Tag: 2004

Forensic Files Premiered ‘The Financial Downfall’: Navy Spouse Deanna Wild Falls to Her Death While Sightseeing at Big Sur Cliff in California (August 11, 2004)

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A beautiful, vibrant young woman fell to her death from a cliff overlooking the Pacific Ocean. Initially, investigators thought it was just a terrible accident. But after a closer forensic examination of photographs taken at the scene, police had a very different story of what had happened. -The Financial Downfall, Forensic Files (S9,E12)

Editor’s Note: Full episodes of Forensic Files are available on a variety of media platforms. Forensic Files Channel features full episodes of Forensic Files on YouTube. You can also find full episodes of Forensic Files on both Netflix and Amazon Prime Video. On Netflix, the seasons are grouped as collection 1-9. On Amazon Prime Video, you can find Season 1-10 here; Season 11; Season 12; Season 13; Season 14; Season 15; Season 16; Season 17; Season 18; Season 19; Season 20; and Season 21. Start bingeing and see for yourself why Forensic Files is such a hit!

Related Links:
Forensic Files Wiki: Virginia McGinnis
The Financial Downfall | Forensic Files | IMDb
The Financial Downfall | Forensic Files | Facebook Fan Club
The Financial Downfall | Forensic Files | Full Episodes (S9,E12)
The Financial Downfall | Forensic Files | Netflix (Collection 4, E20)
The Financial Downfall | Forensic Files | Amazon Prime Video (S9,E21)
Virginia Reardon & Billie Joe McGinnis Pushed Deanna Wild Off Cliff in California; Reardon Sentenced to Life, McGinnis Died Before Trial (April 2, 1987)
Deadly Women Premiered ‘Vicious Vixens’ on ID; Virginia Reardon & Billie Joe McGinnis Kill Son’s Wife for Life Insurance Benefits (August 16, 2013)
Deadly Women: 30 Military and Veteran Homicide Cases Featured on Investigation Discovery

Fort Hood Army Sgt. William Edwards Killed Estranged Wife Sgt. Erin Edwards at Killeen, Texas Home; Killed Self in Parking Lot Across Street (July 22, 2004)

On By AdministratorIn Armed Forces, Army, Domestic Violence, Felony Crime, Homicide, In Their Name, Military Policy, Stateside Death, SuicideLeave a comment
Erin Edwards
Sgt. Erin Edwards, U.S. Army

Police found the body of Army Sgt. Erin Edwards, 24, on the front porch of her home in a military community near Fort Hood on July 22, 2004. Erin was shot in the head. A short time later in an apartment complex parking lot across the street, the body of Erin’s estranged husband, Sgt. William Edwards, 24, was found. He suffered what appeared to be a self-inflicted gunshot wound and a gun was recovered at the scene. The couple left behind a 4 year old son and 20 month old daughter who were not home at the time of the shootings. Media reports indicate that the couple had a violent domestic history and neighbors shared that the police were constantly at the residence because of domestic problems. Both Erin and William Edwards served with the 4th Infantry Division in Iraq before returning to Fort Hood in early 2004. The Killeen Police Department investigated the shooting deaths of these two Fort Hood, Texas soldiers as a murder-suicide.

Related Links:
Murder-suicide victims identified
Murder-suicide couple identified by Killeen police
Husband-wife soldiers killed in apparent murder-suicide
Soldiers’ deaths may have been murder-suicide
When Strains on Military Families Turn Deadly
When stress turns fatal
Death on the Home Front

MJFA Links:
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)

MJFA on Social:
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/militaryjusticeforall
Instagram: http://www.instagram.com/military_crime
Twitter: https://www.twitter.com/@military_crime
Email: militaryjusticeforall@gmail.com

Air Force SrA Andy Schliepsiek & Wife Jamie Stabbed to Death at Robins AFB Home; Military Court Re-sentenced SrA Andrew Witt From Death Penalty to Life In Prison, No Parole (July 5, 2004)

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Jamie and Andy Schliepsiek
Jamie & Andy Schliepsiek, U.S. Air Force

Andy Schliepsiek was serving in the US Air Force when he and his wife Jamie were murdered at Robins Air Force Base in Georgia. According to reports, Andrew Witt made a ‘pass’ at Andy Schliepsiek’s wife Jamie at a July 4th cookout. When Andy confronted Witt about the inappropriate sexual advance, he informed him that he would not only inform their Commander of the assault but also the fact that he was sleeping with an officer on base. This was motive enough for Andrew Witt to drive back on base and stab them to death in the early morning hours of July 5th. Another airman Jason King was also stabbed in the back as he was attempting to flee the scene. In 2005, Andrew Witt was sentenced to the death penalty. In August 2013, the death sentence was overturned. In 2016, the death sentence was reinstated. Most recent reports indicate Andrew Witt was granted a new sentencing hearing. In July 2018, a military panel re-sentenced Andrew Witt to life in prison without parole. Witt also received a dishonorable discharge from the Air Force as part of his sentence. At one point, Witt was one of five people awaiting execution on military death row.

Related Links:
Airman Charged with Killing Couple May Get Death
Mother of convicted airman pleads for mercy
Airman sentenced to death
Convicted airman sentenced to death for killing couple
Two killers closer to first military executions since 1961
Strain and battle fatigue of war hit home front
The death penalty: What is justice?
Sergeant offers hope to inmates
Air Force court reinstates airman’s death sentence for 2004 killing
Ga. airman’s death sentence overturned on appeal
Ga. airman’s death sentence overturned on appeal due to ignoring of critical evidence
Georgia airman escaped murder scene, fought PTSD
On military death row, execution is anything but guaranteed
CAAF to examine the Air Force CCA’s reconsideration of Airman Witt’s death sentence
New jury to decide fate of airman convicted in murder of former Peoria couple
Judge in USS Cole case refuses to step down for death penalty bias
Judge in Cole bombing case refuses to step down
United States v. Andrew Witt, US Air Force (2016)
The survivor: Airman escaped murder scene only to fight new battles
New hearing for airman awaiting military execution
Only airman on military’s death row gets new sentencing hearing
New Sentencing Hearing for Airman on Military Death Row
Murderous airman sentenced to death, still dodging execution after 12 years
Death sentence upheld for Robins airman
Air Force court reinstates airman’s death sentence for 2004 killing
New hearing for airman awaiting military execution
Only airman on military’s death row gets new sentencing hearing
U.S. v. Witt – U.S. Court of Appeals for the Armed Forces (July 2016)
Nidal Hasan, and the 5 other men on the military’s death row
Description of Cases for those Sentenced to Death in U.S. Military
Air Force SrA Andrew Witt Sentenced to Death for the Pre-Meditated Murders of Jamie & Andy Schliepsiek; 13 Years Later, Military Court Re-sentenced Witt to Life In Prison, No Parole (October 13, 2005)
This former airman was spared the death penalty a 2nd time in 2004 double homicide case
Former airman from La Crosse off death row after new sentence in 2004 slayings
Murderous airman sentenced to death, still dodging execution after 12 years
Four Service Members on Military Death Row at Fort Leavenworth, Army Private John Bennett was Last Military Execution by Hanging in 1961
What the DoD Doesn’t Want You to Know: 50 Shocking Military Homicides in the Last 30 Years (2018)

Fort Hood Army Soldier Pfc. Melissa Hobart Collapsed and Died from an Undetermined Cause While on Guard Duty in Baghdad, Iraq (June 6, 2004)

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Melissa Hobart
Pfc. Melissa Hobart, US Army

Army Pfc. Melissa Hobart, 22, died after collapsing on guard duty in Baghdad, Iraq on June 6, 2004. Pfc. Hobart was supporting Operation Iraqi Freedom (OIF) on behalf of the Company E, 215th Forward Support Battalion, 1st Cavalry Division in Fort Hood, Texas. At the time of the Department of Defense press release, the incident was under investigation. Pfc. Hobart left behind a three-year-old daughter. According to Melissa’s memorial site, military officials believe Melissa suffered from a heart attack. Melissa’s mom Connie Hobart told the Hartford Courant that she was put on an anti-depressant shortly before deploying to Iraq and was still feeling depressed. Connie reported in 2006 that the official word from the military, two years later, was that she died of an undetermined cause.

Connie Hobart’s 22-year-old daughter, Army Pfc. Melissa Hobart, was put on an anti-depressant shortly before deploying and had told her mother that she remained depressed while in Baghdad. Three months into her tour, in June 2004, the East Haven native collapsed and died of a still-undetermined cause. Told of the policy changes Monday, Connie Hobart said, “I’m happy to hear about it. That’s good news.” Sobbing, she said her daughter might be alive today if the policy had been different at the time. –Hartford Courant

Related Links:
Pfc. Melissa Jennifer Hobart (1981-2004)
DoD Identifies Army Casualty
Pfc. Melissa Hobart | Hartford Courant
Army Pfc. Melissa J. Hobart | Honor the Fallen
Pfc. Melissa J. Hobart | The Washington Post
Mentally Unfit, Forced To Fight — (The Hartford Courant)
Is There an Army Cover Up of Rape and Murder of Women Soldiers?
Violent Crime, Suicide, and Non Combat Death at Fort Hood, Texas (US Army)
Non Combat Deaths of Female Soldiers in the US Military (Iraq)

Air Force Veteran John Ray Murdered in Georgia Home; 9 Years Later, Torico Jackson Convicted & Sentenced to Life in Prison, No Parole (May 16, 2004)

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IMG_2364
John Ray, US Air Force Veteran

ID Go: 32 year-old paralegal John Ray had everything going for him: great career, a loving family and friends. When his body is found in his Atlanta home in 2004, detectives are stumped. Years later, a hidden message from the victim himself may solve this crime. -Message From the Grave, Dead of Night (S2, E10)

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:
Brutal Atlanta murder case reopened after 7 years
Atlanta police seek help to solve ‘cold case’ murder of gay man
Atlanta man charged in 7-year-old gay murder
Man indicted in 7-year-old murder case
Atlanta Man Torico Jackson indicted in 7-year-old murder case
APD has solved 16 cold cases this year
7-year-old Atlanta murder cold case closed; suspect already in prison
Man gets 2 life sentences for 2004 death
Man convicted, sentenced in Georgia cold case slaying
Man gets life sentences for brutal gay murder
Man convicted, sentenced in Ga. cold case slaying
Conviction in the ‘Cold Case’ Murder of Fulton Paralegal
Gruesome murder of Air Force veteran John Ray and 9yr wait for justice profiled on Detective
Message From the Grave | Dead of Night | Investigation Discovery
Message From the Grave | Dead of Night | Investigation Discovery (2)
Message From the Grave | Dead of Night | Investigation Discovery (S2, E10)
Cold Case: John E. Ray murder 5/16/2004 Atlanta, GA *Torico Jackson convicted, sentenced to 2 consecutive terms of LWOP*

The Department of Defense Announced the Death of an Army Soldier Supporting Operation Enduring Freedom: Spc. Patrick Tillman (April 23, 2004)

On By AdministratorIn Armed Forces, Army, Felony Crime, In Their Name, Military Policy, Non Combat Death, Scandals, Suspicious DeathsLeave a comment
Pat Tillman (photo: wikipedia)

Related Stories:
The Nation | In the Name of Pat Tillman: Good Riddance to Stanley McChrystal (June 25, 2010)
Why Pat Tillman’s Death Matters (September 10, 2010)
15 Movies and Documentaries That Expose the Broken Military Justice System
Military Injustice: Nowhere to Turn, Nowhere to Run, Nowhere to Hide; The Story of Kamisha Block and How U.S. Army Leadership Contributed to Her Death (May 6, 2024)

Department of Defense Casualty Press Release:

This screenshot of this press release for Patrick Tillman is no longer on the DoD press releases website. They deleted the original site and created a new one that only goes back to 2014.

YouTube Videos:

Remembering Pat Tillman: 10 Year Anniversary Special Report (2014) | Outside The Lines
The Truth Behind the Pat Tillman Story
CNN Official Interview: Pat Tillman’s mother: Evidence was destroyed
Army Ranger Tillman Death Investigation
Tillman Book Tells of Search for Information

Related Links:
Hearing on Tillman, Lynch Incidents: Kevin Tillman’s Opening
Pat Tillman’s brother, Kevin, charged the military with ‘intentional falsehoods that meet the legal
Mom blames Gen. McChrystal for cover-up of Pat Tillman’s death in Afghanistan
CNN Official Interview: Pat Tillman’s mother: Evidence was destroyed
The Tillman Story (Chronicles the life of the late Pat Tillman, who walked away from a multimillion-dollar contract with the NFL’s Arizona Cardinals in 2002 to join the Army but died from friendly fire in Afghanistan)
Pat Tillman, his mom and the 20-year torment of a friendly fire death (April 22, 2024)

Chicago Tribune Published ‘In War Without Front Lines, Women GIs Caught in Chaos’ (March 11, 2004)

On By AdministratorIn Accidents, Armed Forces, Army, In Their Name, Military Policy, Navy, Non Combat Death, Suicide, USAF, USCG, USMCLeave a comment

Xatavia Hughes, an Iraqi war vet is looking for a safer neighborhood for herself and two sons. She is in her current home in the Englewood neighborhood on Nov. 6, 2013. -Chicago Tribune (December 2, 2013)

“One woman saw the military as a stop along the path of higher education. The other saw service as a road out of poverty. They enlisted in what’s typically thought of as a man’s world, and they both died in it. When Pfc. Nichole Frye’s convoy was attacked with a roadside bomb in Baqouba, Iraq, in February, she became the 15th servicewoman to die in the Iraq war, equaling the official number of female soldiers killed in the 1991 Persian Gulf war. When Capt. Gussie Jones, 41, died Sunday of a heart attack in the Baghdad hospital where she served as an Army surgical nurse, that gulf war total was officially surpassed. The conflict in Iraq now has the designation of claiming the lives of more U.S. servicewomen than any hostile theater since World War II, according to Department of Defense statistics. The stories of women like Frye and Jones–what drew them to the military and how they died in that service–reveal much about the role of American military women in Iraq.” -Chicago Tribune (March 11, 2004)

Read more ‘In War Without Front Lines, Women GIs Caught in Chaos’ from the Chicago Tribune here. 

Related Links:
Once homeless female vet struggles in civilian life | Chicago Tribune
In war without front lines, women GIs caught in chaos

Military Spouse Kimberly O’Neal Found Murdered at Camp Pendleton Park; Marine Corps Gunnery Sgt. Archie O’Neil Jr. Sentenced to Life, No Parole (February 29, 2004)

On By AdministratorIn Armed Forces, Domestic Violence, Felony Crime, Homicide, In Their Name, Military Policy, PTSD, TBI, Mental Illness, USMC1 Comment

USMC

Date: February 29, 2004
Victim: Kimberly O’Neal, U.S. Marine Corps Spouse
Offender: Archie O’Neil, Jr., U.S. Marine Corps
Location: Deer Park, Camp Pendleton, California
Circumstances: Archie O’Neil and Kimberly O’Neal engaged in a forbidden affair for a couple of years, before Archie was suppose to deploy to Iraq, they had one more tryst, Kimberly got angry when she learned Archie wasn’t going to leave his wife, Archie shot Kimberly O’Neal multiple times, during the investigation, Archie’s wife claimed Kimberly tried to run her down with her car but didn’t report it because no proof, Archie said he had severe headaches and shot Kimberly because she threatened to kill his family (most likely not true), Archie confessed to Kimberly’s murder but showed no remorse, charged with 1st degree premeditated murder, used PTSD defense to mitigate his crimes, defense claimed Archie had an abnormal startle response
Disposition: O’Neil sentenced to life in prison, no parole

Investigation Discovery:

ID Go: A decorated marine faces war at home when he falls for a married woman. Suspicion and jealousy plague their affair as they battle to keep their secret from their spouses but with the stakes so high it’s a truth they’ll stop at nothing to hide. -Love is War, Forbidden: Dying for Love (S4,E8)

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:
Marine held in Kuwait for Calif. shooting
Marine Charged With Shooting Death on Base
Marine faces murder charges in Pendleton slaying
Trial continues for Marine accused of murder
Trial continues for Marine accused of murder 2
Defense: Stress triggered shooting
Verdict: Guilty, sentence stalled
Across America, Deadly Echoes of Foreign Battles 2008
Major NYT piece on homicides by Iraq and Afghanistan veterans
Gunnery sergeant gets life without parole
The War Within | Los Angeles Magazine
Love is War | Forbidden: Dying for Love | Investigation Discovery (S4,E8)
Love is War | Forbidden: Dying for Love | Investigation Discovery (website)
Love is War | Forbidden: Dying for Love | Investigation Discovery (Amazon)
Violent Crime, Non Combat Death, and Suicide at Camp Pendleton, California (US Marine Corps)

Army Veteran Gregg Whitmore & Girlfriend Karen Cummings Stabbed to Death; Ex-Wife Shana Parkinson Sentenced to 27 Years in Prison (February 1, 2004)

On By AdministratorIn Armed Forces, Army, Domestic Violence, Felony Crime, Homicide, In Their Name, VeteransLeave a comment

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Gregg Whitmore & Karen Cummings (photo: here)

Shana Parkinson Whitmore, 38, was convicted and sentenced to 27 years in prison in 2005 for the the stabbing deaths of her ex-husband Gregg Whitmore, 38, and his girlfriend, Karen Cummings, 29, while they slept at Gregg’s home in Rigby, Idaho on February 1, 2004. Shana Parkinson is not eligible for parole until 2031.

Related Links:
Obituary: Gregg Bradley Whitmore
Obituary: Karen Jean Cummings
Memorial: Gregg Bradley Whitmore
Woman charged in double homicide
Murder case ends, another near
Faith finds place in women’s prison
Celebrating Christmas at local women’s prison
Husband Abuse and Its Deadly Outcome
Lover’s Revenge | Deadly Women | Investigation Discovery (S8,E8)
Lover’s Revenge | Deadly Women | Investigation Discovery (website)
Lover’s Revenge | Deadly Women | Investigation Discovery (Amazon)
Lover’s Revenge | Deadly Women | Investigation Discovery (Hulu)
Deadly Women Premiered ‘Lover’s Revenge’ on ID: When Gregg Whitmore Divorced His Wife, She Demanded Payback (September 5, 2014)
Deadly Women: 30 Military and Veteran Homicide Cases Featured on Investigation Discovery

Dishonorably Discharged Air Force Veteran Dan Leach II Murdered Ashley Wilson; Confessed to Homicide, Sentenced to 75 Years in Prison (2004)

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Ashley Wilson
Dan Leach II


Nineteen-year-old Ashley Wilson is ecstatic when she discovers she’s going to be a new mom. But days later, the Texas teen is found dead in her apartment with a hand-written suicide note by her side. -Stolen Voices, Buried Secrets

“He [Dan Leach] said his son was ‘disappointed’ when he returned from his stint with the Air Force where he was based in Florida and was eventually dishonorably discharged.” -Fort Bend Herald

Related Links:
Dan Randall Leach, II
Killer confesses: Teen’s death not suicide
‘Passion’ viewing prompts confession
Film prompts murder confession
Passion of Christ prompted strangler’s confession
Man confesses to murder after seeing Gibson’s film of Jesus
Killer’s ‘Passion’ confession: ‘I was like a machine’
Crime and ‘Passion’: Man Describes Killing
Texas Passion Case: Criminal Confesses after Viewing ‘The Passion’
Dan Leach testifies in his own defense
Dan Randal Leach II v. The State of Texas–Appeal from 268th District Court of Fort Bend County (2008)
Complaint says autopsy missed pregnancy, botched murder case
Ashley Wilson | Stolen Voices, Buried Secrets | Investigation Discovery
Mortal Sin | Stolen Voices, Buried Secrets | Investigation Discovery
Suicide or Murder? | Evil Talks Chilling Confessions | Investigation Discovery


When a young woman is found dead in her own apartment, all signs point to suicide. But when a man comes forward to say it was really a murder, investigators must sort truth from lies. -Evil Talks Chilling Confessions