Tag: 2008

Army National Guardsman Spc. Timothy Juneman Died by Suicide; Family Shares Imminent Redeployment to Iraq ‘Major Stressor’ (March 5, 2008)

On By AdministratorIn Armed Forces, Army, In Their Name, Military Policy, National Guard, PTSD, TBI, Mental Illness, Stateside Death, SuicideLeave a comment
Timothy Juneman
Spc. Timothy Juneman, Washington Army National Guard (Screenshot from DVIDS)

“The identity of one other veteran who killed himself this year became public when his family wrote U.S. Sen. Patty Murray in April about concerns with VA mental health care. Spc. Timothy Juneman, 25, a National Guardsman and former [Fort Lewis] Stryker Brigade soldier who was injured in a roadside explosion in Iraq, died March 5, 2008…Juneman’s body was found in his Pullman home March 25, nearly three weeks after he had hanged himself. He had missed several appointments at the Spokane VA. In records obtained by Juneman before his death, Brown wrote that imminent redeployment to Iraq with the National Guard was a ‘major stressor’ contributing to Juneman’s condition, his mother said.” Read more from The Spokesman here.

In the News:

CBS News first reported on the staggering number of veteran suicides in a report last year. Now, newly-released data shows that vets who get help from the VA are still at risk. -CBS News (March 20, 2008)

They served their country honorably but after risking their life in combat abroad, coping with coming home was too much. In the last three months seven servicemen being treated by Spokane’s VA Hospital have committed suicide. -4 News Now (April 29, 2008)

Despite recent efforts by the Veterans Administration to prevent veteran suicide, seven have committed suicide in the Inland Northwest in the last four months and US Senator Patty Murray is calling the situation unacceptable. -4 News Now (May 1, 2008)

Related Links:
Timothy Dean Juneman | Find A Grave
Timothy D. Juneman | Time of Remembrance
Interview with SPC Timothy Juneman | DVIDS
Lives lost at home | The Spokeman-Review
Apr. 29, More Suicide News: Seven Veterans Under VA Care in Washington Commit Suicide
US: Veteran turned away from military hospital commits suicide
Distress Signal | The American Prospect
Local veteran’s suicide reflects troubling trend
Suicide Watch | The New Republic
Soldiers’ emotional battle scars put doctors in dilemma
Veteran Suicides An Epidemic (CBS News)
Seven veterans under VA’s care commit suicide
Murray calls for changes in VA in wake of veteran suicides
Timeline of Veteran Suicides, Legislative Efforts, and Nationwide Negligence at the Department of Veterans Affairs

Army Paratrooper Sgt Matthew Rhoads Found Dead in On-Post Residence at Fort Bragg (2008)

On By AdministratorIn Armed Forces, Army, In Their Name, SuicideLeave a comment
sgt_matthew_rhoads
Sgt. Matthew Rhoads, US Army

Army paratrooper Sgt. Matthew Rhoads, 29, was found dead March 2, 2008 in his on-post residence at Fort Bragg, North Carolina. Investigators did not suspect foul play and indicated an autopsy was conducted. Rhoads was assigned to the 82d Airborne Division in October 2004 and became a small-arms master gunner assigned to the division’s 1st Battalion, 319th Airborne Field Artillery Regiment, 3rd Brigade Combat Team at Fort Bragg.

“Sgt. Rhoads, 29, of Kensington, survived seven months of combat in Iraq but was found dead Sunday at his residence near Fort Bragg, N.C.” -Philly.com

Related Links:
Phila. paratrooper found dead in N.C.
Funeral set for Phila. paratrooper
Sgt. Matthew J Rhoads Fort Bragg Death Under Investigation
Soldiers/Veterans Dead of Probably Sudden Cardiac Death (Prob SCD)

Fort Campbell Army Sgt. Tracy Birkman Died of Non-Combat Related Injuries in Owesat, Iraq (January 25, 2008)

On By AdministratorIn Armed Forces, Army, In Their Name, Military Policy, Non Combat Death, Suspicious DeathsLeave a comment
Tracy Birkman
Sgt. Tracy Birkman, U.S. Army

Army Sgt. Tracy Birkman, 41, died from non combat related injuries in Owesat, Iraq on January 25, 2008. Sgt. Birkman was supporting Operation Iraqi Freedom on behalf of the 626th Brigade Support Battalion, 3rd Brigade Combat Team, 101st Airborne Division (Air Assault) at Fort Campbell in Kentucky. At the time of the Department of Defense press release, the incident was under investigation which is typical of non combat death. But the official cause of death is unknown.

Birkman’s father, Jerald Griffith, a Vietnam War veteran, said he was angry with military officials for releasing information about his daughter’s death and with the news media for its portrayal of soldiers such as himself. “I didn’t want it released. I am so [furious] about all this I can just scream,” said Griffith, also of New Castle. “I hate the media with just an unmitigated passion. You . . . lied about me when I was in Vietnam.” He said his daughter was on her third deployment.” She’s over there in a war we shouldn’t even be involved in, on her third tour,” Griffith said. –The Washington Post (January 29, 2008)

Related Links:
DoD Identifies Army Casualty
Army Sgt. Tracy Renee Birkman
Sgt. Tracy R. Birkman, The Fort Campbell Courier
Soldier From the Roanoke Area, a Mother of 3, Is Killed
Non Combat Deaths of Female Soldiers in the US Military (Iraq)
Violent Crime, Suicide & Non Combat Death at Fort Campbell, Kentucky (US Army)
Military Policy and Legislation Considerations for the Investigations of Non Combat Death, Homicide, and Suicide of US Service Members

College Student Brianna Denison Kidnapped, Raped and Strangled by a Former Marine in Reno, Nevada; James Biela Sentenced to Death (January 20, 2008)

On By AdministratorIn Armed Forces, Felony Crime, Homicide, In Their Name, Military Policy, Sexual Assault, USMCLeave a comment
BriannaDenison013xcl
Brianna Denison (Reno, Nevada)

Brianna Denison, 19, was abducted by former Marine James Biela in Reno, Nevada on January 20th, 2008. She was subsequently found raped and murdered. According to Joe Biela, James Biela once wore the uniform of a Marine but was kicked out of the service. James Biela was convicted of raping and strangling Brianna and sentenced to death in 2010. Brianna’s family fought for ‘Brianna’s Law’ in Nevada and it passed:

The bill mandates a DNA cheek-swab whenever a person is booked for a felony arrest. If the arrest is deemed legitimate, the DNA would be cross-referenced with DNA from other crime scenes to see if the arrestee was involved. The proposal is named after Brianna Denison who was raped and murdered by James Biela in Reno in 2008. Proponents believe such a law may have saved Denison because Biela had a prior felony arrest.

ID Go: When a young college student is abducted from a friend’s home in the middle of the night, the city of Reno lives in fear of who might be next. Dogged investigation leads detectives to a serial rapist who’s just escalated to murder. -Vanished in Reno, Unusual Suspects (S6,E1)

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:
Bring Bri Justice
Who is James Biela?
Reno Police Hunt for Serial Rapist
Biela had trouble with women, law
Details emerge about suspect in Brianna Denison murder
Police Arrest Suspect in Sex Assault Slaying of Reno Teen Brianna Denison
Pregnant Rape Victim Forgives James Biela In Court
James Biela’s Ex-Girlfriend Carleen Harmon Testifies in Murder Case of Brianna Denison
Lab Investigator Testifies About Denison Crime Scene in James Biela Trial
Nevada man convicted of raping, strangling college student
Serial Rapist Found Guilty of Rape and Murder of Nevada Coed
Brianna Denison Murder Verdict: James Biela Found Guilty of Killing, Raping College Student
Brianna Denison’s Murderer Gets Four Life Sentences for Sexual Assault, Kidnapping
Brianna Denison’s Killer, James Biela, Gets Death; Mom Says “He Messed With the Wrong Family”
Harry Reid meets with Brianna Denison’s mother on new DNA law
Moms of murdered daughters push for Nevada DNA bill
Nevada Assembly Committee Advances Brianna’s Law
Senate unanimously passes Brianna’s Law
Senate unanimously passes Brianna’s Law 2
Brianna’s Law Passes Assembly 29-9
Brianna’s Law passes in Nevada Assembly
Brianna’s Law Officially Becomes Nevada State Law
The Basics of Brianna’s Law
Brianna’s Law Now in Effect, Las Vegas Police Can Now Search Your DNA For Any Crime Without Probable Cause
New Nevada DNA swab law sees little pushback
Brianna’s Law Begins in Nevada
Death row inmate seeks new trial in Brianna Denison killing
James Biela petitions court for retrial in rape, murder of 19-year-old Brianna Denison
Biela won’t get a new trial in Denison murder case
Reno man denied new trial in rape, murder near university
From May 2013: Brianna’s Law officially becomes Nevada state law
Brianna’s Law has matched more than 1,000 DNA samples to crimes
Brianna’s Law has matched more than 1,000 DNA samples to crimes
Vanished in Reno | Unusual Suspects | Investigation Discovery (website)
Vanished in Reno | Unusual Suspects | Investigation Discovery (S6,E1)
Vanished in Reno | Unusual Suspects | Investigation Discovery (Amazon)