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)

On December 9, 2001June 12, 2018 By AdministratorIn Armed Forces, Felony Crime, Homicide, In Their Name, Scandals, USMCLeave a comment

Screen Shot 2018-05-18 at 3.45.47 PM — Kathleen Hunt Peterson (December 9, 2001)

Kathleen Hunt Peterson was found deceased by her husband Michael Peterson at the bottom of the stairs in her Durham, North Carolina home. When investigators arrived at the home, they were suspicious because the scene did not appear to match Michael’s theory of what had occurred. Kathleen’s head had been bludgeoned with a blunt instrument. Once the prosecutors learned that Michael also found military widow Elizabeth Ratliff deceased at the bottom of her stairs in Germany, they felt this was not a coincidence. Michael Peterson and his wife at the time adopted Ratliff’s two daughters. Years later Peterson divorced his wife and eventually married Kathleen Hunt (Peterson). Sixteen years after Ratliff died, Kathleen was dead and it was in the same manner as Elizabeth Ratliff. Investigators decided that they needed to take a look at the Ratliff case again and exhumed her body. Peterson was never charged with the death of Elizabeth Ratliff and her two daughters stand behind their adopted father.

After an extensive investigation, Michael Peterson was charged with the first degree murder of his wife Kathleen Peterson. In 2003, Peterson was convicted of the first degree murder of Kathleen and sentenced to life in prison with no parole. Although a few years later in 2011 Michael Peterson was able to get a retrial on appeal. In the second trial, he pleaded guilty to manslaughter in 2017, using an Alford Plea, and was freed from prison with time served after 8 years. Investigation Discovery (ID) featured a series called “An American Murder Mystery: The Staircase” that showcased the case details of both Elizabeth Ratliff and Kathleen Peterson. Michael Peterson maintains his innocence and his attorney’s theorized that an owl most likely caused the injuries on Kathleen’s head. Netflix is also featuring a series titled “The Staircase” and it is premiering on June 8, 2018. The ID docu-series left the viewer seriously questioning the actions of the courts after Peterson was released.

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

MJFA Links:
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)
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

Fort Carson Soldier Christopher Walton Fatally Shot Outside Night Club; Leroy Davis Sentenced to 20 Years in Prison by Military Court (November 21, 1991)

On November 21, 1991September 14, 2019 By AdministratorIn Armed Forces, Army, Felony Crime, Homicide, In Their Name, Military Policy, Stateside Death2 Comments

All Hell Breaks Loose In Club Brawl Leaving A Young Solider Dead -Victim Zero, Homicide Hunter (Preview)

Lt. Joe Kenda of the Homicide Hunter series on Investigation Discovery discussed the murder of Fort Carson Army soldier Christopher Walton, 21, outside a night club in Colorado Springs, Colorado on November 21, 1991. What started out as a good night out on the town turned deadly after two rival units started a brawl at a local bar in Colorado Springs. The fight spilled outside of the bar and that’s when Christopher Walton was shot with a gun in the neck. Christopher Walton was getting ready to get out of the Army and move back to North Carolina. He was a described by his friends as a really good guy who took care of people.

As Kenda investigates the case, which is in his jurisdiction, he learns that a few months earlier a couple of soldiers got in a fight over a girl and that’s when everyone chose sides and the rival began. The rival was between the artillery unit and the maintenance unit at Fort Carson. An informant told Kenda that she thought Chris Smith may have committed the murder. Kenda pays Chris Smith a visit and in deed finds a gun similar to the gun they were looking for in his possession. It was later determined by ballistics that this gun matched the bullet recovered from Christopher Walton’s body.

Chris Smith was arrested for the murder of Christopher Walton. He never admitted to the murder and told Kenda that he had given the gun to someone else that night but would not give up the name. While Smith was in custody, the Army’s Criminal Investigation Division (CID) called Lt Joe Kenda to tell them they had a witness to the event and they thought he might have the wrong guy. The witness, Eric Walker, identified Leroy Davis as the actual shooter. Leroy was a member of the artillery unit at Fort Carson which was the rival unit to Christopher Walton’s maintenance unit.

As it turns out, Chris Smith was telling the truth. He did give the gun to someone that night outside the bar after shooting it in the air because he didn’t want it on his person. Eric Walker told Kenda that Chris Smith gave the gun to Leroy Davis who eventually returned the gun back to Smith. Chris Smith refused to implicate his Army brother, even after he was arrested and jailed. According to Walker, Christopher Walton pushed one of the artillery unit members and Leroy Davis acted on emotional impulse, pulled the gun out of his jacket, and shot Walton in the neck causing his fatal injuries.

For some unknown reason, Leroy Davis faced a court martial as opposed to a being tried by the civilian courts in Colorado Springs. Lt Joe Kenda described military discipline as a whole different game, sharing that they are “draconian and ruthless.” The military has its own internal justice system and has been at the center of a controversial debate in Congress for the past few years over the way it handles violent crimes. In this case, Davis was sentenced to twenty years at Fort Leavenworth where he will be expected to do hard, physical labor the entire time. We learned from one of the soldiers present at the scene that fifteen military members from Fort Carson got discharged as a result of their involvement in this incident.

Investigation Discovery:

A massive brawl erupts at a local bar ends with the shooting death of a young army soldier. To unravel the murder, Lt. Joe Kenda must infiltrate a revered military institution, and expose a dangerous vendetta. -Victim Zero, Homicide Hunter (S5,E9)

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:
Victim Zero | Homicide Hunter | Investigation Discovery (preview)
Victim Zero | Homicide Hunter | Investigation Discovery (S5,E9)
Victim Zero | Homicide Hunter | Investigation Discovery (website)
Victim Zero | Homicide Hunter | Investigation Discovery (Amazon)
Victim Zero | Homicide Hunter | Investigation Discovery (Hulu)
Lt Joe Kenda of Homicide Hunter Outlines Murder of Army Soldier Christopher Walton
Homicide Hunter Premiered ‘Victim Zero’ on ID: Fort Carson Soldier Christopher Walton Fatally Shot Outside Colorado Springs Night Club (October 20, 2015)
Violent Crime, Suicide & Non Combat Death at Fort Carson, Colorado (US Army)

Andrew Muns Disappeared from USS Cacapon, Listed AWOL; 30 Plus Years Later, NCIS Cold Case Squad Solved Murder; Michael LeBrun Plead Guilty (1968)

On January 17, 1968January 7, 2018 By AdministratorIn Armed Forces, Felony Crime, Homicide, In Their Name, Military Policy, Navy, Non Combat Death2 Comments

Screen Shot 2016-08-07 at 7.36.01 PM — Andrew Muns, US Navy

After U.S. Navy sailor disappears in 68, the Navy claims he went AWOL. But his sister works for over 30 years to prove that he was really killed. -Cold Case Files

The 1968 disappearance of Ensign Andrew Lee Muns, 24, US Navy, was long a mystery. But his family never gave up. As a result, the case was reopened by the Navy in 1998 at the urging of Muns’s sister, Mary Lou Taylor. Muns’s body was never found and the Navy listed him as a deserter after $8,600 was discovered missing from a ship safe. He was not eligible for burial at Arlington National Cemetery because he didn’t have an honorable discharge. His family wanted to set the record straight in an effort to honor his name. An NCIS Cold Case Squad investigation revealed that cashier and payroll clerk, Andrew Muns, caught Michael LeBrun stealing from the ship’s safe. Muns threatened to report him and LeBrun panicked. He punched him, Muns punched him back, they struggled, and LeBrun overpowered Muns and strangled him in an effort to silence him. Then he needed to get rid of the body. LeBrun wanted to throw him overboard but was afraid others would hear the splash and the body would float. He threw his body in a muck tank instead knowing it would not be inspected for a year and a half. LeBrun eventually pleaded guilty to voluntary manslaughter in September 2005 for killing Andrew Muns. He was sentenced to four years in prison. Andrew Muns was buried in Arlington National Cemetery with full honors and the flag was given to his family.

Related Links:
Andrew Lee Muns, Ensign, United States Navy
The Andrew Muns Story
The Charley Project: Andrew Lee Muns
Missouri man incriminated in 33-year-old murder case
Persistence leads to indictment for murder
Bringing Back Honor For Missing Sailor
Navy ensign, once thought to be a deserter, finally honored as hero
Federal Judge Recommends Confession Be Thrown Out
Federal judge recommends confession be thrown out
LeBrun v United States, Opposition (Department of Justice)
USA, Appellant, v. Michael Edward LeBRUN, Appellee (May 14, 2002)
USA, Appellant, v. Michael Edward LEBRUN, Appellee (April 9, 2004)
Case of the long-ago murder
Admissible Evidence
Man Pleads Guilty to Manslaughter in 1968 Killing
Ex-sailor pleads guilty in 1968 shipboard killing
Former seaman gets four years for killing Navy shipmate in 1968
Sailor sentenced for murder
Greenwood Man Sentenced in 1968 Murder
Cold Case Files: Exhuming the Truth
U.S. Navy Cold Case: A Sister’s Persistence Restores the Honor of Murdered Ensign Andrew Lee Muns

MILITARY JUSTICE FOR ALL

Tag: Manslaughter

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)

Fort Carson Soldier Christopher Walton Fatally Shot Outside Night Club; Leroy Davis Sentenced to 20 Years in Prison by Military Court (November 21, 1991)

Andrew Muns Disappeared from USS Cacapon, Listed AWOL; 30 Plus Years Later, NCIS Cold Case Squad Solved Murder; Michael LeBrun Plead Guilty (1968)

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