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.
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.
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)
Eddie Makdessi, U.S. Navy Spouse (photo courtesy of 48 Hours NCIS)
Navy Petty Officer Elise Makdessi worked as an Air Traffic Controller at Naval Air Station Oceana in Virginia. Elise was married to Eddie Makdessi for five years and they lived off base in Virginia Beach. Elise unknowingly helped plan, organize, and carry out her own murder and it is unclear if she was a willing participant in the original plot with Eddie to scam the government out of money or if she was controlled by Eddie. Eddie Makdessi murdered Elise Makdessi and Navy Petty Officer Quincy Brown on May 14, 1996 as part of an elaborate scam. The whole thing was a set up. Elise thought she was part of an arrangement where she would invite Quincy Brown to the house, have sex with him, then accuse him of rape. She also manufactured evidence to make it look like she was documenting sexual abuse in an effort to sue the Navy and make millions. She had journals and created what looked like a rehearsed video outlining what four Navy men, including Quincy Brown, did to her on the job.
Five years earlier in 1991 the Navy Tailhook scandal in Nevada made national headlines. Navy Lieutenant Paula Coughlin was one of the alleged victims who went public with her story. Two years before Elise and Quincy were murdered, Paula Coughlin won 1.7 millionafter suing the Las Vegas Hilton hotel where the Tailhook Association convention was held. Eddie must have convinced Elise that they too could make millions if they alleged that Elise was sexually assaulted on the job. What they didn’t realize is that you can’t sue the Navy; Coughlin won a lawsuit against the Hilton hotel. The Feres Doctrine prevents any soldier or their family from suing the Department of Defense for compensatory damages. Investigators believe that knowledge of this information gave Eddie and Elise Makdessi the motive to come up with the false accusation scheme to sue the Navy. Eddie was a scammer and always looking for new ways to make quick money. Elise didn’t know she was double crossed until Eddie was plunging the knife. A month before the murders, Eddie purchased $700,000 worth of life insurance on Elise.
Eddie and Elise Makdessi invited Petty Officer Quincy Brown over to the house under the guise of having a threesome. DNA evidence revealed that Elise and Quincy Brown had sex. Investigators would learn that Eddie shot Quincy first, then stabbed Elise. He hurt himself to make it appear that Quincy invaded the house, knocked him out, raped and killed Elise, and then he awoke from unconsciousness and shot the intruder. Eddie staged the crime scene and he almost got away with it. But investigators figured out this was a ‘set up’ based on the crime scene evidence, interviews with Elise’s co-workers, the video tape, and the large insurance policy. They were also savvy enough to recognize that this was a copycat case. Elise’s sexual harassment and sexual assault claims were in fact fabricated. All the men she accused of sex crimes in the video passed a polygraph examination and her supervisors testified that Elise never reported sexual harassment or sexual assault like she claimed in her video testimony. Unfortunately Quincy Brown was the pawn they used in their game and he never got the chance to see that the allegations were proven false.
Eddie was indicted in 2001. But by the time investigators were ready to arrest Eddie Makdessi for the murder of Elise Makdessi and Quincy Brown, Eddie had fled the country. They eventually caught up with him in Russia. Unfortunately, Russia did not have an extradition treaty with the United States so police could not force Eddie to come back to the states. Mike Mather, an investigative reporter, went to Russia to interview Makdessi and learned that he was remarried with a child yet things weren’t going so well for Eddie financially in Russia. After that interview, Eddie decided to leave his wife and child in Russia and go back to America to face the charges. He was going to prove his innocence and clear his name. He was sure he would beat the charges. It would be ten years after he committed the first degree murders of Elise and Quincy Brown before he went to trial. On March 16, 2006, Eddie Makdessi was convicted of two counts of murder, sentenced to life in prison, and ordered to pay a $202,500 fine. The motive was the life insurance money. He used the $700,000 payout to travel the world before settling in Russia. Eddie continues to deny committing the crimes.
Elise Makdessi’s sister, Dawn Crosby, asked the jury to “show Eddie Makdessi that my sister’s life was worth more than $700,000.” –The Virginia-Pilot (March 17, 2006)
Victims:
P.O. Elise Makdessi, U.S. Navy
P.O. Quincy Brown, U.S. Navy
Forensic Files:
Full Episode:Virginia Beach police arrive at the Makdessi apartment to find Elise Makdessi and her lover, Quincy Brown, dead. Elise’s husband Eddie had reported that he killed Quincy Brown in self-defense after Brown had murdered Elise. Eddie gave the police a videotape Elise had made a week before, alleging that she had been the victim of sexual harassment. -Double Cross, Forensic Files (S13,E5)
Investigation Discovery:
Paramedics respond to a horrific crime scene – a woman is found tied to a bed with slashes across her body. Next to her on the floor, a man with three gunshot wounds. Detectives spend the next several years unraveling this bizarre mystery. -Last Man Standing, Solved (S2,E10)
When a Naval Officer is apparently raped and stabbed by a coworker, a mysterious VHS tape suggests the victim may have been silenced to prevent a scandal. Dogged investigation and cutting edge forensic science reveals a shocking murder plot. -Deadly Accusations, Unusual Suspects (S7,E4)
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.
On February 9, 1995, Markus Mueller, 29, was found shot to death in his Bonita Springs, Florida home. Markus answered his door and was shot three times in the doorway of his own home. His girlfriend Danielle found his body and informed authorities that she thought fellow bodybuilder David Bieber shot her boyfriend. David Bieber, 29, and Markus Mueller were both involved in an illegal steroid smuggling business; they made a lot of money. Apparently Bieber wanted to take over the business and he wanted Mueller’s girlfriend too. Danielle wanted to be with Mueller but he was married to a woman in Germany who he was not going to divorce. Danielle married Bieber on February 3, 1995 just a few days before the murder, and immediately began questioning her decision. She wanted to go back to Mueller but Bieber wasn’t having it. David made several statements to friends that he wanted Markus dead. David was brought into the police station for questioning but denied being involved in the murder. The Lee County Sheriff’s Department still believed that David was involved because he had the motive but they did not have the evidence to charge him.
In August 1995, a random shooting occurred involving Michelle Stanforth. She was shot at four times by an identified gunman but all the bullets missed her. Police learned that Michelle dated David Bieber in 1993 and that one day David showed up to her work and threatened Michelle and told her if she left him, she would be sorry. Michelle broke up with him and filed a restraining order. Police also learned that David had a history of violence against women dating back to 1989; he dated a sixteen year old that he later sexually violated. The Lee County Sheriff’s Department continued to investigate the murder of Markus Mueller and the attempted murder of Michelle Stanforth. They began by learning more about David Bieber. What they learned is that David appeared to be the all American boy until he began using steroids in his teens. After this David became more aggressive and violent. He joined the US Marine Corps to help him channel some of his aggression. Instead he rebelled against authority and ultimately found himself AWOL, facing charges, and dishonorably discharged. The aggressive ex-Marine remained a prime suspect in the murder and attempted murder cases but police still didn’t have enough evidence to charge him.
In September 1995, detectives learned from an informant that David Snipes was involved in a murder-for-hire scheme. David Snipes admitted that he was hired for $1,250 to kill Michelle Stanforth and hired for $1,000 to kill Markus Mueller. Snipes informed authorities that John Saladino hired him to kill them. When John Saladino was arrested, police learned that he was roommates with David Bieber. It didn’t take long before Saladino admitted that Bieber hired him to kill Michelle Stanforth and Markus Mueller. Saladino also admitted that Bieber put a hit on the lead homicide detective and his two sons. Police obtained a warrant to apprehend Bieber on first degree murder charges but instead he vanished. David Bieber became the focus of a nationwide manhunt. Both John Saladino and David Snipes were locked up for their role in the murder for hire schemes. Saladino was found guilty of second degree murder and was sentenced to fifteen years in prison. David Snipes was convicted of first degree murder and was sentenced to death by the electric chair but on appeal, it was commuted down to life in prison. David Bieber went missing for the next eight years. Police would later learn that Bieber altered his appearance, put on weight, and changed his name to Nathan Coleman.
In 1996, David was able to obtain a tourist Visa for England. He worked a few jobs and then met another woman who he married in March 1997 right before his six month tourist Visa expired. David found himself divorced again in May 2002 because of all his suspicious activity. David doesn’t resurface until he is confronted by two Leeds, England police officers on December 26, 2003. He was found sitting in front of a known suspicious gambling and betting location. The police ran his plates and placed David in the backseat of the cruiser while they awaited the information. At this point, they didn’t know David was a fugitive and had a concealed 9 mm; but they were concerned about his behavior and called for back up. The officers learned David’s car was stolen and were going to arrest him when he pulled out the gun. He shot and wounded one officer who was able to get away and shot Officer Ian Broadhurst in the shoulder and the abdomen initially. After back up responded, he shot and wounded another officer and then executed Officer Broadhurst, who was on the ground begging for his life. David Bieber was able to escape again.
The police were able to match fingerprints in the vehicle to David Bieber and that’s when they learned he was a fugitive on the run. David’s ex-wife in England was able to help the cops make the connection between David and his new alias Nathan Coleman; she was even able to give them an address. David had fled but he left behind evidence in his apartment and his storage locker that connected him to the crimes. On December 31, 2003, a SWAT team descended on a hotel after getting a tip that he had checked in. Initially, an armed and dangerous David refused to come out of his hotel room and things were tense, but police were able to apprehend him without a single shot fired. On December 2, 2004, David Bieber was found guilty and given three life sentences without the possibility of parole. But on appeal, Bieber’s sentence was reduced. Regardless, he is not eligible for parole until 2041; he will be 75 years old. In the event David is ever paroled from Great Britain, the State of Florida stands ready to extradite David Bieber and charge him with the murder of Markus Mueller and the attempted murder of Michelle Stanforth.
Bureau of Diplomatic Security U.S. Department of State Washington, DC
August 4, 2003
Adib “Eddie” Ramez Makdessi, formerly of Virginia Beach and a fugitive from U.S. law enforcement, was located and returned to the United States by the Diplomatic Security Service on July 22. Makdessi was wanted for the 1996 murder of his wife, Elise Makdessi, and one of her co-workers, Quincy Brown.
Makdessi originally claimed that he and his wife were ambushed in their home, he was knocked unconscious and awoke to find Brown stabbing his wife. Makdessi stated he shot Brown with a gun from his wife’s nightstand. After several years of investigation, Makdessi was indicted with the first-degree murders of his wife and her co-worker in 2001. He then fled the country.
Law enforcement authorities contacted the DSS, which located Makdessi in Russia. However, no extradition treaty exists between the United States and Russia, so securing a provisional warrant was not possible. There was nothing law enforcement could do.
Spc. Richard T. Davis, U.S. Army (photo: CBS News)
“On July 15, 2003, less than two days after returning from deployment to Iraq, Davis was murdered outside Fort Benning, Georgia by a fellow soldier from Baker Company, Alberto Martinez. Three other soldiers were also present and involved in the events that led up to the killing and followed the killing. Initially, the Army concluded that Davis deserted and despite pleas from Davis’ father, would not initiate an investigation into his son’s disappearance for nearly two months. Davis’ remains were not found until November 2003. He had been stabbed in the head, neck, and chest at least thirty-three times. His body was later dismembered, doused in lighter fluid, and burned. Unnamed sources have suggested that Davis was killed because he had planned to make a complaint about a rape of an Iraqi woman by US troops.”
Read more about Richard T. Davis (Wikipedia) here.
Based on a True Story:
“In the Valley of Elah” tells the story of a war veteran (Tommy Lee Jones), his wife (Susan Sarandon) and the search for their son, a soldier who recently returned from Iraq but has mysteriously gone missing, and the police detective (Charlize Theron) who helps in the investigation. -In the Valley of Elah, Warner Bros.
US Air Force Colonel Philip Shue died of what appeared to be the result of a violent car crash until one took a closer look at the scene of the car crash and observed the injuries inflicted on Col. Shue’s body unrelated to the crash. After erratic driving, Col. Shue’s car veered off a highway driving away from San Antonio, Texas in the opposite direction of Lackland Air Force Base where he worked. The car crashed into a tree making impact on the driver’s side and Col. Shue was found dead at the scene with duct tape on his wrists and ankles, a six inch knife wound in his chest, and his nipples were removed. Local investigators and the U.S. Air Force all concluded that this was a deeply troubled man experiencing a psychological breakdown that led to suicide. But Col. Shue’s wife Tracy believes otherwise and shares that her husband was happy and lived life to the fullest until he started getting anonymous, threatening notes. Tracy wants justice for Col. Shue because the incidents leading up to the day in question definitely raise red flags and lead one to believe that this death was in fact more likely a homicide.
Tracy Shue believes that indeed there is a person of interest in the case and that all avenues of justice should be pursued in the death of her husband. Tracy revealed that Philip had been married before and as a stipulation of a divorce agreement, his ex-wife Nancy Shue was granted ownership of a one million dollar life insurance policy in Col. Shue’s name. Prior to Col. Shue’s death, he started receiving alarming letters including one that indicated the writer of the note overheard plans to commit his murder for the life insurance money; this person led the reader to believe they wanted to warn him that he was in danger. This did cause concern for Col. Shue because he knew that his ex-wife had a significant life insurance policy in his name. He attempted to cancel the life insurance policy but was unable to because he didn’t have the authority to do so. It wasn’t until around this time that he started to become stressed because he felt like he had lost control of his very own life. Tracy shared that Col. Shue was not the person that investigators and the Air Force tried to portray. Col. Shue was planning to retire and had paid a down payment on a new home in another state.
Was US Air Force Colonel Philip Michael Shue’s death a suicide or murder? Learn more from LordanArts’ BrainScratchers in depth analysis of this cold case. John Lordan is thorough in his examination and makes some interesting observations. Watch the 48 Hours Mystery ‘The Curious Case of Col. Shue’ on YouTube here. Please follow the case of Colonel Philip Shue with author Cilla McCain here.
Navy sailor Lea Anne Brown and her friend Michael Patten were found murdered execution style in Accokeek, near Fort Washington, Maryland on June 10, 2001. They were randomly selected in a church parking lot in Fort Washington by a group of men who wanted to rob them and steal their car. They beat Lea Anne and Michael and then stuffed them in the trunk of Michael’s car; afterwards they drove them to nearby Accokeek, fatally shot them in the head, and left their bodies in a wooded area. In 2002, Eric Thomas was found guilty of both murders and sentenced to life in prison. Aaron Hollingsworth received a 30 year prison sentence in exchange for his testimony. Cortez Carroll confessed to shooting Lea Anne and he faced the death penalty but plead guilty in exchange for a life sentence. Robert Odum, Jr. received 60 years in prison for two counts of kidnapping but was acquitted on the robbery and murder charges. And Marco Scutchings-Butler or Marco Butler was acquitted of the murders. in 2004, a Maryland Appellate court overturned the conviction for Robert Odum, Jr. and granted him a new trial because the court said Prince George’s police broke the rules. At Odum’s new trial in 2005, a Prince George’s County jury convicted him of two counts of kidnapping and he was sentenced to two terms of 30 years in prison. The judge ordered that his 30 year sentences be served consecutively in addition to a 10-year sentence he was serving for a separate carjacking.
Preview:Two dead, one of them a beautiful Navy sailor. Why does this case still haunt the agents who hunted the killer? -48 Hours NCIS
In the more than 20 years since the murder of a 21-year-old woman outside her home in Cocoa Beach, Florida, there have been a number of men investigated in connection with the case — but the crime remains unsolved. Members of the Brevard County Sheriff’s Office share details with “48 Hours”‘ Erin Moriarty.
On the evening of Sunday, March 20, 1994, Charlotte “Amy” Gellert was attacked by an intruder outside her residence in Cocoa Beach. She died as a result of her injuries. The intruder was described as a white male, early twenties, 5’07″ – 5’10″ tall, weighing between 165 to 185 pounds. Any persons providing information in reference to this case may be eligible for a reward up to $5,000.00. –Brevard County Sheriff’s Office
onor and Dishonor: The trials of Sgt. Brent Burke
MILITARY JUSTICE FOR ALL 