Lea Chali Porter of Pueblo Colorado disappeared on June 3, 2014. She was last seen in the Westminster area of Denver, Colorado; her car was found abandoned at a friend’s house. The friend said Lea received a text late at night, left the apartment, hopped in a pick-up truck, and was never seen or heard from again. Police discovered the last known person to see Lea was Army veteran Christopher Waide. Waide would eventually confess to murdering Lea and placing her body in a dumpster near his apartment.
Police looked for Lea and found her belongings at the landfill but her body was never located. In a plea deal, Waide pleaded guilty to second degree murder and was sentenced to 48 years in prison. But Lea’s family was disappointed with the plea because they felt Waide should have told them where the body was before prosecutors agreed to the plea. If you have any information about this missing persons case, please contact the Westminster Police Department in Colorado at 303-658-4360.
ABC News:
Lea Porter’s brother Maxx Porter said he knew something was wrong when he couldn’t get in contact with her. -ABC News (October 22, 2016)
Christopher Waide, who went to high school with Lea Porter, said he was her self-appointed accountability partner. -ABC News (October 22, 2016)
When Lea Porter disappeared, suspicion fell on high school classmate Christopher Waide, who said she was staying at his apartment. -ABC News (October 22, 2016)
True Crime Daily:
When Lea Porter went missing, her big brother Maxx went on his own mission to find out what happened to her – which included confronting the last man to see her alive. -True Crime Daily (February 26, 2016)
When Lea Porter went missing, her big brother Maxx went on his own mission to find out what happened to her – which included confronting the last man to see her alive. True Crime Daily (February 26, 2016)
A Crime Watch Daily Update on the murder of Lea Porter, the Colorado woman killed by her high school friend, Christopher Waide. -Crime Watch Daily (April 25, 2016)
A Crime Watch Daily Update on the murder of Lea Porter, the Colorado woman killed by her high school friend, Christopher Waide. -True Crime Daily (April 25, 2016)
Robert Wells didn’t know it at the time, but his knowledge of his former criminal justice pupil Christopher Waide would soon make him a key player in the search for missing woman Lea Porter. -True Crime Daily (March 12, 2020)
In the News:
Investigators have isolated a portion of a landfill as they continue the investigation into a missing 19-year-old and her suspected killer. -The Denver Channel (June 14, 2014)
The man accused in the disappearance of Lea Porter pleaded guilty Friday to murder and child sex exploitation charges. -The Denver Channel (September 25, 2015)
Army veteran Lilli Anna Moore, 25, of Rochelle, Illinois died suddenly on August 3, 2013. According to her Facebook page, she was a graduate of Rochelle Township High School and a former 88M Motor Transport Operator for the U.S. Army. She studied chemistry at Elmhurst College and studied to be an Emergency Medical Technician at Kishwaukee Community College in Malta, Illinois.
Army veteran Remano Campbell, 32, was found shot to death at his home on October 12, 2011 in Mobile, Alabama. Remano served seven years in the Army and deployed to Iraq twice. He survived an improvised explosive device attack during one of his two tours to Iraq. Remano was found dead after his home caught fire. Remano was entering his home when he was shot multiple times. His car trunk was found open and his keys were still in the door. In March 2014, Remano’s widow Eugenia Campbell and her friend Alexander Frank Williams were arrested for his murder. Prosecutors said insurance money was the motive behind the murder. In November 2016, Eugenia Campbell and Alexander Williams were sentenced to life in prison for the first degree murder of Remano Campbell.
Martin MacNeill, a respected physician, calls 911 after finding his wife Michele clinging to life on April 11, 2007. The beauty queen and the doctor had been married for nearly 30 years and had eight children. -True Crime Daily (October 31, 2016)
“Investigators traced Martin [MacNeill’s] first lie back to when he got into the military at age 17. He was put on disability leave two years later when a medical officer deemed him a ‘latent schizophrenic’ with ‘other mental and psychological infirmities,’ according to documents Utah County investigators obtained in their research. Rachel and Alexis never saw signs of schizophrenia in their father and they do not believe he ever had such tendencies. Witney and even U.S. District Judge Dee Benson questioned whether or not Martin’s schizophrenia was real. But Martin had been receiving Veteran’s Administration and Social Security benefits for his alleged disability — even after he became a doctor and a lawyer with a six-figure income. He had been receiving VA benefits up until January 2010, Alexis said.” -Deseret News (December 4, 2010)
Remembering Michele Somers MacNeill:
Michele married Martin MacNeill, who became a doctor, and quickly built a big family with eight children. When he turned 50, he made some big life changes, and convinced his wife to get a facelift. -ABC News (June 15, 2019)
Housewife Elsie Jennes is found dead in the basement of her burning home. Lt Joe Kenda has no leads until Elsie’s son, William, turns up in a police station over 50 miles away, equipped with a suitcase, a pet yellow labrador, and a bizarre story to tell. -The Spy Who Killed Me, Homicide Hunter (S2, E4)
Elspeth ‘Elsie’ Troost Jennes was murdered by her husband Army veteran William Jennes II on July 17, 1995 in Colorado Springs, Colorado. According to William’s confession, he was sick and tired of Elsie nagging him about the finances and getting a job so he retrieved his gun and shot her in the face and back. Jennes admitted to pouring gasoline all over the house and setting it on fire in an attempt to destroy the evidence. He quickly left with their son and dropped him off in Canyon City, Colorado where he went to the police because he didn’t know what was going on. Jennes then drove west along Highway 50 where he threw his gun into the Arkansas River. The police knew it would be virtually impossible to recover the gun because of the strength of the current in that particular river. But Jennes’ confession gave the police the evidence they needed to charge him with murder. Apparently, Jennes became overwhelmed with the financial situation in his life and after 14 years of marriage decided to murder his wife Elsie instead of making things right. William Jennes II pleaded guilty to second degree murder in an attempt to protect his son from having to testify in court and was sentenced to 48 years in prison.
Editor’s note: With a cable subscription, you can download the free ID Go app and watch 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. 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 $3.99 a month. It’s a compilation of older seasons but totally worth the cost if you are a true crime addict. Download the ID Go app or purchase ID True Crime Files & binge away.
Hard-working fast food manager Missy Berry is found dead in an idling car at a deserted intersection. Kenda discovers suspects from Missy’s past who may have wanted her dead. But a surprise twist in the investigation leads him into uncharted territory. -Drive Thru Murder, Homicide Hunter (S2,E6)
Missy Berry was found shot execution style in a stopped vehicle at a Colorado Springs intersection on September 17, 1994. As Lt. Joe Kenda investigated the homicide, he learned Missy Berry dropped off the deposits every night after she left work. Lt. Kenda found out the money was never deposited and was not in her vehicle; he suspected robbery was the motive. Lt. Kenda learned from a fellow officer that a man who looked like he worked at the restaurant was hanging out in the parking lot around the time Missy left work. It was believed this man most likely asked Missy for a ride but at the time the police officer thought nothing of the interaction. Kenda wondered who at work might have asked Missy for a ride. Kenda spoke with the restaurant manager to find out who might have a motive to kill Missy. The store manager thought maybe it was a guy named Darren who she suspected was into drugs. Kenda tracked down Darren Haney and found him in the hospital waiting for his child to be born. He was cleared.
Darren offered Kenda a valuable piece of information. He suggested that his co-worker George Clifford McDaniel may have a motive to kill Missy Berry because he hated her. He said he wanted that bitch dead a couple weeks earlier. Apparently, Missy gave Cliff a hard time about his work and the fact that he was a mommy’s boy. Kenda learned Cliff lived one block away from the scene of the crime. At this point, Cliff was Kenda’s primary suspect after learning he fit the description offered by the police officer who observed him hanging around the parking lot. Kenda learned Cliff was the son of a former military police officer. He was born in England and his mother married a serviceman. Cliff too served in the U.S. Army for a couple years. He appeared helpful, cooperative, and didn’t raise any red flags with Kenda. His family was having a hard time financially and Cliff was working at the restaurant to help the family. He said he was with his friend Ronnie Houston watching a movie until 1:20 a.m.
Before the interview wrapped up, Cliff McDaniel suggested it was someone who asked Missy for a ride. Kenda checked out McDaniel’s alibi. Ronnie Houston admitted Cliff was there but Ronnie’s rendition of events did not match those shared by Cliff. Cliff said he left Ronnie’s at around 1:30 a.m. but Ronnie said Cliff left at 11:30 p.m. Cliff could not account for this two hour gap. Ronnie shared another important piece of information. He said Cliff had a gun and said he was planning to rob the restaurant. Kenda now believed Cliff asked for a ride from Missy, shot her at the intersection, and stole the night deposit. When Kenda went to arrest Cliff for suspicion of murder, he learned Cliff was no longer in town. They searched his home but didn’t find any physical evidence in the house tying him to the crime. After Kenda reminded the family they could be charged with accessory to murder, Cliff’s mother told Kenda he was in London, England. The police needed to find Cliff McDaniel because they were afraid he would do this again.
Kenda interviewed the travel agent who arranged the one-way ticket for Cliff. Kenda believed Cliff’s escape to London was a sure sign of guilt and he was going to bring this international fugitive to justice. They contacted New Scotland Yard to ask for assistance with the search of Cliff McDaniel. He was staying with family, the same aunt he told the travel agent had died. New Scotland Yard arrested Cliff McDaniel however getting him back to the states was a whole new battle. England would not honor the extradition unless the State of Colorado agreed not to execute him. With the help of the U.S. State Department, Kenda was able to extradite Cliff McDaniel back to the United States. The Crown Judge agreed to sign an international extradition warrant. Cliff thought he would get away with this murder and move on in England. The stolen money and murder weapon were never recovered but nonetheless McDaniel was convicted. George Clifford McDaniel was found guilty of one count of first degree murder and sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole.
Editor’s note: With a cable subscription, you can download the free ID Go app and watch 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. 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 $3.99 a month. It’s a compilation of older seasons but totally worth the cost if you are a true crime addict. Download the ID Go app or purchase ID True Crime Files & binge away.
MILITARY JUSTICE FOR ALL 