Camp Lejeune Marine Maria Lauterbach & Unborn Child Murdered, Remains Discovered in Fellow Marine’s Backyard; Cesar Laurean Sentenced to Life in Prison, No Parole (December 15, 2007)

On December 15, 2007February 24, 2019 By AdministratorIn Armed Forces, Domestic Violence, Felony Crime, Homicide, In Their Name, Military Policy, Scandals, Sexual Assault, USMCLeave a comment

LCpl Maria Lauterbach, USMC (2007) — Maria Lauterbach, US Marine Corps

The family of slain Marine Lance Cpl. Maria Lauterbach is hailing recent provisions in the National Defense Authorization Act that profoundly change the way the Department of Defense will handle sexual assault charges…Provisions include access to legal counsel for victims and the right to request a base transfer. Lauterbach’s mother, Mary Lauterbach of Vandalia, said the new law would have made the difference in the case of her daughter, who was denied a base transfer after accusing fellow Marine Cesar Laurean of sexual assault. “Maria would be alive today if the base transfer had been available to her,” she said. Representative Mike Turner (R-OH) concurred, “In civilian life you have complete control of your movements, and if you’re in an unsafe situation you can remove yourself. In military life, the victim needs permission to take even basic self-preservation actions.” –Dayton Daily News (December 25, 2011)

In the News:

The murder of pregnant Camp Lejeune Marine Maria Lauterbach has many people examining North Carolina’s fetal homicide law. North Carolina is one of twelve states that does not have an unborn child homicide law. Cesar Laurean, the Marine Corporal suspected of killing Lauterbach, only faces a murder charge in her death, not the death of the fetus. Henderson County state representative Trudi Walend proposed House Bill 263 to change that. Walend believes our state leaders have a fear that recognizing an unborn child might affects pro choice laws. -WITN-TV (January 15, 2008)

The autopsy shows that 20 year old Maria Lauterbach, who disappeared mid-December in North Carolina died from blunt force trauma. The sheriff says the autopsy also shows that Lauterbach died before her family reported her missing. -Associated Press (January 16, 2008)

Maria Lauterbach Case – Autopsy Confirms Body Is Lauterbach -WITN-TV (January 16, 2008)

Authorities say murder suspect Cesar Laurean has probably gone into hiding. His truck was found in a motel parking lot on Tuesday. An autopsy report confirmed burned remains found in his backyard were those of his pregnant colleague. -Associated Press (January 17, 2008)

Pregnant Marine’s mom laments her death -Today Show (March 12, 2008)

Missing Marine’s Uncle Speaks Out -ABC News (March 12, 2008)

The Oversight Subcommittee on National Security and Foreign Affairs holds a hearing, “Sexual Assault in the Military.” Panel one is Reps. Louise Slaughter (NY-28) and Jane Harman (CA-36); panel two is Ingrid Torres, MSW, CSW and Mary Lauterbach, Mother of Lance Cpl. Maria Lauterbach; panel three includes representatives of the Defense Department, the Army, and the GAO. Mary Lauterbach, whose daughter was murdered after reporting a rape, testifies. -Nancy Pelosi (July 31, 2008)

A Marine who fled to Mexico shortly before he was charged with killing a pregnant colleague in North Carolina has been returned to the U.S., according to an FBI spokeswoman. -Associated Press (April 17, 2009)

Lauterbach murder trial to begin -WDTNTV (August 2, 2010)

The attorney for an ex-Marine accused of killing a pregnant colleague says the victim’s lies may have so angered the defendant he couldn’t have premeditated the murder. -Associated Press (August 12, 2010)

A North Carolina jury says a former Marine is guilty of first-degree murder in the death of a pregnant colleague whose remains were found under a backyard firepit. -WITN (August 24, 2010)

Dept. of Defense Gives New Provisions to Military’s Victims of Sexual Assault -WKEF/WRGT (August 15, 2013)

Major Hurdle Cleared for Victims of Sexual Assault in the Military -WKEF/WRGT (December 20, 2013)

Law protecting military victims of sexual assault discussed | Expedited transfer policy includes provisions for victims of domestic violence -WDTN TV (May 1, 2018)

Investigation Discovery:

Cesar and Christina Laurean’s Marine marriage ranks perfection, but when Lance Corporal Maria Lauterbach, joins the regiment, disaster strikes. -Burned by Desire, Deadly Affairs (S3,E3)

Related Links:
Obituary: Maria and Gabriel Lauterbach
Disappearance of Pregnant Marine Probed by North Carolina Authorities
Pregnant Marine missing from North Carolina base
Search for Pregnant Marine Intensifies
Adult, fetus found in shallow grave may be missing Marine
Blood, possible grave of pregnant Marine found at suspect’s house
Scenes From a Pregnant Marine’s Murder
Initial autopsy findings on slain Marine: Fetus not born alive
Grand jury indicts fugitive Marine in woman’s death
Remains of Adult Found; Marine Charged
Military: Slain Marine said she was not afraid of suspect
Pregnant Marine’s mom laments her death
N.C. Investigators Issue Warrant in ‘Disgusting’ Murder of Pregnant Marine
Police Confirm Truck Found in Hotel Parking Lot Belongs to Marine on the Run
Suspect in Slaying of Pregnant Marine Spotted
Marine on the Lam Spotted in Louisiana
Murdered Marine Suspect Spotted in Louisiana, May Be Headed to Texas
No ‘confirmed sightings’ of suspect in Marine’s killing
Mexico issues warrant for Laurean a week after sighting
Sheriff: Missing Pregnant Marine Is Dead, Corporal She Accused of Raping Her Named Suspect
Suspect: Pregnant Marine Killed Herself
Congressman Mike Turner Calls on DOD to Investigate Marines’ Handling of Rape and Murder Case of Maria Lauterbach
Lauterbach’s mother will see Laurean for 1st time at trial
Lauterbach ‘compulsive liar’ at times, mom says
Marines: Lauterbach was known liar
Laurean convicted in pregnant Marine’s death
Laurean guilty of Marine’s murder
Cesar Laurean Guilty of Murder of Pregnant Marine Maria Lauterbach
Former Marine Cesar Laurean Found Guilty of Pregnant Colleague Murder
Ex-Marine Guilty of Killing Pregnant Colleague Found Buried in Firepit
Ex-Marine convicted of killing colleague feels wrath of victim’s mom
Cesar Laurean Moved To Central Prison After Guilty Verdict
Wife of pregnant Marine’s killer won’t be charged
Lauterbach gives voice to slain daughter, works to change sexual assault law
DoD IG: Review of Matters Related to the Sexual Assault of Lance Corporal Maria Lauterbach, U.S. Marine Corps (Redacted)
Lauterbach Sexual Assault Case Prompts Policy Reforms in Military
The Tragic Case of Maria Lauterbach
Marine mother shares tragic story of daughter’s sexual assault, murder
Tribute to Maria (YouTube)

NBC Nightly News with Brian Williams Featured ‘The Other PTSD: Sexual Abuse of Women in the Military’ (May 4, 2007)

On May 4, 2007February 23, 2019 By AdministratorIn Armed Forces, Army, Felony Crime, In Their Name, Medical, Military Policy, Navy, PTSD, TBI, Mental Illness, Scandals, Sexual Assault, Suicide, USAF, USCG, USMC, VeteransLeave a comment

The Other PTSD: Sexual Abuse of Women in the Military, NBC Nightly News (May 4, 2007)

“All the stories you hear about women not doing anything about it and crawling into their own little hole and hiding from it and not talking about it — I always thought, ‘Well, that’s ridiculous. If it happens to me, I’m gonna be out there,” Tina says. “That’s not what I did at all. I hid and I didn’t talk about it.” –NBC Nightly News

Related Links:
The Other PTSD: Sexual Abuse of Women in the Military (May 4, 2007)
Military sexual trauma — the new face of PTSD | NBC Nightly News
Men’s Trauma Recovery Program (MTRP) | Department of Veterans Affairs
Women’s Trauma Recovery Program (WTRP) | Department of Veterans Affairs
Veterans for Peace: Sexual Assault on Military Members Press Conference, Seattle, Washington (August 11, 2006)
Jamie Leigh Jones Testified at the House Judiciary Committee Halliburton/KBR Iraq Rape Case Hearing (December 19, 2007)
Air Force TSgt. Jennifer Norris Testified Before the House Armed Services Committee in Washington DC (January 23, 2013)
CBS News: Sexual assault victim, “The system is rigged” (May 16, 2013)
Paying It Forward Thanks to Army Specialist Suzanne Swift (March 6, 2016)
Christine Hassing Published ‘Jennifer and Onyx’ | Our Story of Triumph & Hope After Military Sexual Trauma (February 17, 2019)

CBS: Sexual Abuse By Military Recruiters (August 19, 2006)

On August 19, 2006August 8, 2019 By AdministratorIn Armed Forces, Army, Felony Crime, Military Policy, National Guard, Navy, Scandals, Sexual Assault, USAF, USCG, USMCLeave a comment

“More than 100 young women who expressed interest in joining the military in the past year were preyed upon sexually by their recruiters. Women were raped on recruiting office couches, assaulted in government cars and groped en route to entrance exams.

A six-month Associated Press investigation found that more than 80 military recruiters were disciplined last year for sexual misconduct with potential enlistees. The cases occurred across all branches of the military and in all regions of the country.”

Veterans for Peace: Sexual Assault on Military Members Press Conference, Seattle, Washington (August 11, 2006)

On August 11, 2006February 23, 2019 By AdministratorIn Armed Forces, Army, Felony Crime, In Their Name, Medical, Military Policy, Navy, PTSD, TBI, Mental Illness, Scandals, Sexual Assault, USAF, USCG, USMC, VeteransLeave a comment

Talk by 22-year Army Veteran Eli Painted Crow as part of the “Voices of Women Veterans” workshop at the Veterans for Peace 2006 National Convention August 11, 2006 in Seattle, WA.

Sara Rich, Mother of Suzanne Swift speaking at the Veterans for Peace 2006 National Convention. Suzanne Swift was sexually assaulted while serving in Iraq by members of her own unit. (August 11, 2006)

Press Conference on Sexual Assault in the U.S. military held August 12, 2006 at the Veterans for Peace National Convention UW HUB, Seattle, WA (1)

Press Conference on Sexual Assault in the U.S. military held August 12, 2006 at the Veterans for Peace National Convention UW HUB, Seattle, WA (2)

Press Conference on Sexual Assault in the U.S. military held August 12, 2006 at the Veterans for Peace National Convention UW HUB, Seattle, WA (3)

Press Conference on Sexual Assault in the U.S. military held August 12, 2006 at the Veterans for Peace National Convention UW HUB, Seattle, WA (4)

Press Conference on Sexual Assault in the U.S. military held August 12, 2006 at the Veterans for Peace National Convention UW HUB, Seattle, WA (5)

“Despite 25 years of Pentagon studies, task force recommendations and congressional hearings, sexual assaults and rape in the military continue unabated. In 2010 the Department of Defense (DoD) conducted a survey of active duty members which revealed that only a small percentage of the more than 19,000 incidents of rapes and sexual assaults involving service members was actually reported. For the record, an estimated 13.5 percent of sexual assaults and rapes saw the light day—and only 8 percent of those reports resulted in prosecution—in the end 465 service members were either administratively discharged or punished through the court-martial process —that’s about 2.5 percent of the total suspected acts of sexual assaults and rape—a good percentage for a direct mail response, but unacceptable for a justice system.” Representative Jackie Speier (D-CA) (November 16, 2011)

Related Links:
Sara Rich, Mother of Suzanne Swift
Eli Painted Crow – Voices of Women Veterans
Press Conf. – Sexual Assault on Military Members – 1/5
Press Conf. – Sexual Assault on Military Members – 2/5
Press Conf. – Sexual Assault on Military Members – 3/5
Press Conf – Sexual Assault on Military Members – 4/5
Press Conf – Sexual Assault on Military Members – 5/5
Sexual Assault in the U.S. military
Sexual Assault in the Military: A DoD Cover-Up?
Is There an Army Cover Up of Rape and Murder of Women Soldiers?
Ann Wright: U.S. Military Keeping Secrets About Female Soldiers’ ‘Suicides’?
Is the U.S. Army covering up the rape and murder of women soldiers?
Rep. Susan Davis, Col. Ann Wright, DoD’s Kaye Whitley on Military Rape
Female soldier’s family questions military’s explanation of her death
With Its Record of Rape, Don’t Send the U.S. Military to the Congo
Rape in the Ranks: The Enemy Within
Military Rape Awarness Week Starts At Times Sq. Recruiting Station
Female Soldiers More Likely to Be Raped than Killed in Action, Says Rep.
Military Sexual Trauma – Seeking Justice
Military Fails to Protect Service Members from Rape— Class Action Lawsuit filed against the Pentagon By Ann Wright
Ann Wright Invited to Unveiling of Landmark Military Sexual Assault Legislation in D.C.
Helping Those Affected by Military Sexual Trauma (MST)
Military Sexual Assault Litigation (March 6, 2012)
Sexual Assault in the Military (May 16, 2015)
Dateline, Dark Secrets (Transcript)
Veterans for Peace

Air Force SrA Andrew Witt Sentenced to Death for the Pre-Meditated Murders of Jamie & Andy Schliepsiek; 13 Years Later, Military Court Re-sentenced Witt to Life In Prison, No Parole (October 13, 2005)

On October 13, 2005July 2, 2019 By AdministratorIn Armed Forces, Felony Crime, Homicide, In Their Name, Military Policy, USAFLeave a comment

SrA Andrew Witt, U.S. Air Force

Jamie & Andy Schliepsiek, U.S. Air Force

Air Force SrA Andrew Witt murdered Airman Andy Schliepsiek and his wife Jamie at Robins Air Force Base in Georgia on July 5, 2004. According to reports, Andrew Witt made a ‘pass’ at Andy’s wife Jamie at a July 4th cookout. When Andy confronted Witt about the inappropriate sexual advance, he informed him that he would not only report the assault to their Commander but also that he was sleeping with an officer on base. This was motive enough for Andrew Witt to drive back on base and stab them to death in the early morning hours of July 5th. Another airman Jason King was also stabbed in the back as he was attempting to flee the scene. On October 5, 2005, Andrew Witt was found guilty of first degree murder and sentenced to the death penalty by a military court on October 13, 2005. After an appeal, the death sentence was overturned in 2013. In early 2016, the death sentence for Andrew Witt was reinstated. On July 19, 2016, the highest military appeals court ruled in favor of a new sentencing hearing for Andrew Witt. In July 2018, a military panel re-sentenced Andrew Witt to life in prison without parole. Witt also received a dishonorable discharge from the Air Force as part of his sentence. At one point, Witt was the only Air Force service member on military death row at Leavenworth in Kansas. He was joined by four other Army soldiers: Timothy Hennis, Ronald Gray, Hasan Akbar, Nidal Hasan. (Army soldier Dwight Loving‘s death sentence was commuted by President Barack Obama in 2017).

Related Links:
Fast hearing promised in couple’s slaying
Witness: Spurned advance led to stabbings at Air Force base
Airman Charged with Killing Couple May Get Death
Air Force to move quickly in murder case
Mother of convicted airman pleads for mercy
Airman sentenced to death
Convicted airman sentenced to death for killing couple
Two killers closer to first military executions since 1961
Strain and battle fatigue of war hit home front
The death penalty: What is justice?
Sergeant offers hope to inmates
Air Force court reinstates airman’s death sentence for 2004 killing
Ga. airman’s death sentence overturned on appeal
Ga. airman’s death sentence overturned on appeal due to ignoring of critical evidence
Georgia airman escaped murder scene, fought PTSD
On military death row, execution is anything but guaranteed
CAAF to examine the Air Force CCA’s reconsideration of Airman Witt’s death sentence
New jury to decide fate of airman convicted in murder of former Peoria couple
Judge in USS Cole case refuses to step down for death penalty bias
Judge in Cole bombing case refuses to step down
United States v. Andrew Witt, US Air Force (2016)
The survivor: Airman escaped murder scene only to fight new battles
New hearing for airman awaiting military execution
Only airman on military’s death row gets new sentencing hearing
New Sentencing Hearing for Airman on Military Death Row
Murderous airman sentenced to death, still dodging execution after 12 years
Death sentence upheld for Robins airman
Air Force court reinstates airman’s death sentence for 2004 killing
New hearing for airman awaiting military execution
Only airman on military’s death row gets new sentencing hearing
U.S. v. Witt – U.S. Court of Appeals for the Armed Forces (July 2016)
Nidal Hasan, and the 5 other men on the military’s death row
Description of Cases for those Sentenced to Death in U.S. Military
This former airman was spared the death penalty a 2nd time in 2004 double homicide case
Former airman from La Crosse off death row after new sentence in 2004 slayings
Murderous airman sentenced to death, still dodging execution after 12 years
Air Force SrA Andy Schliepsiek & Wife Jamie Stabbed to Death at Robins AFB Home; Military Court Re-sentenced SrA Andrew Witt From Death Penalty to Life In Prison, No Parole (July 5, 2004)
Four Service Members on Military Death Row at Fort Leavenworth, Army Private John Bennett was Last Military Execution by Hanging in 1961
What the DoD Doesn’t Want You to Know: 50 Shocking Military Homicides in the Last 30 Years (2018)

Chicago Tribune Published ‘In War Without Front Lines, Women GIs Caught in Chaos’ (March 11, 2004)

On March 11, 2004March 6, 2019 By AdministratorIn Accidents, Armed Forces, Army, In Their Name, Military Policy, Navy, Non Combat Death, Suicide, USAF, USCG, USMCLeave a comment

Xatavia Hughes, an Iraqi war vet is looking for a safer neighborhood for herself and two sons. She is in her current home in the Englewood neighborhood on Nov. 6, 2013. -Chicago Tribune (December 2, 2013)

“One woman saw the military as a stop along the path of higher education. The other saw service as a road out of poverty. They enlisted in what’s typically thought of as a man’s world, and they both died in it. When Pfc. Nichole Frye’s convoy was attacked with a roadside bomb in Baqouba, Iraq, in February, she became the 15th servicewoman to die in the Iraq war, equaling the official number of female soldiers killed in the 1991 Persian Gulf war. When Capt. Gussie Jones, 41, died Sunday of a heart attack in the Baghdad hospital where she served as an Army surgical nurse, that gulf war total was officially surpassed. The conflict in Iraq now has the designation of claiming the lives of more U.S. servicewomen than any hostile theater since World War II, according to Department of Defense statistics. The stories of women like Frye and Jones–what drew them to the military and how they died in that service–reveal much about the role of American military women in Iraq.” -Chicago Tribune (March 11, 2004)

Read more ‘In War Without Front Lines, Women GIs Caught in Chaos’ from the Chicago Tribune here.

Related Links:
Once homeless female vet struggles in civilian life | Chicago Tribune
In war without front lines, women GIs caught in chaos

History: Jessica Lynch Gets Hero’s Welcome (July 22, 2003)

On July 22, 2003July 22, 2020 By AdministratorIn Armed Forces, Army, Felony Crime, In Their Name, Military Policy, Missing, Scandals, Sexual AssaultLeave a comment

“On July 22, 2003, U.S. Army Private Jessica Lynch, a prisoner-of-war who was rescued from an Iraqi hospital, receives a hero’s welcome when she returns to her hometown of Palestine, West Virginia. The story of the 19-year-old supply clerk, who was captured by Iraqi forces in March 2003, gripped America; however, it was later revealed that some details of Lynch’s dramatic capture and rescue might have been exaggerated.”

In April 2007, Lynch testified before Congress that she had falsely been portrayed as a “little girl Rambo” and the U.S. military had hyped her story for propaganda reasons…“I am still confused as to why they chose to lie and tried to make me a legend when the real heroics of my fellow soldiers that day were, in fact, legendary. The truth of war is not always easy to hear but is always more heroic than the hype.”

Read more from HISTORY here: Jessica Lynch Gets Hero’s Welcome (History, July 22, 2003)

Related Links:
Jessica Lynch, POW
I Am a Soldier, Too: The Jessica Lynch Story
A Timeline of the U.S.-Led War on Terror | History

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Army SSG John Diamond Convicted of Murder of Air Force Capt. Frank Theer; Military Court Sentenced to Life in Prison, No Parole (August 28, 2001)

On August 28, 2001August 25, 2019 By AdministratorIn Armed Forces, Army, Felony Crime, Homicide, Military Policy, Scandals, USAFLeave a comment

Michele Theer photo — John Diamond, US Army

Army SSG John Diamond, 28, was accused of fatally shooting Air Force Capt. Frank ‘Marty’ Theer in Fayetteville, North Carolina on December 17, 2000. Capt. Theer and his wife Michelle were on their way to a Christmas party when Michelle claimed she needed to stop at her place of employment. After waiting for awhile, Capt. Theer exited his vehicle to check on Michelle. As he ascended the stairs at the office building, he was shot multiple times and died at the scene. The Fayetteville Police Department launched a homicide investigation and would learn that Michelle Theer was having an affair a married Fort Bragg Army Ranger named John Diamond. It was later theorized that psychologist and Air Force Reservist Michelle Theer was the mastermind behind the murder of her husband. She was accused of setting Capt. Theer up when she lured him to her office; she was also accused of manipulating SSG Diamond to commit the murder. The prosecutor’s theorized the motive for the homicide of Capt. Theer was the Servicemen’s Group Life Insurance money.

During the investigation, the police got a tip that a gun matching the murder weapon was in the custody of SSG Diamond which connected him to the crime. Conveniently, SSG Diamond admitted to having a gun that fit the description of the one used in the murder but he claimed his vehicle had been broken into and the gun was stolen. SSG Diamond was arrested by the US Army for having an unregistered weapon on a federal installation while they investigated his role in the murder. They would learn that despite his marriage status, he was in love with Michelle Theer and would do anything for her. The military courts charged SSG Diamond with first degree murder and on August 28, 2001, a six-member military panel at Fort Bragg found him guilty; Staff Sgt. John Diamond was sentenced to life in federal prison. Michelle Theer disappeared by the time the civilian authorities caught up with her but she was eventually located in Florida living under an assumed identity. Michelle Theer was convicted of conspiracy to commit first degree murder on December 3, 2004 and sentenced to life in prison, no parole.

Investigation Discovery:

In 2000, Michelle Theer was an Air Force wife in the military town of Fayetteville until a fatal shooting made her a widow. The investigation into her husband’s death led police to the door of an Army Ranger – taking orders from very unlikely accomplices. -Fayetteville, Sins and Secrets (S2,E3)

Sexy psychologist and doting Air Force wife Michelle begins a swinging affair with Army Sgt. Diamond while her husband, Captain Marty Theer, is away. But all’s fair in love and war, and Marty’s return will remind them that love is a battlefield. -Sergeant Swinger, Scorned: Love Kills (S4,E1)

Oxygen:

A frantic, distraught woman runs into a video rental store screaming that her husband has been shot. -Michelle Theer & John Diamond, Killer Couples

Killer Couples: S8 E5 Preview – Michelle Theer and John Diamond | Oxygen

Killer Couples: S8 E5 After the Verdict – Michelle Theer and John Diamond | Oxygen

Psychologist Debbie Layton-Tholl talks about her experience meeting with Michelle Theer. -Michelle Theer & John Diamond, Killer Couples

A lonely military wife and psychologist go searching for sex on the Internet with deadly results. -Michelle Theer & John Diamond, Killer Couples (S8,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.

Related Links:
Website: Free John Diamond
Staff Sgt. John Diamond | The JAG Hunter
Wife of Slain Soldier Charged with Murder
Makeover Madness | People Magazine Investigates
Conviction of pilot’s wife in killing upheld
United States v. Staff Sergeant John M. Diamond (2007)
Investigator: Did Michelle manipulate for murder?
Witness: Did Michelle manipulate for murder?
John Diamond vs United States of America (2010)
Convicted killer wants prison to stop censoring his racy letters
Sinclair Takes His Legal Battle Online
Michelle Theer case featured on ‘Killer Couples’
Psychologist Michelle Theer, Her Internet Affair With John Diamond, and the Murder of Air Force Captain Marty Theer
On the Firing Line | Military Corruption
Army Wives: The Unwritten Code of Military Marriage | Tanya Biank
Cyber Reconnaissance, Surveillance and Defense | Robert Shimonski
Murder Along the Cape Fear: A North Carolina Town in the Twentieth Century | David Morgan
The Officer’s Wife: A True Story of Unspeakable Betrayal and Cold-Blooded Murder | Michael Fleeman
Fayetteville | Sins and Secrets | Investigation Discovery (S2,E3)
Fayetteville | Sins and Secrets | Investigation Discovery (website)
Fayetteville | Sins and Secrets | Investigation Discovery (Amazon)
Sergeant Swinger | Scorned: Love Kills | Investigation Discovery (S4,E1)
Sergeant Swinger | Scorned: Love Kills | Investigation Discovery (website)
Sergeant Swinger | Scorned: Love Kills | Investigation Discovery (Amazon)
Killer Couples: S8 E5 Sneak Peek – My Husband Has Been Shot! | Oxygen
Killer Couples: S8 E5 Preview – Michelle Theer and John Diamond | Oxygen
Killer Couples: S8 E5 After the Verdict – Michelle Theer and John Diamond | Oxygen
Killer Couples: S8 E5 Bonus Clip – Michelle Was Villified by the Media | Oxygen
Michelle Theer & John Diamond | Killer Couples | Oxygen (S8,E5)
Michelle Theer & John Diamond | Killer Couples | Oxygen (Amazon)
Air Force Capt. Frank Theer Murdered by Unidentified Gunman; Wife Michelle & Army SSG John Diamond Sentenced to Life in Prison (December 17, 2000)
Former Air Force Reservist Michelle Theer Convicted of Murder of Husband Frank Theer; Sentenced to Life in Prison, No Parole (December 3, 2004)
Sins and Secrets Premiered ‘Fayetteville’ on Investigation Discovery: Michelle Theer & John Diamond Left a Permanent Mark on Community (January 26, 2012)
Scorned, Love Kills Premiered ‘Sergeant Swinger’ on ID: Air Force Captain’s Murder Reveals Wife’s Evil Intent, Adultery & Greed (October 4, 2014)
Killer Couples Premiered ‘Michelle Theer & John Diamond’ on Oxygen: Affair Leads to Murder of Air Force Capt. Marty Theer (September 3, 2016)
Scorned, Love Kills: 6 Active Duty Military Homicide Cases Featured on Investigation Discovery

LA Times Published ‘Pvt. John Bennett is the Only U.S. Soldier Executed for Rape in Peacetime’ by Richard A. Serrano (September 10, 2000)

On September 10, 2000September 26, 2020 By AdministratorIn Armed Forces, Army, Child Abuse, Felony Crime, Homicide, In Their Name, Military Policy, Scandals, Sexual Assault, Stateside DeathLeave a comment

Pvt. John Bennett is the Only U.S. Soldier Executed for Rape in Peacetime. He Was Mentally Troubled and Black. Six White Murderers Were Also on Military Death Row. They Were Spared.

Richard A. Serrano is a Staff Writer in The Times’ Washington, bureau. He last wrote for the magazine about the bombing of the Oklahoma, City federal building, which was also the subject of his book, “One of, Ours,” published in 1998 by W.W. Norton

“Rain always frightened him, and on the night he was hanged in a military prison in Kansas, a rolling prairie thunderstorm was kicking up outside. That was four decades ago. Pvt. John Bennett had just turned 26. He went to his death perhaps more terrified of the thunder and lightning than of the gaunt hangman waiting upon the gallows.

News of the hanging scarcely made the papers. Executions then, like today, were commonplace, so much so that his story has never been told. But he is the last member of the U.S. Armed Forces to be executed. And he is the only serviceman hanged for rape during peacetime.

America is once again examining the death penalty, spurred by the most damning evidence in history that innocents have been sentenced to die. Advances in DNA testing and other revelations have overturned scores of death sentences in recent years, raising fresh doubts about American criminal justice, especially for minorities, who make up the majority of death row prisoners.

As a result, the death penalty issue looms larger in presidential politics than it has for a generation. Both major party candidates favor death sentencing, and Republican nominee George W. Bush has given it special emphasis. He expresses confidence in his state’s handling of capital cases and says that not one innocent man has been executed on his watch as governor of Texas.

The issue also has landed in the Oval Office, where President Clinton delayed by four months the federal government’s first scheduled execution since 1963. Juan Raul Garza will now have until Dec. 12–a date notably after the presidential election–to seek clemency. Garza’s attorneys say they will argue that the criminal justice system discriminates against minorities.

Amid the chatter, national opinion polls have found that while most Americans still favor death sentencing, the support is diminishing. Even its proponents question the role that race, mental illness, poverty, politics and the quality of legal representation play in death penalty cases. All those factors were present on that stormy night in April 1961 inside the U.S. Disciplinary Barracks at Ft. Leavenworth. Was the system broken back then? Has it been fixed since?“

Read more from Richard A. Serrano (LA Times) here or here and check out Serrano’s book ‘Summoned at Midnight: A Story of Race and the Last Military Executions at Fort Leavenworth’ here.

Related Links:
Pvt John Arthur Bennett (April 13, 1961)
Pvt. John Bennett is the Only U.S. Soldier Executed for Rape in Peacetime
Pvt. John Bennett Is the Only U.S. Soldier Executed for Rape in Peacetime
Bush OKs Execution for Army Private on Death Row
1961: John A. Bennett, the last American military execution (so far)
The Rare Case Of The Military Execution
A look at the last U.S. soldier executed by the military
Soldiers Sentenced to Die, but No Executions on Military Death Row Since 1961
A look at the 6 inmates on US military death row
Servicemen on Death Row; 6 killers await as military justice crawls
Judge lifts execution stay for ex-soldier in military prison
U.S. Military Could Execute Ex-Soldier for First Time Since 1961
Army moves closer to first execution in 50 years; Ronald Gray on death row since 1988
These are the 4 inmates on the military’s death row
Haunted by the Story of John Bennett and Other Black Soldiers’ Lives on Death Row
Resuming federal executions unlikely to affect military death row
Summoned at Midnight: A Story of Race and the Last Military Executions at Fort Leavenworth
Crimelines True Crime Podcast w/ Death’s Door Podcast Featured the Last Military Execution of Army Private John Bennett in 1961 (April 22, 2018)
Four U.S. Service Members on Military Death Row at Fort Leavenworth, Kansas; Army Private John Bennett was Last Military Execution by Hanging in 1961
Seven Intriguing True Crime Podcasts Spotlighting Active Duty Military Suicide, Missing, and Murder Cases

‘Black Widow’ Judy Buenoano Executed by the State of Florida for Three Homicides; First Woman to Die by Death Penalty in Florida Since 1848 (March 30, 1998)

On March 30, 1998November 15, 2019 By AdministratorIn Armed Forces, Army, Cold Cases, Felony Crime, Homicide, In Their Name, Military Policy, Non Combat Death, Scandals, USAFLeave a comment

Air Force Sergeant James Goodyear, 37, died on September 16, 1971 in Orlando, Florida. Sergeant Goodyear died just three months after completing a year long tour of duty in Vietnam. He left behind his wife Judy Buenoano Goodyear and her son Michael Buenoano. Judy received $28,000 in military life insurance benefits and military death benefits to help support the family. When her son Michael turned eighteen, he joined the US Army. On his way to his post in Georgia, he stopped in to visit his mother Judy, she fed him, and afterwards he became ill. The illness led to a crippling condition that left him paralyzed in his lower extremities and he was subsequently discharged from the Army as a Private. Michael was disabled and Judy was taking care of him. On May 13, 1980 Judy took Michael for a canoe ride. Judy reported to local authorities that her canoe capsized and her son Michael had drowned. She collected $125,000 in military life insurance benefits for her son’s death.

In June 1983, Judy was suspected in the car bombing of her fiancé John Gentry of Pensacola, Florida. She stood to gain $500,000 in life insurance money for this death. Judy Buenoano was first convicted of the attempted murder of John Gentry. As a result of her involvement in the attempted murder of John, investigators looked into the ‘accidental deaths’ of her husband James Goodyear and her son Michael. They exhumed John’s body a decade later and an autopsy revealed he had been poisoned with arsenic. Testimony revealed long-term arsenic poisoning had actually caused her son Michael’s disability. And when Judy drowned him, he was wearing an extra 15 pounds of weighted braces. Judy reportedly admitted to being involved in the 1978 death of her boyfriend Bobby Joe Morris as well. She received $50,000 in life insurance benefits for his death. Judy Buenoano was found guilty of first degree murder and sentenced to death. She was executed by the electric chair in Florida on March 30, 1998. Judy Buenoano was motivated by money, profit, and greed.

Source: ‘Dark Secrets’ Deadly Women, Investigation Discovery

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‘Black Widow’ Judy Buenoano Executed by the State of Florida for Three Homicides; First Woman to Die by Death Penalty in Florida Since 1848 (March 30, 1998)

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