Army Sgt. Stephen Schap Murdered Wife’s Lover Spc. Gregory Glover in Germany; Convening Authority Sentenced to 45 Years in Prison (December 7, 1993)

Preview: What would you do if you found your spouse sleeping with your best friend? When Stephen Schap found out his wife was pregnant with his best friend’s baby, he couldn’t control his anger. He was charged with premeditated murder and 45 years in jail. -Crazy Love, True Nightmares, Discovery Canada (January 26, 2016)

Editors Note: Love podcasts? Do you want to get up to speed quick with the Stephen Schap murder case, check out Episode 2 on the Military Murder Podcast.

Army Sgt. Stephen Schap and his wife Diane Schap were stationed at Sickles Army Airfield in Fulda, Germany. While living there, Diane began an affair with Sgt. Schap’s best friend. Sgt. Schap suspected Diane was cheating on him and confronted her. Diane admitted to Stephen she cheated on him with another man, she was pregnant, and she wanted a divorce. Sgt. Schap knew the child wasn’t his because he had a vasectomy at a young age. Sgt. Schap immediately suspected his best friend Spc. Gregory Glover and set off to confront him. On December 7, 1993, Sgt. Stephen Schap stabbed Spc. Gregory Glover up to fifteen (15) times before decapitating him on the Army post in front of witnesses. Sgt. Schap then delivered Spc. Glover’s head to his wife Diane while she was at the hospital. Sgt. Schap was charged with premeditated murder and found guilty of premeditated murder by a military jury in April 1994. Premeditated murder usually comes with a life sentence but according to the Military Murder Podcast, the convening authority reduced the sentence to 45 years in prison. Sgt. Schap was motivated to kill because his wife Diane Schap was having an affair with his best friend (betrayal), she was pregnant with Spc. Glover’s child (evidence of betrayal), and she wanted a divorce (took marriage vows seriously). During the trial, there were differences of opinion as to whether this was a case of premeditated murder or a crime committed in the heat of passion, hence the reason the convening authority gave Sgt. Schap a reduced sentence.

Sources: Military Murder Podcast & Crazy Love, True Nightmares, Investigation Discovery

Stephen Schap
Image found at European Stars And Stripes Newspaper Archives

Investigation Discovery:

The death of a farm owner leads to a murder mystery with a shocking outcome; a random twist of fate raises questions for the parents of a thrill seeking teenager; a women betrays her husband and it leads to an unthinkable, horrifying scenario. -Crazy Love, True Nightmares (S1,E1)

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.

Related Links:
Beheaded Lover | Snopes
Murder in the heat of passion
The Jealous Husband’s Gruesome Gift
Army man charged in decapitation
Sergeant stands trial for beheading soldier at base in Germany
Wife of Killer Admits Affair With Victim of Gruesome Murder
Army Sergeant Who Decapitated Wife’s Lover Found Guilty
Sergeant convicted in beheading murder
Sergeant guilty of murder | The Independent
Life prison for US soldier convicted of decapitation
Serviceman Apologizes for Killing his Wife’s Lover
Man Guilty of Murder in Germany Love Triangle Fueled Violence, Army SaysKiller Told Wife: `I Did This for You’ He Said It, Then Put Severed Head on Hospital Table, She Testifies
US v. Schap, No. 96-1058-AR (CAAF 1998)
Stephen Schap: The Unfaithful Wife And Her Headless Lover
Marc Hoover: Soldier in love triangle loses his head
Last U.S. criminal lawyer practicing in Germany has represented thousands of servicemembers
6 MORE Creepy Urban Legends (That Happen to be True)
12 Couples Who Have Endured Some Really Crazy Stuff
14 Couples Who Have Gone Through Some Truly Batshit Crazy Things
Crazy Love | True Nightmares | Investigation Discovery (S1,E1)
Crazy Love | True Nightmares | Investigation Discovery (website)
Crazy Love | True Nightmares | Investigation Discovery (Prime Video)
Did a love triangle lead to a soldier’s public decapitation? | Military Murder Podcast
Did a love triangle lead to a soldier’s public decapitation? | Military Murder Podcast (website)

History: Cannibal and Serial Killer Jeffrey Dahmer is Caught (July 22, 1991)

Jeffrey Dahmer TCM
Jeffrey Dahmer, U.S. Army

“Milwaukee, Wisconsin, police officers spot Tracy Edwards running down the street in handcuffs, and upon investigation, they find one of the grisliest scenes in modern history: Jeffrey Dahmer’s apartment.

A forensic examination of the apartment turned up 11 victims–the first of whom disappeared in March 1989, just two months before Dahmer successfully escaped a prison sentence for child molestation by telling the judge that he was desperately seeking to change his conduct. Dahmer later confessed to 17 murders in all, dating back to his first victim in 1978.”

Read more from HISTORY here: Cannibal and serial killer Jeffrey Dahmer is caught

Investigators Probing Whether Accused Killer Had German Victims With AM-Body Parts, Bjt (AP, July 26, 1991):

“BONN, Germany (AP) – Police across Germany on Friday reopened files of unsolved murders and disappearances, seeking possible links to an accused mass killer in Milwaukee who served with the U.S. Army here. Dahmer was stationed from July 1979 to March 1981 with the 68th Armored Regiment in Baumholder in central Germany’s Rhineland-Palatinate state, where officials say five unsolved murder cases were being re-examined to seek any connection to Dahmer.

But four of the five murder victims were women, and no links to Dahmer have been made, said Christiana Kleinschmidt, a federal police spokeswoman in Wiesbaden. In addition, federal authorities said they were reviewing all cases of unidentified male murder victims or missing men during the time Dahmer was in Germany. Dahmer joined the Army in 1978 after dropping out of Ohio State University. He was discharged from service early because of alcohol problems.” Read more from AP here.

Little-Known Fact #5 about Dahmer from The Lineup:

#5 He served as a combat medic in the U.S. Army

“In January 1979, Dahmer enlisted in the U.S. Army. He trained as a medical specialist in San Antonio, Texas, and was deployed to Baumholder, West Germany. From 1979 to 1981, Dahmer served as a combat medic, during which time he reportedly raped two soldiers; the first victim claimed Dahmer raped him once after drugging him. The second, who was Dahmer’ roommate, stated that he was raped repeatedly while they shared a living space. Dahmer’s alcoholism followed him to West Germany as well. In 1981, after being declared unsuitable for military service, Dahmer was honorably discharged and sent back to the United States.” Read more from The Lineup here.

Creepy Fact #6 about Dahmer from Listverse:

#6 He Allegedly Raped Soldiers In The Military 

Six weeks after the murder of Steven Hicks, Dahmer enrolled at Ohio State University with hopes of majoring in business. However, his alcoholism meant that he only achieved low grades and he dropped out after just three months. In 1979, his father then encouraged him to join the U.S. Army where he trained as a medical specialist.

During his time in the army, two soldiers came forward with claims they had been drugged and raped by Dahmer. In 1981, he was deemed unfit for military service and received an honourable discharge.

Preston Davis, who was in the military service at the same time as Dahmer, recalled, “Jeffrey had killed his first victim a year before joining the military, and he would get drunk in the barracks and say, ‘I killed the guy in Ohio,’ and we’d say, ‘You didn’t kill nobody!’ He became a monster once he started drinking. Alcohol is what turned him into a monster.”[5] Read more from Listverse here.

Related Links:
The Horrifying Story Of Jeffrey Dahmer, The Milwaukee Cannibal
Investigators Probing Whether Accused Killer Had German Victims With AM-Body Parts, Bjt (AP, July 26, 1991)
Dahmer’s Inferno | Vanity Fair (1991)
Jeffrey Dahmer’s Life (and Death) in Prison | History
10 Little-Known Facts About Jeffrey Dahmer | The Lineup
Top 10 Creepy Facts About Jeffrey Dahmer | Listverse
20 Serial Killers Who Served in the Military | Ranker
35 Horrific Facts About Jeffrey Dahmer, The Milwaukee Cannibal Who Kept Body Parts In His Fridge | Thought Catalog
Jeffrey Dahmer, Confessed Cannibal & Necrophiliac: 5 Fast Facts You Need To Know
Monsters among us: veteran serial killers
Did Jeffrey Dahmer Rape Two Fellow Soldiers in the US Army?
‘I thought about killing him, I thought about killing myself’: Male rape victims of Jeffrey Dahmer – one of America’s most notorious serial killers – reveal why he stopped short of murdering them
Jeffrey Dahmer’s Surviving Victims Speak: ‘I Thought About Killing Him, I Thought About Killing Myself’
Jeffrey Dahmer’s surviving victims recall killer’s abuse: ‘I thought about killing him, I thought about killing myself’
Breaking the silence: Six men tell their stories of sexual assault in the military
Serial killers tend to gravitate to similar jobs — and some of them might surprise you
Notorious serial killer profiled on ID in Jeffrey Dahmer: Mind of a Monster
Why I killed Jeffrey Dahmer

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Military Widow Elizabeth Ratliff Found Deceased at the Bottom of Stairs in Germany; Michael Peterson Last Person to See Alive, Adopted Ratliff’s 2 Daughters (Nov. 25, 1985)

peterson002
Elizabeth Ratliff (November 25, 1985)

Elizabeth Ratliff was found deceased at the bottom of the stairs in her home in Germany on November 25, 1985 in an apparent accident. Elizabeth was a military widow who was raising two daughters on her own after her husband, an Army soldier, died in a training accident. Elizabeth was a teacher at an Air Force base in Germany where she met Marine veteran Michael Peterson‘s wife, also a teacher. They all quickly formed a friendship and Elizabeth and her two daughters spent a lot of time with the Petersons. It is believed that Peterson was the last person to see Elizabeth alive and after Elizabeth died, Michael Peterson and his wife adopted her two daughters. Initially Elizabeth’s death was deemed an accidental death but when Michael Peterson’s new wife Kathleen Hunt Peterson was found dead at the bottom of her stairs in their home in Durham, North Carolina, investigators gave Elizabeth’s death a second look. The district attorney ordered the exhumation of Elizabeth Ratliff in Texas in an effort to re-examine her body to determine cause of death. The medical examiner conducted an investigation in North Carolina and ruled that the cause of death was a homicidal assault despite the initial finding of cerebral hemorrhage due to an accident. Michael Peterson was never charged with the homicide of Elizabeth Ratliff. As a side note, the two deceased women not only died in a similar fashion but they looked eerily alike.


With the knowledge of the criminal evidence against him, Aphrodite Jones speaks with convicted murderer, Michael Peterson, about the murder of his wife and his bisexual affair. -True Crime with Aphrodite Jones

Related Links:

MJFA Links:
Kathleen Hunt Found Deceased at Bottom of Stairs in NC Home; Spouse Michael Peterson Pleaded Guilty to Manslaughter to Avoid Second Trial (Dec. 9, 2001)
Marine Corps Veteran Michael Peterson Convicted of the Murder of Wife Kathleen; Sentenced to Life in Prison, No Parole (October 10, 2003)
Marine Vet Michael Peterson Pleaded Guilty to Manslaughter of Wife Kathleen to Avoid 2nd Trial; Agreed to Alford Plea, Released with Time Served (Feb. 24, 2017)
Investigation Discovery Premiered ‘An American Murder Mystery: The Staircase’ (April 8, 2018)
Netflix Premiered ‘The Staircase’: A Docuseries Examining Marine Veteran Michael Peterson’s Durham, North Carolina Murder Trial (2018)


Investigators are stunned to discover that sixteen years ago, Michael Peterson’s good friend Liz Ratliff also died at the bottom of a staircase, lying in a pool of blood. The trial begins and experts battle over the interpretation of blood spatter. -An American Murder Mystery: The Staircase