College Student Brianna Denison Kidnapped, Raped and Strangled by a Former Marine in Reno, Nevada; James Biela Sentenced to Death (January 20, 2008)

On January 20, 2008July 15, 2019 By AdministratorIn Armed Forces, Felony Crime, Homicide, In Their Name, Military Policy, Sexual Assault, USMCLeave a comment

BriannaDenison013xcl — Brianna Denison (Reno, Nevada)

Brianna Denison, 19, was abducted by former Marine James Biela in Reno, Nevada on January 20th, 2008. She was subsequently found raped and murdered. According to Joe Biela, James Biela once wore the uniform of a Marine but was kicked out of the service. James Biela was convicted of raping and strangling Brianna and sentenced to death in 2010. Brianna’s family fought for ‘Brianna’s Law’ in Nevada and it passed:

The bill mandates a DNA cheek-swab whenever a person is booked for a felony arrest. If the arrest is deemed legitimate, the DNA would be cross-referenced with DNA from other crime scenes to see if the arrestee was involved. The proposal is named after Brianna Denison who was raped and murdered by James Biela in Reno in 2008. Proponents believe such a law may have saved Denison because Biela had a prior felony arrest.

ID Go: When a young college student is abducted from a friend’s home in the middle of the night, the city of Reno lives in fear of who might be next. Dogged investigation leads detectives to a serial rapist who’s just escalated to murder. -Vanished in Reno, Unusual Suspects (S6,E1)

Editor’s note: With a cable subscription, you can download the free ID Go app and watch all of the 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. Download the ID Go app and binge away. 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 $2.99 a month. It’s a compilation of older seasons but totally worth the cost if you are a true crime addict.

Related Links:
Bring Bri Justice
Who is James Biela?
Reno Police Hunt for Serial Rapist
Biela had trouble with women, law
Details emerge about suspect in Brianna Denison murder
Police Arrest Suspect in Sex Assault Slaying of Reno Teen Brianna Denison
Pregnant Rape Victim Forgives James Biela In Court
James Biela’s Ex-Girlfriend Carleen Harmon Testifies in Murder Case of Brianna Denison
Lab Investigator Testifies About Denison Crime Scene in James Biela Trial
Nevada man convicted of raping, strangling college student
Serial Rapist Found Guilty of Rape and Murder of Nevada Coed
Brianna Denison Murder Verdict: James Biela Found Guilty of Killing, Raping College Student
Brianna Denison’s Murderer Gets Four Life Sentences for Sexual Assault, Kidnapping
Brianna Denison’s Killer, James Biela, Gets Death; Mom Says “He Messed With the Wrong Family”
Harry Reid meets with Brianna Denison’s mother on new DNA law
Moms of murdered daughters push for Nevada DNA bill
Nevada Assembly Committee Advances Brianna’s Law
Senate unanimously passes Brianna’s Law
Senate unanimously passes Brianna’s Law 2
Brianna’s Law Passes Assembly 29-9
Brianna’s Law passes in Nevada Assembly
Brianna’s Law Officially Becomes Nevada State Law
The Basics of Brianna’s Law
Brianna’s Law Now in Effect, Las Vegas Police Can Now Search Your DNA For Any Crime Without Probable Cause
New Nevada DNA swab law sees little pushback
Brianna’s Law Begins in Nevada
Death row inmate seeks new trial in Brianna Denison killing
James Biela petitions court for retrial in rape, murder of 19-year-old Brianna Denison
Biela won’t get a new trial in Denison murder case
Reno man denied new trial in rape, murder near university
From May 2013: Brianna’s Law officially becomes Nevada state law
Brianna’s Law has matched more than 1,000 DNA samples to crimes
Brianna’s Law has matched more than 1,000 DNA samples to crimes
Vanished in Reno | Unusual Suspects | Investigation Discovery (website)
Vanished in Reno | Unusual Suspects | Investigation Discovery (S6,E1)
Vanished in Reno | Unusual Suspects | Investigation Discovery (Amazon)

Tourists Joshua Ford & Martha Crutchley Murdered in Maryland; Erika Sifrit Sentenced to Life, Benjamin Sifrit Sentenced to 38 Years in Prison (May 25, 2002)

On May 25, 2002October 3, 2019 By AdministratorIn Armed Forces, Army, Felony Crime, Homicide, In Their Name, Military Policy, Navy, VeteransLeave a comment

Benjamin and Erika Sifrit murdered tourists Joshua Ford, 32, and Martha Crutchley, 51, on May 25, 2002 in Ocean City, Maryland. In 2003, Benjamin Sifrit was sentenced to 38 years in prison for one homicide and the dismemberment of human bodies and his wife Erika was sentenced to life in prison plus twenty years for two homicides. Benjamin Sifrit was a Navy Seal who was dishonorably discharged shortly after marrying Erika.

In the News:

From the outside, Benjamin and Erika Sifrit looked like a typical young middle-class married couple. But behind closed doors, their marriage harbored dark secrets that included drugs and an obsession with stealing Hooters memorabilia. When their vices were no longer fulfilling their needs, they turned to something more sinister – thrill killing. (Part 1)

Ocean City’s ‘Thrill Kill’ Couple (Part 2)

Ocean City’s ‘Thrill Kill’ Couple (Part 3)

Forensic Files:

Full Episode: The couple spent Memorial Day weekend at the beach, and then they simply vanished. Their clothes and personal items were still in the rented condo, their car was parked outside, and there were no signs of forced entry or foul play. A week later, police would get an unexpected lead from a robbery in progress, and the evidence they found helped them to solve a crime of unparalleled violence and brutality. -Dirty Little Seacret, Forensic Files (S13, E47)

Oxygen:

A young woman’s scrapbook offers insight into a shocking crime. -Erika Sifrit, Snapped (S8,E11)

A vacationing couple’s disappearance exposes the horrific crimes of a murderous husband and wife. -Erika and BJ Sifrit, Killer Couples (S11,E2)

Investigation Discovery:

In 2002, Erika and BJ Sifrit’s vacation in Ocean City, MD ended with them in the back of a squad car arrested for armed robbery. When two dismembered bodies were later unearthed, the connection between the two crimes would reveal a grisly murder. -Ocean City, Sins and Secrets (S2,E8)

A seemingly perfect young couple is concealing a sinful life of crime and sexual depravity. Then later, a threesome of lovers ends in a bizarre homicide and cover-up. -Killers on the Run, Deadly Sins (S3,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.

Sylvia Seegrist Went on Shooting Spree at Shopping Mall Killing Recife Cosmen, Ernest Trout & Augusto Ferrara; Sentenced to Life in Prison (October 30, 1985)

On October 30, 1985August 14, 2019 By AdministratorIn Armed Forces, Army, Felony Crime, Homicide, In Their Name, Military Policy, PTSD, TBI, Mental Illness, ScandalsLeave a comment

Screen Shot 2017-08-23 at 5.51.02 PM — Sylvia Seegrist, US Army Veteran

On October 30, 1985, Sylvia Seegrist, 25, dressed in Army fatigues and black boots, parked her car in front of the Springfield Mall in a suburb of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, stepped out, and started shooting. She killed three people and injured seven more in the mass shooting before she was stopped by an on-looker in the mall who didn’t realize she was not in a Halloween costume. Killed in the incident was a young child and two men: Recife Cosmen, 2, Dr. Ernest Trout, 67, and Augusto Ferrara, 64. As a result, Seegrist was arrested and indicted for three first degree murders. Investigators would learn that Sylvia Seegrist was discharged from the military after a year of serving because she wasn’t “right in the head” according to Army officials. Sylvia’s mother shared that she tried to get help for her daughter and tried to get her to take medication, but no one would hear her pleas for help. Prior to and after her trial in 1986, Seegrist was held at a Pennsylvania State Hospital.

Sylvia downward spiraled after her discharge from the Army and used the military training she learned to kill innocent civilians. After Sylvia was found guilty of three first degree murders and given three life sentences, she was transferred to the women’s Pennsylvania State Correctional Institution where she still resides. The 1985 incident highlighted the fine line between an individual’s rights and the state’s authority to commit potentially dangerous people. Seegrist interviewed in 1991 said, “daily doses of anti-psychotic medication had curtailed her delusions, paranoia and explosive anger.” Why wasn’t the mental illness picked up by recruiting and instead only recognized after she joined the military? Sylvia Seegrist had paranoid schizophrenia which is a serious mental illness that requires the use of medication to manage symptomology. Sylvia Seegrist needed follow on treatment after her discharge from the Army in an effort to prevent a predictable downward spiral.

Source: Twisted Minds, Deadly Women, Investigation Discovery

Twisted Philly Podcast:

HISTORY – Twisted Philly – Episode 14: PART 1 – Ms. Rambo

To recap part one, Sylvia Seegrist was a resident of Springfield, Pennsylvania, a suburb about 10 miles outside the city… -Ms. Rambo, Twisted Philly

Related Links:
Wikipedia: Sylvia Seegrist
2 Killed in Shopping Mall as Woman Fired on Crowd
Cousins Huddled to Protect Each Other as Woman Opened Fire
Shooting suspect said to be abusive
Sylvia Seegrist, the fatigue-clad woman who shot 10 people…
Mall Insurers Settle with Rampage Victims
She’s sorry she killed, but victims’ kin don’t want her freed Medicine curbs psychotic urges of woman who went on rampage
Middletown native, Springfield mall hero named as Coatesville police chief
Springfield Mall’s 1985 Shooter: Where is She Now?
Sylvia Seegrist went psycho and killed three innocent people at the Springfield, Pa., mall
Decades After Sylvia Seegrist, Mentally Ill People Are Still Murdering Innocents
Flashbacks To A Pennsylvania Mall Massacre In 1985
Coatesville Will Again Try To Hire Maj. John Laufer As Police Chief
“I Didn’t Mean to Do It” (Part 1 of 2)
“I Didn’t Mean to Do It” (Part 2 of 2)
The Anomaly of a Female Mass Shooter: San Bernardino Wife Joins Small Group of Shooters
Many factors make San Bernardino rare among mass shootings
‘Why is it men who commit mass shootings?’
Where’d They Get Their Guns?
Extreme Killing: Understanding Serial and Mass Murder
Miss Rambo: The True Story of Spree Killer Sylvia Seegrist
Sylvia Seegrist | Episode 51 | Misconduct, A True Crime Podcast
HISTORY – Twisted Philly – Episode 14: PART 1 – Ms. Rambo
HISTORY – Twisted Philly – Episode 15: PART 2 – Ms. Rambo
Twisted Minds | Deadly Women | Investigation Discovery (S2,E3)
Twisted Minds | Deadly Women | Investigation Discovery (website)
Twisted Minds | Deadly Women | Investigation Discovery (Amazon)
Twisted Minds | Deadly Women | Investigation Discovery (Hulu)
Deadly Women Premiered ‘Twisted Minds’ on ID: Sylvia Seegrist aka Ms. Rambo Went on Shooting Spree at Pennsylvania Mall (October 23, 2008)
Deadly Women: 30 Military and Veteran Homicide Cases Featured on Investigation Discovery

MILITARY JUSTICE FOR ALL

Tag: Military Discharge

College Student Brianna Denison Kidnapped, Raped and Strangled by a Former Marine in Reno, Nevada; James Biela Sentenced to Death (January 20, 2008)

Tourists Joshua Ford & Martha Crutchley Murdered in Maryland; Erika Sifrit Sentenced to Life, Benjamin Sifrit Sentenced to 38 Years in Prison (May 25, 2002)

Sylvia Seegrist Went on Shooting Spree at Shopping Mall Killing Recife Cosmen, Ernest Trout & Augusto Ferrara; Sentenced to Life in Prison (October 30, 1985)

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