Curtis Lovelace was a college football star and later a prominent attorney, and then one Valentine’s Day morning his wife, Cory, died mysteriously. The case was closed, but now 11 years later, Lovelace is on trial for her murder — again. “48 Hours” correspondent Maureen Maher joins “CBS This Morning” with a preview of her report.
When the 19-year old wife of a Marine vanishes without a trace in the California desert, investigators launch a massive search. They soon uncover a secret love triangle and a mystery with multiple suspects. Andrea Canning reports. -Dateline NBC
Marine Corps spouse Erin Corwin, 19, was reported missing on June 29, 2014 by her husband who was stationed at Camp Pendleton near Twentynine Palms in California. After an extensive investigation and search, Erin’s body was found in an abandoned mine shaft on August 16th, 2014. During the investigation, authorities learned that Erin was having an affair with another Marine. This Marine was identified as Christopher Lee, 29, who was arrested in Alaska after Erin’s body was recovered from the mine shaft. Christopher admitted that he killed Erin but said it was because he became angry after she confessed to molesting his daughter.
The prosecution theorized he killed her to silence her and hide the pregnancy from his wife. He tricked her into believing that he was going to propose to her and instead he approached Erin from behind and strangled her for at least five minutes with a garrote made up of two pieces of rebar and a cord. After Lee was satisfied Erin was dead, he dragged her body to a mine shaft in the desert and pushed her in head first. Christopher Lee was found guilty of first-degree murder by civilian authorities and sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole.
Christopher Lee, U.S. Marine Corps, and Erin Corwin
Editor’s Note: You can watch the full episode of Dateline for a limited time on the NBC app. Download the app and binge on the last couple years of programming.
In the News:
Investigators are searching for the beautiful, pregnant wife of a U.S. marine corporal who was last seen over a week ago. 19-year-old Erin Corwin was reportedly last seen leaving her Twentynine Palms, CA home around 7 a.m. on June 28 to go to nearby Joshua Tree National Park. Her husband of a year and a half Jonathan reported her missing the next day. Days after she disappeared, Erin’s mother Lore Heavilin found out that her daughter was about 3 months pregnant. -HLN (July 7, 2014)
An eyewitness spoke out Wednesday, describing the last time he saw the pregnant Marine wife who’s been missing for more than two weeks.Michael Beasley said he saw Erin Corwin get into a red car with another man and drive away. He added that it didn’t appear she was being forced into the car in any way.Corwin was last seen on June 28 leaving a home she shares with her husband, headed to Joshua Tree National Park. Her husband, Lance Cpl. Jonathan Corwin, reported her missing a day later when she never returned. -HLN (July 16, 2014)
According to a new search warrant affidavit released this week, homicide detectives now believe that — on the day she vanished — missing Marine wife Erin Corwin went on a day trip with a neighbor and ex-Marine whom she was romantically involved with. -HLN (July 22, 2014)
New police documents reveal Erin Corwin was having an affair with her married neighbor and told her friend the two were spending the day together when she went missing. -HLN (July 22, 2014)
Erin Corwin was last seen leaving her home on June 28, and was reportedly heading to Joshua Tree National Park. -HLN (July 22, 2014)
Following the discovery of Erin Corwin’s remains, friends and family father to honor her memory and begin healing. -WATE 6 On Your Side (September 19, 2014)
Part 1: Erin Corwin vanished after having a miscarriage and growing distant from her husband. She was allegedly pregnant at the time of her disappearance. -Crime Watch Daily (May 3, 2017)
Part 2: Erin Corwin vanished after having a miscarriage and growing distant from her husband. She was allegedly pregnant at the time of her disappearance. -Crime Watch Daily (May 3, 2017)
Part 3: Erin Corwin vanished after having a miscarriage and growing distant from her husband. She was allegedly pregnant at the time of her disappearance. -Crime Watch Daily (May 3, 2017)
48 Hours (CBS):
“48 Hours: NCIS” takes you inside the real-life investigation of a 19-year-old Marine wife who vanished in the desert. “The Marine’s Wife” uncovers the story of Erin Corwin and her disappearance. – CBS News (June 12, 2018)
Crime Watch Daily spoke with the parents of missing Army soldier Shadow McClaine. Shadow disappeared from Fort Campbell, Kentucky on September 2, 2016. Shadow’s parents were concerned her life may be in danger prior to her disappearance. They shared that someone cut her vehicle break lines on base and Shadow posted a picture of it on social media. They also said she reported the incident to her Chain of Command but felt dismissed. The Army Criminal Investigation Division (CID) conducted an investigation and reported two soldiers were being held as person of interests and the case was under investigation.
On November 29, 2016, Sgt. Jamal Williams-McCray and Spc. Charles Robinson were charged with conspiracy, premeditated murder, and kidnapping under the Uniform Code of Military Justice (UCMJ). On January 23, 2017, the remains of Pfc. Shadow McClaine were discovered off the I-24 highway near Exit 19 in Kentucky. It was confirmed that Shadow was in fact a victim of kidnapping and homicide. A year after Shadow went missing in September 2017, Spc. Charles Robinson pleaded guilty to murder. He claimed he helped Shadow’s estranged husband Williams-McCray kidnap and murder her. On March 1, 2019, Sgt. Jamal Williams-McCray was sentenced to life in prison after pleading guilty to premeditated murder.
Private First Class Soldier Shadow McClaine has mysteriously gone missing and theories are swirling on what happened to her and why. Now, new details could help them. -True Crime Daily (October 24, 2016)
Shadow McClaine, a young soldier, mysteriously disappears — some say she left, while others say someone was out to get her. -True Crime Daily (October 24, 2016)
Two soldiers were taken into custody in connection to the case of missing female soldier, Shadow Branice McClaine. -News Channel 5 (October 25, 2015)
Shadow McClaine, 25, has been missing for nearly two months after disappearing from Fort Campbell. -CBS Sacramento (October 26, 2016)
Some thought Shadow McClaine was running away from her problems. But it now appears she was the victim of something sinister. -True Crime Daily (December 6, 2016)
Missing Yuba City soldier’s body found in Tennessee. -KCRA News (January 25, 2017)
First Class Private Shadow McClaine’s body was discovered earlier this week and investigators arrested two fellow soldiers. -CBS Sacramento (January 28, 2017)
The body of Shadow McClaine, a soldier who was murdered near Fort Campbell in Tennessee, was returned to her family in Yuba City Friday evening. -KCRA News (February 3, 2017)
Shadow McClaine’s remains touched down at the Sacramento International Airport Friday night greeted by dozens of local service men and women along with her grieving family. -CBS Sacramento (February 3, 2017)
A look at the scene as Shadow McClaine came home on Friday. -CBS Sacramento (February 4, 2017)
Missing soldier Shadow McClaine’s body has been found. Crime Watch Daily talks to McClaine’s mother London Wegrzyn, who says that her daughter had a fraught relationship with ex-husband Sgt. Jamal Williams-McCray. Specialist Charles Robinson and Williams-McCray were charged with her murder. Crime Watch Daily also speaks to McClaine’s friend Trystan Harding about what happened to McClaine. -True Crime Daily (March 9, 2017)
Family and friends came together for a vigil to honor a murdered Fort Campbell soldier. -News Channel 5 (April 11, 2017)
Private First Class Shadow McClaine was found dead 2,000 miles away from her home, allegedly at the hands of two men who will face premeditated murder, kidnapping and conspiracy charges. -CBS Sacramento (April 11, 2017)
Army specialist Charles Robinson says he slashed Shadow McClain’s throat, then broke her neck to make sure she was dead. He says McClaine’s ex-husband, Jamal Williams-McCray hired him to murder her. -True Crime Daily (October 3, 2017)
Two years ago this week, the body of Shadow McClaine was discovered in Robertson County along Interstate 24. -News Channel 5 (January 23, 2019)
When an elderly Vietnam vet is stabbed to death, Seattle detectives expose a crime ring led by a Gypsy con woman and killer. Finally she’s exposed for defrauding millions from her victims and murdering those who’ve stood in her way. -Senseless in Seattle, Killer Instinct with Chris Hansen (S1,E5)
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.
Army soldier Pfc. Karlyn Ramirez, 24, of Fort Meade, Maryland was found shot to death in her home on August 25, 2015 while she lay next to her newborn baby. Karlyn worked for the National Security Agency (NSA) and had a top secret security clearance. Investigators looked to her roommate and her husband as persons of interests. The media speculated that maybe this crime had something to do with her job. The Anne Arundel Police Department and the Federal Bureau of Investigation worked jointly to solve Karlyn’s homicide. A $20,000 reward was offered for information leading to the arrest of a suspect. More then a year later on October 6, 2016 Karlyn’s husband Army Sgt. Maliek Kearney and his new girlfriend Army veteran Dolores Delgado were arrested for the murder. In testimony, Sgt. Kearney admitted to shooting Karlyn four times, placing their baby in her dead mother’s arms, and then fleeing the scene leaving a sliding glass door open. Investigators report that the crime was a well thought out and executed plan implemented in an effort to throw homicide detectives off.
Dolores Delgado gave Sgt. Kearney the car, the gun, and gas cans to refuel with so he wouldn’t be caught on any security cameras as he drove from South Carolina to Maryland on August 24th to carry out the murder. Sgt. Kearney returned back to work the next morning at Fort Jackson in South Carolina to establish an alibi. Additional testimony revealed that Karlyn and Sgt. Kearney separated only two weeks after they had been married. They had been married for roughly five weeks when Karlyn was murdered. Karlyn attempted to get a restraining order on Sgt. Kearney just days before the murder after he showed up to her home unannounced in an effort to reconcile with her. After the failed attempt at reconciliation, Sgt. Kearney was hospitalized because he tried to end his life with sleeping pills. Sgt. Kearney was a decorated Army veteran of 15 years who had served tours in Iraq, Pakistan and South Korea. One of Sgt. Kearney’s superiors at Fort Sam Houston testified that he has been “nothing but an exemplary soldier.” A friend reported that he had no idea that Sgt. Kearney and Dolores Delgado were even dating. Sgt. Kearney and Dolores Delgado are being prosecuted by the federal courts because they crossed state lines to execute a murder in another state. The U.S. Magistrate denied bail for Sgt. Kearney and Dolores Delgado and ordered they be transferred to Maryland to await trial. In August 2017, Dolores Delgado plead guilty to helping Sgt. Kearney with the murder of Karlyn Ramirez. On November 30, 2018, Maliek Kearney was sentence to life in federal prison with no parole for premeditated murder.
“He is sick and depraved. Slightly laughable was his compassionate transfer to San Antonio to be close to the child he put in her dead mother’s arms.” -Assistant U.S. Attorney Sarah Wannarka
Maliek Kearney and Karlyn Ramirez
In the News:
Anne Arundel County police have identified a woman whose body was found at a home in Severn. -WBAL-TV 11 Baltimore (August 27, 2015)
Army Mom Murdered in Cold-Blood. -True Crime Daily (March 7, 2016)
Karlyn Ramirez, 24, was killed in her Maryland home. When police found her, she wasn’t alone. But the only living witness can’t say who killed her. -True Crime Daily (March 8, 2016)
Karlyn Ramirez, 24, was killed in her Maryland home. When police found her, she wasn’t alone. But the only living witness can’t say who killed her. -True Crime Daily (March 8, 2016)
24-year-old Karyln Ramirez, an army private stationed at Fort Meade, was found shot to death in her Severn home. Now, more than a year later, authorities make a big break in the investigation. -WJZ (October 10, 2016)
A couple will return to Maryland to face trial in the August 2015 shooting of the man’s wife. -WMAR-2 News (October 19, 2016)
A military mom with top-secret security clearance is gunned down in her Maryland home on August 25, 2015. Who killed 24-year-old mother Karlyn Ramirez, and why? -True Crime Daily (December 15, 2017)
A former girlfriend took the stand Wednesday in the trial of Army Sgt. Maliek Kearney, who is accused of fatally shooting his estranged wife in 2015. Kearney, 37, faces federal charges in the killing of Karlyn Ramirez, of Severn. Delores Delgado struck a plea deal last summer and pleaded guilty to the federal crime of crossing state lines to commit domestic violence that resulted in Ramirez’s death. The plea was in exchange for federal officials not seeking the death penalty. -WBAL-TV 11 Baltimore (July 18, 2018)
Trial Underway For Army Sergeant Charged In His Wife’s Killing. -WJZ (July 18, 2018)
The mistress of Army sergeant charged in the death of his estranged wife testified Thursday about the plot to kill the Fort Meade soldier. Dolores Delgado testified she “lied to give him an alibi.” -CBS News (July 20, 2018)
The case against a U.S. Army sergeant who is charged in connection with the fatal shooting of his estranged wife resumed Monday with Delores Delgado back on the witness stand. She is the mistress and co-conspirator of Sgt. Maliek Kearney. -WBAL-TV 11 Baltimore (July 30, 2018)
Former Army Sergeant Maliek Kearney has been sentenced to life without parole Friday for the 2015 murder of his wife in Anne Arundel County. -WJZ (November 30, 2018)
A federal judge sentenced Army Sgt. Maliek Kearney to life in prison without possibility of parole plus 10 years, in the 2015 killing of his estranged wife. In August, a federal jury found Kearney guilty in the killing of Karlyn Ramirez. Prosecutors called Kearney a cold-blooded, callous murderer who executed his estranged wife. -WBAL-TV 11 Baltimore (November 30, 2018)
Investigation Discovery:
She had top security clearance from the U.S. military and was only 24 when she was found dead at home, her 5-month-old daughter by her side. Who would want Karlyn Ramirez dead and why? -Investigation Discovery (September 20, 2018)
Dateline NBC:
Andrea Canning reports on the homicide of private first class soldier and young mother Karlyn Ramirez. Canning also takes a glimpse into the FBI’s crime lab and an in-depth look at how multiple agencies uncovered a plot that spanned several states and prompted suspicions of espionage. -Dateline NBC (January 9, 2019)
Marine Corps spouse Erin Corwin, 19, was reported missing on June 29, 2014 by her husband who was stationed at Camp Pendleton near Twentynine Palms in California. After an extensive investigation and search, Erin’s body was found in an abandoned mine shaft on August 16th, 2014. During the investigation, authorities learned that Erin was having an affair with another Marine. This Marine was identified as Christopher Lee, 29, who was arrested in Alaska after Erin’s body was recovered from the mine shaft. Christopher admitted that he killed Erin but said it was because he became angry after she confessed to molesting his daughter.
The prosecution theorized he killed her to silence her and hide the pregnancy from his wife. He tricked her into believing that he was going to propose to her and instead he approached Erin from behind and strangled her for at least five minutes with a garrote made up of two pieces of rebar and a cord. After Lee was satisfied Erin was dead, he dragged her body to a mine shaft in the desert and pushed her in head first. Christopher Lee was found guilty of first-degree murder by civilian authorities and sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole.
In the News:
Investigators are searching for the beautiful, pregnant wife of a U.S. marine corporal who was last seen over a week ago. 19-year-old Erin Corwin was reportedly last seen leaving her Twentynine Palms, CA home around 7 a.m. on June 28 to go to nearby Joshua Tree National Park. Her husband of a year and a half Jonathan reported her missing the next day. Days after she disappeared, Erin’s mother Lore Heavilin found out that her daughter was about 3 months pregnant. -HLN (July 7, 2014)
An eyewitness spoke out Wednesday, describing the last time he saw the pregnant Marine wife who’s been missing for more than two weeks.Michael Beasley said he saw Erin Corwin get into a red car with another man and drive away. He added that it didn’t appear she was being forced into the car in any way.Corwin was last seen on June 28 leaving a home she shares with her husband, headed to Joshua Tree National Park. Her husband, Lance Cpl. Jonathan Corwin, reported her missing a day later when she never returned. -HLN (July 16, 2014)
According to a new search warrant affidavit released this week, homicide detectives now believe that — on the day she vanished — missing Marine wife Erin Corwin went on a day trip with a neighbor and ex-Marine whom she was romantically involved with. -HLN (July 22, 2014)
New police documents reveal Erin Corwin was having an affair with her married neighbor and told her friend the two were spending the day together when she went missing. -HLN (July 22, 2014)
Erin Corwin was last seen leaving her home on June 28, and was reportedly heading to Joshua Tree National Park. -HLN (July 22, 2014)
Following the discovery of Erin Corwin’s remains, friends and family father to honor her memory and begin healing. -WATE 6 On Your Side (September 19, 2014)
Part 1: Erin Corwin vanished after having a miscarriage and growing distant from her husband. She was allegedly pregnant at the time of her disappearance. -Crime Watch Daily (May 3, 2017)
Part 2: Erin Corwin vanished after having a miscarriage and growing distant from her husband. She was allegedly pregnant at the time of her disappearance. -Crime Watch Daily (May 3, 2017)
Part 3: Erin Corwin vanished after having a miscarriage and growing distant from her husband. She was allegedly pregnant at the time of her disappearance. -Crime Watch Daily (May 3, 2017)
Dateline (NBC):
When the 19-year old wife of a Marine vanishes without a trace in the California desert, investigators launch a massive search. They soon uncover a secret love triangle and a mystery with multiple suspects. -The Last Day, Dateline (December 1, 2016)
48 Hours (CBS):
Tonight’s episode of “48 Hours: NCIS” takes you inside the real-life investigation of a 19-year-old Marine wife who vanished in the desert. “The Marine’s Wife” uncovers the story of Erin Corwin and her disappearance. – CBS News (June 12, 2018)
Yvonne Baldelli and Brian Brimager, US Marine Corps Veteran
Retired Marine Brian Brimager pleaded guilty on February 24, 2016 to murdering his girlfriend Yvonne Baldelli in Panama on November 27, 2011. Brimager admitted in a California US District Court that he had viciously beat, stabbed, dismembered and dumped Yvonne in the jungle. In his guilty plea, Brimager also admitted to obstructing the investigation into her murder by destroying, concealing and disposing of evidence, including a blood-stained mattress, clothes and jewelry; killing Baldelli’s two dogs; accessing Baldelli’s email account after her murder and impersonating Baldelli in emails sent from her account to friends and family; withdrawing money from Baldelli’s bank account in Costa Rica after her death; and providing false statements to an FBI agent in an attempt to make it seem as though Baldelli were alive and well and traveling with another man in Costa Rica. The prosecutor told the court that Brimager killed Baldelli in order to silence her because she discovered he had a girlfriend and daughter in San Diego, California. Brimager was afraid Baldelli would ruin his relationship with his new girlfriend by revealing their relationship to her. In an interesting twist, Brimager married his girlfriend in San Diego two weeks after he killed Yvonne. Brian Brimager was sentenced in federal court to twenty-six years for second degree murder and ordered to pay $11,132 in restitution to Baldelli’s father and a $10,000 fine.
“This murder was particularly cruel and depraved…The lengths Mr. Brimager went to to avoid detection were particularly brazen and ultimately shattering to the Bardelli family. I dare say they will never recover. A day may never go by without them thinking of Ms. Baldelli’s murder and the images seared in to their psyches.” –US District Judge Jeffrey T. Miller
