“In August of 2012, Tony and Sue Bemis received the news no parent wants to hear. Their son, Chief Petty Officer John Keith Bemis had died by suicide. As they struggled to make sense of their loss, things didn’t add up. Seven years later, they still have questions about what exactly did happen to their son.” –CPO John Keith Bemis, Crimelines True Crime Podcast (December 22, 2019)
When a deadly rumor is stirred up among friends and acquaintances, it sets off an explosion of brutal violence so gruesome that not even a house fire can hide the truth. Who could have wanted Jeffrey Wheatley dead, and what was his roomate hiding? -Valerie Nessler, Snapped (October 31, 2019)
Wendy Fishburn, sister of Jeff Wheatley, says she “absolutely does not believe in closure” in regard to her brother’s murder. In 2010, Wheatley was shot, stabbed and set on fire after a man named Robert Turner became falsely convinced Wheatley had killed his older brother more than a decade prior. -Valerie Nessler, Snapped (November 4, 2019)
An investigation into the murder of military hero John Marmo Jr. tests the bonds of military camaraderie and unravels a myriad of secrets, lies and hidden identities. Marmo was shot and killed in front of his Camarillo, California, townhouse on December 1, 2006. Could his ex-wife Rebecca Braswell hold the answers to this mystery? -Rebecca Braswell, Snapped (August 9, 2019)
Prosecutor Richard Simon reflects on the murder case of John Marmo Jr., a military hero who was gunned down outside his Camarillo, California, townhouse on December 1, 2006. Simon recalls that Marmo’s ex-wife, Rebecca Braswell, who was engaged in a custody dispute with Marmo, and her friend, Rebecca Braswell, both claimed Marmo assaulted them during a custody exchange. -Rebecca Braswell, Snapped (August 12, 2019)
An investigation into the murder of a military hero tests the bonds of military camaraderie and unravels a myriad of secrets, lies and hidden identities. -Rebecca Braswell, Snapped (S25,E23)
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 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.
In the early morning hours of March 15, 2019, Marine Corps Lance Corporal Riley Schultz was found dead near a guard shack with a gunshot wound in his head. Nineteen-year-old Lance Corporal Schultz was on guard duty at Camp Pendleton in California when this tragic incident occurred. Riley was discovered by a Marine who was assigned to replace him at this entry control point. The Naval Criminal Investigative Services (NCIS) were assigned to investigate Riley’s suspicious death but their investigation appeared to conclude when the medical examiner ruled that Lance Corporal Riley Schultz died by suicide via a self-inflicted gunshot wound. Riley’s family isn’t going to simply accept the outcome of the investigation. His family knows him better than anyone and his brother said Riley was the happiest he had ever been. Riley’s mom told the press that becoming a Marine was his dream and he worked hard and prepared for his enlistment before joining the USMC at the age of 17. Riley’s mom said he loved being a Marine and things were going well in his personal life when he died. Although this investigation appears to be an open and closed case with the Marine Corps, Riley’s family disputes the cause of death and plans to continue to fight for justice for Riley.
In the News:
The Marine from Colorado found dead at a Southern California base earlier this month died by suicide, according to 1st Lt. Cameron Edinburgh, a Marine Corps spokesperson. Rob Low reports. -FOX31 Denver (March 27, 2019)
The Navy is investigating after a Marine from Colorado was shot to death while on guard duty at Southern California’s Camp Pendleton. -CBS Denver (March 27, 2019)
Lance Cpl. Riley Schultz was discovered dead around 4 a.m. March 15 with a gunshot wound to the head. -Denver7 – The Denver Channel (March 27, 2019)
Andrew Urdiales, U.S. Marine Corps [photo: Mirror]
Former Camp Pendleton Marine Andrew Urdiales died by suicide at San Quentin State Prison in California on November 2, 2018. His death came less than a month after he was sentenced to death for five murders of women in California. Urdiales also received a life sentence in Illinois for the murders of three other women. One of his victims Jennifer Asbenson got away in 1992 and was able to testify against him during his death penalty trial in California. Four of the murders were committed while he was an active duty Marine stationed at Camp Pendleton between 1986 and 1989. After Urdiales was discharged, he killed four more women in a two year span, one in California and three in Illinois, between 1995-1996.
Honoring the Victims:
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January 18, 1986: Robbin Brandley, 23, Saddleback CC, California
July 17, 1988: Julie McGhee, 30, Cathedral City, California
September 25, 1988: Mary Ann Wells, 31, San Diego, California
April 15, 1989: Tammie Erwin, 18, Palm Springs, California
March 11, 1995: Denise Maney, 32, Palm Springs, California
April 14, 1996: Laura Uylaki, 25, Chicago, Illinois
July 14, 1996: Cassandra Corum, 21, Pontiac, Illinois
August 2, 1996: Lynn Huber, 22, Chicago, Illinois
In the News:
A jury recommended the death penalty for former Marine and convicted serial killer Andrew Urdiales on Wednesday. -ABC 7 (June 13, 2018)
An Orange County Superior Court jury Wednesday recommended the death penalty for a former Marine and Chicago triple-murderer who was convicted last month of murdering five women in Southern California from 1986 to 1995. -CBS Los Angeles (June 13, 2018)
A survivor was overcome with emotion as she came face to face with the monster who abducted and tortured her…It happened when she missed her bus in Palm Springs, California and Andrew Urdiales offered her a ride. He drove her to a remote desert location where he tied her with rope and her bra. -Inside Edition (June 13, 2018)
News conference following the penalty phase verdict in the case of the People v. Andrew Urdiales case featuring surviving victim Jennifer Asbenson, Tammie Erwin’s father Charles Erwin, Mary Ann Wells’ son Steve Wells, and OCDA Senior Deputy District Attorneys Matt Murphy and Eric Scarbrough of the Homicide Unit. -Orange County DA (June 14, 2018)
Serial killer Andrew Urdiales, who was convicted of the first-degree murders of five Southern California women between 1986 and 1995, was sentenced to death Friday. -ABC 7 (October 5, 2018)
The murders occurred when Andrew Urdiales was stationed at various Marine Corps facilities in Southern California. -CBS Los Angeles (October 5, 2018)
A woman who was kidnapped by an eight-time serial killer shares why she believes her life was spared and she was able to escape. -Dr. Phil (March 7, 2019)
Cuomo speaks with Urdiales on the day he’s being sent to death row and tries to understand why this madman chose to kill multiple women in cold blood. Was he insane? Did he hate women? Were there clues in his childhood? -Inside Evil with Chris Cuomo, HLN (June 18, 2019)
In December 1998, Peter Theriault, 51, fails to arrive for his shift at a car plant in Commerce City, California. Pete hasn’t missed a day of work in almost three decades. Friends and family immediately suspect something is very wrong. -The Green Eyed Monster, The Perfect Murder (S5, E7)
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.
Within a month, four men in Orange County are brutally stabbed by a mysterious man. No one makes a connection to a gruesome double murder of a mother and son two months earlier except the man sitting in prison for killing his own family. -Friend of the Devil, Murder By Numbers (S2, E4)
Classification: Serial killer Characteristics: Ex-Marine Number of victims: 6 Date of murders: October 25, 2011 – January 13, 2012 Date of arrest: January 13, 2012 Date of birth: 1988 Victims profile: Raquel Estrada (53) and Juan Herrera (34) / James McGillivray (53) / Lloyd “Jim” Middaugh (42) / Paulus Smit (57) / John Barry (64) Method of murder: Stabbing with knife Location: Orange County, California, USA Status: In prison awaiting trial [Suicide]
via Itzcoatl Ocampo | Murderpedia
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.
In the News:
A serial killer is terrorizing the homeless community in Orange County, California. -CNN (January 10, 2012)
OC transients warned about serial killer -TheRealHomelessOCRM (January 18, 2012)
Itzcoatl Ocampo, the 23 year old Iraq War Veteran accused of fatally stabbing four homeless men in a serial killing spree in Orange County is behind bars, and the District Attorney is now characterizing him as a brazen, vicious killer who enjoyed getting media attention. -Garden Grove TV3 (January 19, 2012)
Friends of John Berry, the alleged victim of accused serial kill Itzcoatl Ocampo, braved a steady rain to remember the homeless man. Dozens of marchers took the one-mile route along the Santa Ana River Trail where Berry often stayed. Marisol Gonzalez reports on the impact John Berry had on his community. -Garden Grove TV3 (January 21, 2012)
Investigators with a multi-agency task force announced on Thursday that accused serial killer Itzcoatl Ocampo is being investigated in the murder of Juan Herrera and his mother Raquel in their Yorba Linda home last October. The two were stabbed to death according to Lt. Julian Harvey with the Homeless Homicide Task Force. Harvey also confirmed Ocampo is “associated” with a man already in custody for the two murders. He is Eder Giovanni Herrera – brother and son to the victims. Ocampo is accused of planning, stalking and then killing four homeless men during December 2011 and Janurary 2012. -Garden Grove TV3 (February 3, 2012)
The Anaheim Police Department, the OC Rescue Mission and the Vineyard Christian Fellowship joined together for a community event in the wake of serial killings that terrorized North Orange County. With a suspect now in custody, volunteers want to mobilize the community to help the Homeless. Marisol Gonzalez has the story plus an update on new charges leveled against accused serial killer Itzcoatl Ocampo. -Garden Grove TV3 (February 4, 2012)
Itzcoatl “Izzy” Ocampo, 23, held in the deaths of four homeless men, will be arraigned March 16 in the case involving the stabbing deaths of a classmate’s brother and mother. -Orange County Register (February 6, 2012)
Itzcoatl Ocampo is heard from beyond the grave. He explains to an investigator what made him kill. -CBS Los Angeles (May 1, 2014)
Itzcoatl Ocampo, the suspect in a brutal string of slayings of four homeless men had his arraignment delayed until Feb. 17. After the court appearance, Ocampo’s attorney spoke with reporters. -Orange County Register (September 1, 2015)
MILITARY JUSTICE FOR ALL 