.

Related Links:
Airman Found Dead in Apartment
Airman is found dead in Arlington
Air Force Airman’s Body Found in Virginia Apartment
US Air Force (USAF) AIRMAN First Class (A1C) Sabrina Autrey, 729th Air Mobility Squadron (AMS)