What the DoD Doesn’t Want You to Know: 50 Shocking Military Homicides in the Last 30 Years (March 23, 2018)

homicide-cases

  1. Fort Carson Army Spc. Tracy Spencer Sentenced to Life in Prison for Double Rape & Murder of Army Veteran Micki Filmore & Colorado Springs Nurse Barbara Kramer (1986)
  2. Army Soldier Ronald Gray Sentenced to Death by Military Courts for Rape & Murder of Army Pvt. Laura Vickery-Clay & Civilian Kimberly Ruggles (1986)
  3. Army Pvt Rosa Martinez Murdered at Fort Dix by National Guardsman Jose Aponte After She Resisted His Sexual Advances (1987)
  4. Army Soldier Dwight Loving Robbed & Murdered Cab Driver; Sentenced to Death by Military But Commuted by President Obama, Sentenced to Life (1988)
  5. Army Soldier Erin Tynan Raped & Strangled by Fellow Fort Irwin Soldier Christopher Geier, Geier Guilty of Murder, Murder-For-Hire & Attempted Murder (1990)
  6. Air Force Sgt. Joseph Snodgrass Hired Hitmen to Kill Wife in Philippines for $400,000 Life Insurance Payout; Sentenced to Life in Prison (1991)
  7. Army Spouse Melinda Stewart, Army Sgt. Daniel Stewart, Jill Yousaf & Army Soldier James Catlin Conspired & Murdered Homeless Teen Maggie Fetty (1991)
  8. Phonthip Ott Discovered Dead in California River; Coast Guard Spouse Dennis Ott Convicted of Murder & Sentenced to Life in Prison (1992)
  9. Fort Carson Army Soldier Michael Pelkey Convicted by Military Court Martial of Murdering Wife Diane; Sentenced to Life in Prison (1993)
  10. Sgt. Bill Coffin Murdered Ex-Fiancee After Civilian Courts Issued Protective Order, Judge Alleges Army Routinely Ignores Court Orders (1997)
  11. Navy Petty Officer James Kuenn Convicted of the Cold Case Murder of Carol Hutto in Florida; Sentenced to Life, Possibility of Parole After 25 Years (2000)
  12. Air Force Capt. Frank ‘Marty’ Theer Murdered by Wife Michelle & Army SSG John Diamond in North Carolina; Both Sentenced to Life in Prison (2000)
  13. Fort Bliss Army Commander Capt. Lynn Reister Murdered by Enlisted Husband Roger & His Brother Rodney for Servicemen’s Group Life Insurance (2001)
  14. Air Force SSgt Shelby Orelup Murdered by an Airman She Dated Briefly, SSgt Phillip Arindain Sentenced to Life in Prison (2003)
  15. Army Soldiers Jeremy Meyers & Christopher Baber Found Guilty of Murdering Jeremy’s Wife Jessica for the Life Insurance Policy (2003)
  16. Air Force Airman Andy Schliepsiek & Wife Jamie Stabbed to Death at Robins Air Force Base, Andrew Witt Found Guilty of First Degree Murder (2004)
  17. Marine Corps Reservist Rosendo Rodriguez III Murdered Summer Baldwin and Unborn Child; Sentenced to Death in Texas for Two Capital Murders (2005)
  18. Navy Seabee Rebecca Braswell Conspired with Fellow Navy Seabees to Kill Ex-Husband & Navy Veteran John Marmo, Sentenced to Life in Prison (2006)
  19. Army Sgt 1st Class Donald Gower Conspired & Offered to Pay Others to Murder his Estranged Wife Hidi Gower for the Life Insurance (2007)
  20. Marine LCpl Maria Lauterbach & Unborn Child were Murdered; Fellow Marine Cesar Laurean Found Guilty of Murder, Sentenced to Life in Prison (2007)
  21. Fort Bragg Army Soldier Edgar Patino Murdered Army Specialist Megan Touma & Unborn Son After Argument, Sentenced to 16-20 Years in Prison (2008)
  22. Fort Bragg Army Nurse Lt Holley Wimunc Murdered by Marine Husband the Day After She Announced Divorce, John Wimunc Sentenced to Life in Prison (2008)
  23. Army Sgt. Christina Smith Murdered by Army Husband Richard Smith & Accomplice Matthew Kvapil, Both Fort Bragg Soldiers Sentenced to Life in Prison (2008)
  24. Marine Sgt. Jan Pietrzak & Spouse Quiana Murdered by Four Active Duty Marines (2008)
  25. Disabled Teen Judilianna Lawrence Lured on MySpace by Army Soldier; Robert Marko Sentenced to Life in Prison for Rape & Murder (2008)
  26. Army Soldier Ashley Barnes Stabbed to Death by Estranged Husband; Fort Campbell Army Soldier Khaleefa Lambert Sentenced to Life in Prison (2009)
  27. Navy Petty Officer Amanda Snell Murdered by Marine Jorge Torrez in Barracks at Joint Base Myer-Henderson Hall, Virginia (2009)
  28. Navy Master Chief John Bench Murdered Son & Attempted to Murder Wife & Daughter in Japan, Then Killed Self in Motorcycle Crash (2009)
  29. Army Major Nidal Hasan Sentenced to Death by Military Court for Opening Fire & Killing 12 Unarmed Soldiers & 1 DoD Employee at Fort Hood, Texas (2009)
  30. Pregnant Samira Watkins Found Dead in Bayou Grande in Florida; Navy Sailor Zachary Littleton Convicted of 1st Degree Murder, Sentenced to Life (2009)
  31. Army SSG Anton Phillips Found Stabbed to Death at FOB Mehtar Lam, Afghanistan; CID Offering $25,000 Reward for Information (2009)
  32. Air Force Reservist Travis McGraw Murdered his Wife Vanessa for the $100,000 Life Insurance Policy; Sentenced to Life, No Parole (2011)
  33. Army Soldier Sgt. Brandy Fonteneaux Found Murdered in Fort Carson Barracks; Sgt. Vincinte Jackson Sentenced to Life, No Parole (2012)
  34. Air Force A1C James Thomas Sentenced to 32 Years for Murder of SrA Clinton Reeves (2012)
  35. Marine Corps Spouse Brittany Killgore Held Captive, Tortured, Raped, and Murdered After Refusing Sex; 3 BDSM Cult Members Sentenced to Life (2012)
  36. Robert Chiaravalotti, US Army, Sentenced to Life Without Parole by Military Judge After Killing Wife & Raping Step Daughter (2012)
  37. Army Soldier Kimberly Walker Murdered in Colorado Hotel Room by her Boyfriend Army Soldier Montrell Mayo After Valentine’s Day Quarrel (2013)
  38. Baby Found Dead on Side of Highway; Air Force SrA Matthew Theurer Plead Guilty to Involuntary Manslaughter, Sentenced to 40 Years in Prison (2013)
  39. Marine Nathaniel Cosby Convicted of the Second Degree Murder of Ivanice Harris in Hawaii; Sentenced to Life in Prison by Military Courts (2013)
  40. Army Spouse Dana Mackay Found Murdered in Virginia Home; SSG John Mackay, Nicole Houchin, Nace Houchin, & Greg Crawford Confessed to Crime (2013)
  41. Army Soldier Jeremiah Hill Convicted in Fatal Stabbing of Fellow Soldier Tevin Geike in 2013, Sentenced to 45 Years in Prison
  42. Navy PO 2nd Class Dmitry Chepusov Found Strangled to Death in Germany; Air Force SSgt Sean Oliver Found Guilty, Sentenced to Life (2013)
  43. Nathaniel Ulroan, US Army, Gets Life in Death of Son (2014)
  44. Camp Pendleton Marine Christopher Lee Convicted of Pre-Meditated Murder of Pregnant Lover Erin Corwin; Sentenced to Life in Prison (2014)
  45. Danielle Nemetz was Shot and Killed; Army Soldier and Spouse Skylar Nemetz Convicted of Manslaughter and Sentenced to 13 Years in Prison (2014)
  46. Marine Joseph Pemberton Found Guilty by Philippines Court for Murder of Filipina Sex Worker Jennifer Laude; Sentenced to 6-12 Years (2014)
  47. Fort Meade Army Soldier Caleb Barnes Stabbed Cheryl Silvonek to Death; Plead Guilty to First Degree Murder, Sentenced to Life in Prison (2015)
  48. Army Soldier Joseph Kimsey & Jonathon Nelson Found Guilty of Murdering Ashley Melnyczok; Both Sentenced to Life in Prison Without Parole (2015)
  49. Air Force SSgt Steven Williams Pleaded No Contest to the Second Degree Murder of his USAF Veteran Ex-Wife Tricia Todd in Florida (2016)
  50. Fort Carson Army Soldier Branden Harms Pleaded Guilty to Child Abuse Resulting in Death; Faced 40-48 Years in Prison at Sentencing (2016)

Fort Meade Army Soldier Caleb Barnes Stabbed Cheryl Silvonek to Death; Plead Guilty to First Degree Murder, Sentenced to Life in Prison (2015)

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Caleb Barnes, US Army

Caleb Barnes, 20, US Army, of Fort Meade, Maryland admitted guilt in the stabbing death of Cheryl Silvonek in her car on March 15, 2015. Lehigh County prosecutor’s charged Barnes and his 14 year old girlfriend Jamie Silvonek with the crime. Barnes was charged specifically with criminal homicide, abuse of a corpse, and statutory sexual assault. He stood accused of killing his underage girlfriend’s mother who had expressed disappointment with the relationship and then burning and burying her body in eastern Pennsylvania. Caleb Barnes and Jamie Silvonek plead guilty to the homicide; Jamie Silvonek showed some remorse and apologized to the court yet Caleb Barnes expressed zero remorse. Barnes was sentenced to life in state prison plus 22-44 years. The judge accused him of  “blindsiding a 54 year old woman by stabbing her to death in a cowardly attempt to conceal his illegal sexual relationship with her 14-year-old daughter.”

Related Links:
Obituary: Cheryl L. Silvonek
Fort Meade soldier charged with stabbing woman to death
Fort Meade soldier accused in Pennsylvania death
Maryland Man Charged In Pennsylvania Woman’s Stabbing Death
Fort Meade soldier charged in fatal stabbing of girlfriend’s mother
Soldier kills 14-year-old girlfriend’s mother after she tried to break them up in Pennsylvania: police
PD: Girl, 14, Conspired With Md. Soldier in Mom’s Killing
Cops: underage teen had soldier boyfriend kill her mother
Pennsylvania girl, 14, charged as adult in mother’s stabbing death
Pa. teen who conspired with older boyfriend to kill mom will remain in jail
Pennsylvania teen, her boyfriend charged in stabbing death of her mother
Was Jamie Silvonek Coerced by Adult Boyfriend in Murder of Her Mom?
Prosecutors Say Pennsylvania Teen Convinced a Soldier to Murder Her Mom
Teen Texts Boyfriend ‘She Needs to Go’ Hours Before Mom Dies
Jamie Silvonek & Caleb Barnes: 5 Fast Facts You Need to Know
No death penalty sought against soldier in Pa. woman’s murder
Friend testifies Pennsylvania teen plotted murder after mom tried to end romance
Pennsylvania Girl Pleads Guilty to Plotting Mom’s Death with Boyfriend
Jamie Silvonek pleads guilty in mother’s killing
Girl pleads guilty to plotting mom’s death with soldier beau
Teen calls herself ‘a monster’ for planning her mother’s death
‘I was a monster’: Schoolgirl, 14, jailed for 35 years for killing her mother ‘with the help of her soldier boyfriend’
Homicide trial for Jamie Silvonek’s soldier boyfriend is delayed
Man’s trial postponed in murder of teen girlfriend’s mother
Upper Macungie homicide: Girl texts boyfriend that her mom ‘needs to go,’ cops say
Teen Girl Charged as Adult in Mom’s Slaying, Texted Boyfriend ‘I Want Her Gone’
‘She Needs To Go’ 14-Year-Old Texts Soldier Boyfriend Hours Before Mother Killed: Cops
Teen girl, not soldier boyfriend, killed her mother, lawyer says
Lawyer: Teen girl, not soldier boyfriend, killed her mother
Prosecution, defense reveal battle lines in ex-soldier’s murder case
Caleb Barnes: Jamie Silvonek murdered Upper Macungie mother
Soldier, 21, accused of murder claims his then-14-year-old girlfriend is the one who killed her mother
Teen killed mother on her own, says boyfriend and murder co-accused
Caleb Barnes, Other Suspect In The Death Of Cheryl Silvonek, Says His Ex-Girlfriend Killed Her Own Mother
Forensic pathologist, witnesses testify in Caleb Barnes murder trial
Pennsylvania jury finds soldier guilty in death of teenage girlfriend’s mother
Caleb Barnes guilty of first-degree murder in slaying of girlfriend’s mother
Soldier convicted of killing teen girlfriend’s mother
Soldier Caleb Barnes Convicted of Murdering 14-Year-Old Girlfriend’s Mother Who Disapproved of Relationship
Caleb Barnes sentenced for killing girlfriend’s mom
Judge to Caleb Barnes: ‘You will be locked in a cage for the rest of your life’
Jamie Silvonek’s ‘criminal sophistication’ could staunch appeal
Court rejects soldier’s appeal in murder of teen girlfriend’s mother
Appeals rejected for Soldier sentenced in the murder of girlfriend’s mother
Life sentence upheld for El Paso man convicted of killing girlfriend’s mom


Caleb Barnes gets life plus 22 to 44 years for the murder of Cheryl Silvonek. Unlike his former girlfriend Jamie Silvonek, he did not apologize for his part in the Upper Macungie woman’s killing. -The Morning Call