Disabled Teen Judilianna Lawrence Lured on MySpace by Army Soldier; Robert Marko Sentenced to Life in Prison for Rape & Murder (2008)

Judilianna Lawrence, Colorado
Judilianna Lawrence

Honoring Judilianna Lawrence, 19, a disabled civilian teen who went missing on October 10, 2008 after meeting up with US Army soldier Robert Marko. Marko, an active soldier stationed at Fort Carson, lured the teen using MySpace with the intent to rape and murder. She was found dead on October 13th after Marko led police to her body. Judilianna was Marko’s second victim that week. His first victim was a fourteen year old he violently raped and threatened to murder. Marko was charged by the civilian authorities with rape and first degree murder. Marko attempted to plead insanity and blame Post Traumatic Stress Disorder but was found guilty in 2011 of the rape and first degree murder of Judilianna. He was sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole.

Related Links:
Teen Missing After MySpace Meeting
Police: Soldier Led Searchers to Teen’s Body
Body Identified As Missing Girl
Search for Missing Teen Ends In Tragedy
Soldier With History of Delusions Is Suspect
Ft. Carson soldier accused in killing
Soldier Accused of Murder
Carson soldier admits he killed woman, sheriff’s office says
Decatur soldier accused in rape, murder led chilling life online
Man Accused In Two Rapes, Murder Back in Court
“He hears sounds which seem to be voices”
Mental State of Soldier Questioned
Fort Carson Soldier Pleads Insanity In Slaying
Fort Carson: Iraq Veteran Stands Trial For Murder
Fort Carson Soldier In Court In MySpace Slaying
SUNRISE: Jury to get case of soldier accused of murder, rape
Decatur soldier convicted of murder
Fort Carson Soldier Convicted In Woman’s Slaying
Soldier Convicted Of Killing Woman He Met On MySpace
Fort Carson soldier found guilty of first-degree murder and sexual assault
War Vet Gets Life Sentence for Rape, Murder of Teen
Ex-Soldier Convicted Of Murder Gets Life In Prison
Decatur soldier accused in rape, murder led chilling life online
Victim’s father in Marko case speaks out: ‘My baby gets some justice’
When Judilianna Lawrence Met the Predator
The rape and murder of Judi Lawrence
Soldiers suspected in Colorado slayings
Death on the Home Front
U.S. Slayings by Vets Linked to War Stress
War trauma may have role in slayings
Army looks at troops accused in U.S. killings
Army To Probe 5 Slayings Linked To Colo. Brigade
A Focus on Violence by G.I.’s Back From War

US Army Soldier Robert Marko Convicted of the Rape & Murder of Disabled Civilian Teen Judilianna Lawrence in Colorado (2008)

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Robert Marko, US Army

On October 10, 2008 Judilianna Lawrence, 19, was reported missing. On October 13 the body of Judilianna was discovered after Robert Marko led the police to her.  After an investigation, it was learned that US Army soldier Robert Marko of Fort Carson lured the disabled teen on MySpace, raped, and murdered her. He was also accused of raping another teenager and threatening to kill her five days earlier. Marko was convicted of the rape and first degree murder of Judilianna in 2011 and sentenced to life without parole.

Learn more: Violent Crime, Suicide & Non Combat Death at Fort Carson, Colorado (US Army)

Related Links:
Teen Missing After MySpace Meeting
Police: Soldier Led Searchers to Teen’s Body
Body Identified As Missing Girl
Search for Missing Teen Ends In Tragedy
Soldier With History of Delusions Is Suspect
Ft. Carson soldier accused in killing
Soldier Accused of Murder
Carson soldier admits he killed woman, sheriff’s office says
Decatur soldier accused in rape, murder led chilling life online
Man Accused In Two Rapes, Murder Back in Court
“He hears sounds which seem to be voices”
Mental State of Soldier Questioned
Fort Carson Soldier Pleads Insanity In Slaying
Fort Carson: Iraq Veteran Stands Trial For Murder
Fort Carson Soldier In Court In MySpace Slaying
SUNRISE: Jury to get case of soldier accused of murder, rape
Decatur soldier convicted of murder
Fort Carson Soldier Convicted In Woman’s Slaying
Soldier Convicted Of Killing Woman He Met On MySpace
Fort Carson soldier found guilty of first-degree murder and sexual assault
War Vet Gets Life Sentence for Rape, Murder of Teen
Ex-Soldier Convicted Of Murder Gets Life In Prison
Decatur soldier accused in rape, murder led chilling life online
Victim’s father in Marko case speaks out: ‘My baby gets some justice’
When Judilianna Lawrence Met the Predator
The rape and murder of Judi Lawrence
Soldiers suspected in Colorado slayings
Death on the Home Front
U.S. Slayings by Vets Linked to War Stress
War trauma may have role in slayings
Army looks at troops accused in U.S. killings
Army To Probe 5 Slayings Linked To Colo. Brigade
A Focus on Violence by G.I.’s Back From War

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

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09/29/2008:  DoD Identifies Army Casualty: Jamel Bryant, 22, NCD, Iraq, Baumholder, Germany

09/29/2008:  DoD Identifies Army Casualty: William Hasenflu, 38, Afghanistan, Fort Campbell, Kentucky

09/29/2008:  DoD Identifies Army Casualty: Michael Medders, 25, Iraq, Fort Hood, Texas

09/29/2008:  DoD Identifies Army Casualty: Ronald Phillips Jr, 33, Iraq, Fort Stewart, Georgia

09/25/2008:  Air Force Pilots Missing From The Vietnam War Are Identified

09/24/2008:  DoD Identifies Army Casualty: Thomas Brown, 26, Iraq, Baumholder, Germany

09/23/2008:  DoD Identifies Army Casualty: Sidney Marceaux Jr, 69, NCD, Kuwait, Warrior Transition Brigade, Walter Reed Army MC, Maryland

09/23/2008:  DoD Identifies Army Casualty: Bruno Desolenni, 32, Afghanistan, Oregon Army National Guard

09/23/2008:  DoD Identifies Army Casualty: Matthew Taylor, 25, Iraq, Fort Polk, Louisiana

09/23/2008:  DoD Identifies Navy Casualty: Matthew O’Bryant, 22, NCD, Marriott Bombing, Islamabad, Pakistan, Fort Meade, Maryland

09/23/2008:  Soldier Missing From The Vietnam War Is Identified

09/22/2008:  DoD Identifies Army Casualties: Nathan Cox, 35, and Joseph Gonzales, 18, Afghanistan, Fort Hood, Texas

09/22/2008:  DoD Identifies Marine Casualty: Jerome Bell Jr, 29, Afghanistan, Twentynine Palms, California

09/22/2008:  DoD Identifies Army Casualty: Brandon Farley, 30, Afghanistan, Fort Hood, Texas

09/22/2008:  DoD Identifies Army Casuality: Joshua Harris, 21, Afghanistan, Illinois Army National Guard

09/22/2008:  DoD Identifies Army Casuality: Bruce Hays, 42, Afghanistan, Wyoming Army National Guard

09/22/2008:  DoD Identifies Army Casuality: Mohsin Naqui, 26, Afghanistan, Fort Benning, Georgia

09/22/2008:  DoD Identifies Army Casuality: Jason Vasquez, 24, Afghanistan, Illinois Army National Guard

09/22/2008:  DoD Identifies Air Force Casualty: Rodolfo Rodriguez, 34, Islamabad, Pakistan, Ramstein Air Base, Germany

09/21/2008:  DoD Identifies Army Casualties: Daniel Eshbaugh, 43, Brady Rudolph, 37, and Michael Thompson, 23, NCDs, Iraq, Oklahoma Army National Guard

09/21/2008:  DoD Identifies Army Casualties: Corry Edwards, 38, Anthony Mason, 37, Julio Ordonez, 54, and Robert Vallejo II, 28, NCDs, Iraq, Texas Army National Guard

09/19/2008:  DoD Identifies Army Casualty: James Wiley, 46, NCD, Afghanistan, New York Army National Guard

09/18/2008:  DoD Identifies Army Casualty: Darrick Wright, 37, NCD, Iraq, Army Corp of Engineers, Alabama

09/18/2008:  DoD Identifies Army Casualty: Leonard Gulczynski I, 19, NCD, Iraq, Joint Base Lewis-McChord, Washington

09/16/2008:  DoD Identifies Navy Casualty: Eichmann Strickland, 23, Afghanistan, Iwakuni, Japan

09/16/2008:  DoD Identifies Army Casualty: Ralph Marino, 46, NCD, Camp Arifjan, Kuwait

09/16/2008:  DoD Identifies Army Casualty: Michael Murdock, 22, Afghanistan, Fort Hood, Texas

09/15/2008:  DoD Identifies Army Casualties: Darris Dawson, 24, and Wesley Durbin, 26, NCD, Iraq, Fort Stewart, Georgia

09/15/2008:  DoD Identifies Army Casualty: Michael Slebodnik, 39, Afghanistan, Fort Campbell, Kentucky

09/15/2008:  DoD Identifies Army Casualty: Daniel Sexton, 53, NCD, Iraq, Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson, Alaska

09/15/2008:  DoD Identifies Army Casualty: Marques Knight, 24, Afghanistan, Fort Hood, Texas

09/13/2008:  DoD Identifies Navy Casualty: Jason Freiwald, 30, Afghanistan, Naval Special Warfare Development Group, Virginia

09/13/2008:  DoD Identifies Navy Casualty: John Marcum, 34, Afghanistan, Naval Special Warfare Development Group, Virginia

09/10/2008:  DoD Identifies Marine Casualty: Jesse Melton III, 29, Afghanistan, Okinawa, Japan

09/10/2008:  DoD Identifies Marine Casualty: Nicholas Madrazo, 25, Afghanistan, Okinawa, Japan

09/09/2008:  Missing WWII Soldier Is Identified

09/08/2008:  DoD Identifies Army Casualty: Vincent Winston Jr, 22, Afghanistan, Fort Hood, Texas

09/08/2008:  DoD Identifies Army Casualty: Michael Dinterman, 18, Afghanistan, Fort Hood, Texas

09/08/2008:  DoD Identifies Army Casualty: Jordan Thibeault, 22, NCD, Iraq, Baumholder, Germany

09/08/2008:  DoD Identifies Army Casualities: Kenneth Mayne, 29, and Bryan Thomas, 22, Iraq, Fort Hood, Texas

09/05/2008:  DoD Identifies Army Casualty: Gregory Rodriguez, 35, Afghanistan, Ansbach, Germany

09/04/2008:  DoD Identifies Army Casualty: Patrick May, 22, NCD, Iraq, Fort Hood, Texas

09/04/2008:  Three Missing WWII Sailors Are Identified

09/01/2008:  DoD Identifies Navy Casualty: Joshua Harris, 36, Afghanistan, Naval Special Warfare Development Group, Virginia

09/01/2008:  DoD Identifies Army Casualty: Steven Fitzmorris, 26, Iraq, Fort Carson, Colorado

09/01/2008:  DoD Identifies Army Casualty: Jorge Feliz Nieve, 26, NCD, Iraq, Fort Hood, Texas

09/01/2008:  DoD Identifies Army Casualty: Carlo Alfonso, 23, Iraq, Baumholder, Germany

Army Sgt. Christina Smith Murdered by Richard Smith & Matthew Kvapil; Both Fort Bragg Soldiers Sentenced to Life in Prison (September 30, 2008)

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Sgt. Christina Loehrke Smith, U.S. Army

Army Sgt. Christina Smith was stabbed to death on September 30, 2008 in Fayetteville, North Carolina. Sgt. Smith was stationed at Fort Bragg with her husband Richard Smith, also a soldier. After an investigation, Fayetteville authorities learned that Richard Smith hired Army soldier Matthew Kvapil to kill Christina. Richard Smith set up the murder by asking Christina to take a walk with him. Matthew Kvapil was hiding in the bushes waiting for the pre-planned moment to attack her. Both soldiers were arrested and charged with the first degree murder. Civilian prosecutors sought the death penalty for both soldiers in this case. In 2012, Richard Smith and Matthew Kvapil plead guilty to Christina’s murder and were sentenced to life in prison instead. Christina Smith’s death was the fourth murder involving military personnel in North Carolina in 2008. Pregnant Marine Maria Lauterbach disappeared from Camp Lejeune in 2007 and her remains were found in early 2008. She was murdered by fellow Camp Lejeune Marine Cesar Laurean. Fort Bragg Army Lt. Holley Wimunc was murdered by her Marine husband John Wimunc on July 19th. And pregnant Army soldier Megan Touma was murdered by her lover Edgar Patino, a married Fort Bragg soldier, on June 21st.

“In a way, it’s surprising that there aren’t more bodies piling up at military bases all over this nation” –The Fayetteville Observer (October 16, 2008)

In the News:

Steve Loehrke received Ohio’s first Military Sacrifice License Plate at the special license plate’s unveiling ceremony, June 9, 2015, at Ohio Department of Public Safety Headquarters, Columbus, OH. Steve is the proud father of fallen soldier Sgt. Christina E. Loehrke Smith and U.S. Boarder Patrol Agent Steven Loehrke. (June 21, 2015)

Related Links:
Army releases name of Fayetteville stabbing victim
Christina E. Loehrke Smith, Sergeant, US Army
Autopsy: Soldier fought attacker
Vigil highlights military women’s deaths
Fayetteville vigil to remember recent military murders
Soldier: Sgt. wanted wife slain
Suspect: Husband requested wife’s death several times
Husband of Slain Soldier Arrested in her Death
Husband arrested in soldier’s death; police find knife
Husband Held In Female Soldier’s Stabbing
Husband, 2nd man held in female soldier’s stabbing
Third female soldier killed; husband charged
Soldier’s Husband Charged with her Murder
Husband charged in N.C. soldier’s slaying
Fort Bragg soldiers appear in court on murder charges
‘My Daughter’s Dream Became a Nightmare’: The Murder of Military Women Continues
Murder of Military Women
The Fort Bragg Murders
Death on the Home Front
Prosecutors seek death for soldier accused in wife’s stabbing death
DA seeks death penalty in slaying of Fort Bragg soldier
2 Plead Guilty in Soldier’s Contract Murder
Two Sentenced for Fayetteville Murder for Hire Death
Former Army Soldiers Plead Guilty To 2008 Murder
Former Bragg soldiers get life in contract killing
Sentencing brings closure to friends, Family
Hundreds participate in Hero’s Ride to support military
Bill changes eligibility for Military Sacrifice license plate
New Ohio license plates honor service members who die outside of combat
New plate honors military who have died outside combat zone
Steve Loehrke receives first Ohio Military Sacrifice License Plate
Violent Crime, Non Combat Death & Suicide at Fort Bragg, North Carolina
What the DoD Doesn’t Want You to Know: 50 Shocking Military Homicides in the Last 30 Years
30 Domestic Abuse Cases in the Military That Ended in the Murder of Female Partners
House Armed Services Subcommittee on Military Personnel: Hearings on Domestic Violence in the Military (September 18, 2019)

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