N.H. man indicted in connection with death of Air National Guard commander

On October 30, 2024 By AdministratorIn Armed Forces, Felony Crime, Homicide, National Guard, Non Combat Death, Stateside DeathLeave a comment

Dateline Premiered ‘The Intruder’ on NBC: Army Veteran Gregory Owens Convicted of the Attempted Murder of Wife Rachel in Maine (June 2, 2017)

On June 2, 2017September 4, 2018 By AdministratorIn Armed Forces, Army, Domestic Violence, Felony Crime, Homicide, In Their NameLeave a comment

Preview: When shots ring out at a home in Saco, Maine, Rachel Owens is found shot in the head. Police launch a complex investigation that involves three states, all holding pieces to the puzzle. -The Intruder, Dateline NBC

On December 18, 2014, an intruder wearing a ski mask broke into a Saco, Maine home, went straight upstairs and shot Rachel Owens three times, once in the head. Rachel was still alive when paramedics arrived and she was quickly transported to the hospital. Initially, police suspected this was a home invasion and a shooter was still at large. They needed to inform Rachel’s husband Gregg Owens, who was a decorated veteran from the first Iraq war and a military contractor. The police contacted Gregg Owens in New Hampshire to inform him of what had occurred. Gregg didn’t appear to take the news well and was eager to get to his wife, but first the police wanted to question him. According to Gregg, Rachel was visiting their friends in Maine. He said she had been struggling with her health and needed a getaway. Gregg admitted to police that he worked in counter terrorism and was involved with sensitive security issues. He wondered if his job lead to his wife’s shooting. When the police asked Gregg where he was during the time of the shooting, he said he was at his house all night working on the computer. He also left his home a couple times to go to the store.

Rachel Owens was in the Intensive Care Unit (ICU) for a few days before she stabilized. She had a long road to recovery but she made it despite a bullet that remains in her head. Rachel said she was sleeping when the shooting started and doesn’t remember anything except a “Jamaican hat.” Police had few clues but they did have a footprint outside a window, a hair caught in between two glasses of a window pane, and some bullet casings. After combing the home for forensic evidence, the police theorized this was a targeted shooting and Rachel Owens was the intended victim. They weren’t sure what had happened and then they got a tip from a woman named Betsy in Osh Kosh, Wisconsin. This woman claimed she met Gregg Owens on a flight. They stayed in touch as friends for three years and then when Betsy got divorced, Gregg and Betsy started an intense love affair. Gregg told Betsy he was married and stayed in the marriage because his wife’s health was failing. Meanwhile, Gregg and Betsy dated for five years and Gregg even helped Betsy start her own business called Warrior Princess. Then Betsy discovered that her boyfriend Gregg lied to her when he told her he was going to Afghanistan. Gregg butt dialed her and she learned he wasn’t in Afghanistan, he was with his wife Rachel. Betsy called Gregg and confronted him but he denied it.

Betsy didn’t believe Gregg and told him she was done unless he got a divorce. She said Gregg didn’t take the news well and kept calling her insisting he was going to leave his wife. Once Betsy learned that Gregg’s wife was shot, she called him because she was concerned about him. He told Betsy that he believed someone was targeting people he loved. Greg asked Betsy to “go dark” meaning don’t talk to anyone because they were both “in danger.” Betsy was skeptical but wanted to be safe so she contacted her local police. The investigators in Wisconsin called investigators in Maine because they thought it was important they know that Gregg Owens had been living a double life. And after this revelation, it became clear to federal investigators that Betsy was the motive for the attempted murder. When Rachel and Gregg were due to leave the hospital together and go home, the police arrested Gregg because they were fearful he would finish her off. Gregg Owens was charged in federal court for crossing state lines to commit domestic violence. While imprisoned for his wife’s attempted murder, Gregg reached out to Betsy in the hopes they could continue their relationship after he got out of jail. Gregg professed his undying love for her and told her she was the one. Betsy didn’t believe him and knew that he was playing on her emotions, again.

About a year after the shooting, the court proceedings for Gregg Owens began. In a search of Gregg’s house, the police found a ski mask and bullets that matched the casings at the scene. The DNA recovered from the crime scene was also a match to Gregg. Prosecutors theorized that after Betsy learned the truth about Gregg’s marriage and gave him an ultimatum, Gregg decided he needed out of his marriage to Rachel. The defense illustrated to the courts that there was no identification of Gregg, Gregg’s e-mails appeared to be sent during the time in question, investigators never recovered the gun, and police also couldn’t put Gregg on the highway from New Hampshire to Maine. The defense said Gregg couldn’t have committed the crime and arrived back to Dunkin Donuts in New Hampshire when he did. The DNA was also explained away because Gregg had been to the home before. As it turns out, investigators discovered Gregg tampered with his computer time stamp so he could use it as part of his alibi. The jury wasn’t buying any of it and Gregg Owens was found guilty and sentenced to life in prison. Today, Betsy admits she feels embarrassed that she was connected to Gregg in any way considering her business was created to empower women. Rachel lives with her son and his family. And Gregg is sitting in federal prison appealing his conviction.

Source: ‘The Intruder’ Dateline NBC

In the News:

Police from New Hampshire and Maine are investigating a violent home invasion in a quiet Saco, Maine, neighborhood. -WMUR TV (December 18, 2014)

Police responded early Thursday morning to a home invasion on Hillview Avenue. -WMTW TV (December 18, 2014)

Rachel Owens and Steven Chabot were shot multiple times during a home invasion as Chabot’s Saco home. -WMTW TV (December 19, 2014)

Police have secured the home of a Londonderry woman who was shot and injured in Maine on Thursday. -WMUR TV (December 19, 2014)

The U.S. Attorney’s Office says it has made an arrest in connection with a home invasion and shooting in Saco last month. -WMTW TV (January 12, 2015)

A Londonderry man accused of shooting his wife in Maine feigned a heart attack when he was told his wife had been shot, according to court documents. -WMUR TV (January 15, 2015)

A Londonderry man was found guilty on charges connected to a home-invasion shooting in Saco, Maine, on Dec. 18, 2014. -WMUR TV (February 16, 2016)

Owens was found guilty of interstate domestic violence for a violent home invasion in Saco back in 2014. -WMTW TV (February 16, 2016)

An Army veteran convicted of trying to kill his wife and another person in Maine will spend the rest of his life in prison. -WMUR TV (July 12, 2016)

WMTW’s Katie Thompson reports live from Portland with reaction from Owens’ former wife and son about the judge’s ruling on a life sentence. -WMTW TV (July 12, 2016)

New Hampshire Air National Guardsman MSgt. David Poirier Died of Non-Combat Related Incident in Southwest Asia; Death Ruled Heart Attack (2014)

On February 28, 2014February 7, 2018 By AdministratorIn Armed Forces, In Their Name, Medical, National Guard, Non Combat Death, USAF2 Comments

53e87f7812dba.image — MSgt. David Poirier, Pease Air National Guard, NH

Air National Guard Master Sgt. David Poirier, 52, died from a non-combat related incident on February 28, 2014. There was no location noted in the DoD press release but MSgt. Poirier was assigned to the Al Udeid Air Base in Qatar at the time of his passing. According to Sea Coast Online, MSgt. Poirier was deployed to Southwest Asia when his death occurred but the Air National Guard was not able to release the country due to host nation sensitivities. MSgt. Poirier was a post master from North Smithfield, Rhode Island. MSgt. Poirier was supporting Operation Enduring Freedom on behalf of the 157th Operations Support Squadron at Pease Air National Guard Base in New Hampshire. On March 5, 2014, news reports indicated that MSgt. Poirier died of a heart attack while serving overseas.

Deadly Women Premiered ‘Master Manipulators’ on ID: Female Killer Sheila LaBarre Sentenced to Life in Prison for Two Homicides (September 16, 2010)

On September 16, 2010August 24, 2019 By AdministratorIn Armed Forces, Army, Felony Crime, Homicide, In Their Name, True Crime, VeteransLeave a comment

Preview: This cougar uses her feminine wiles to get the attention of young men, breaks them down and leaves their remains. -Master Manipulators, Deadly Women (S4,E6)

Podcast:

14 :: Sheila LaBarre Part 1 :: w\ Kate from Ignorance Was Bliss

15 :: Sheila LaBarre Part 2 :: w\ Kate from Ignorance Was Bliss

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.

Sheila LaBarre Murdered Army Veteran Kenneth Countie at Epping, New Hampshire Farm; Sentenced to Life in Prison for Two Homicides (March 21, 2006)

On March 21, 2006August 24, 2019 By AdministratorIn Armed Forces, Army, Domestic Violence, Felony Crime, Homicide, In Their Name, VeteransLeave a comment

Epping, New Hampshire police were looking for a young man reported missing by his family. They searched for him at his last known whereabouts at Sheila LaBarre’s farm in March 2006. During the search of the farm, they found a burn pit still smoldering on the property and what appeared to be human bone and flesh in the burn pit. But, wouldn’t know for sure until it was tested. This was the first clue that a crime had been committed on this property. Epping, NH is typically a quiet New England town, until Sheila LaBarre showed up. Sheila was incredibly confident and charming and caught the attention of wealthy doctor Wilfred ‘Bill’ LaBarre. He placed a lonely hearts ad in a newspaper and Sheila responded with topless photos of herself.

It wasn’t long before she moved from Alabama to Dr. LaBarre’s 100 plus acre horse farm in New Hampshire. After some digging, local reporter Kevin Flynn discovered Sheila was a demanding partner, she was a really mean person, and had an unnatural control over people. People in Dr. LaBarre’s life told him to ditch her but he just couldn’t. She took complete control over him and started asking for Power of Attorney and rewriting the will, eventually she was the executor. A few years later, the Doctor died of what the coroner called heart disease but Bill LaBarre’s family thinks Sheila used poison to speed up the process so she could get her hands on the farm, his Chiropractor business, and other properties he owned in New Hampshire. Despite never marrying Bill LaBarre, Sheila changed her name to his and inherited everything.

Soon Shiela started enticing young men to share the work at the farm, and her bed. Neighbors witnessed what they observed as badly beaten men walking up and down the road near the farm. District Attorney Kristen Wilson said the farm became a sadistic playground because it was isolated and with Sheila, it was always about control. Sheila took advantage of young men and men who were trusting and vulnerable. She went to a homeless shelter initially to find them. In February 2006, Sheila was on the prowl for a new victim, someone innocent and defenseless, someone like Army veteran Kenneth ‘Kenny’ Countie. Kenny’s mother shared that Kenny was indeed a kind and trusting soul. Unfortunately, he had a low IQ and a child like trust that led him into a deadly trap.

Kenny called Shiela about work on the farm and after a few phone calls, he was serious about her. Sheila promised more than just work to entice him and picked him up at his home in Massachusetts. Kenny moved to her New Hampshire farm and was never seen again. Sheila used her seductive qualities to attract her victims, then she isolated them, and then she began the psychological and physical torture. A few nights before 24-year-old Kenny died, Sheila took Kenny shopping at a local Wal-Mart and the employees were concerned. Kenny couldn’t walk, he had bruises all over his face, and his complexion was an odd shade of green. Sheila was making a ruckus at the store so they called the police department but Kenny didn’t ask the police for help when they arrived because he was under Sheila’s spell. After the encounter in the store, Kenny was never seen alive again.

Late one night, Sheila called the police to report that Kenny Countie was a “child molester” and a “pervert.” She seemed frantic and from what the police learned, she obsessively recorded everything she did. She played some tapes for the police over the phone. It sounded as if Kenny was being interrogated and vomiting. Of course, Sheila said he was faking the vomiting and again accused him of being a “pedophile.” The reality was Kenny wasn’t a pedophile or pervert but Sheila had to fantasize that the men she killed were pedophiles so she could justify the murder. Police investigated the situation the next day but didn’t realize Kenny was already dead. Prosecutors theorized that when Kenny finally stood up for himself, it most likely triggered Sheila into a homicidal rage. After police obtained a search warrant, they observed blood spatter and blood smears in the house but didn’t know who it belonged to until it was tested.

They would eventually learn that Sheila calmly sat on the night of March 21, 2006 and watched Kenny Countie burn after she stabbed him, dismembered him, and set his body on fire in her backyard on a mattress. Despite Sheila trying hard to destroy Kenny’s body, forensic evidence gave her away. Police compared the blood spatter found in the home and the bone and flesh found in the burn pit with DNA the U.S. Army had on file and it was a match. During the search of Sheila LaBarre’s property, the police also found a wallet in the septic tank that belonged to Michael Deloge, another young man who had fallen prey to Sheila. In June 2008, Sheila LaBarre was convicted of the pre-meditated murders of Michael Deloge and Kenneth Countie and is currently serving two life sentences in prison. Although prosecutors only had evidence to convict Shelia LaBarre of two murders, it is believed there are more.

In the News:

A Connecticut family is hoping to learn what happened to a loved one who used to live with Sheila LaBarre, the woman accused of killing and dismembering a man on her Epping farm. -WMUR-TV (May 31, 2007)

A woman charged with killing a man and incinerating his body admitted in court that the state has enough evidence to convict her of not one but two killings. -WMUR-TV (February 15, 2008)

The Sheila LaBarre trial got underway with a trip to LaBarre’s Epping farm and the Wal-Mart where Kenneth Countie was last seen alive. -WMUR-TV (February 15, 2008)

A woman charged with killing a man and incinerating his body admitted in court that the state has enough evidence to convict her of not one but two killings. -WMUR-TV (February 15, 2008)

The defense in the Sheila LaBarre trial made their opening statements. -WMUR-TV (May 19, 2008)

Sheila LaBarre appeards to roll her head back and laugh as tape recordings are played in court. -WMUR-TV (May 19, 2008)

Lynn Noojin, Sheila LaBarre’s sister, testified that that two suffered abuse at the hand of their father as they grew up. -WMUR-TV (May 19, 2008)

Sheila LaBarre is sentenced after being found Sane and Guilty in connection with the killings of Michael Deloge and Kenneth Countie. -WMUR-TV (June 27, 2008)

The state Supreme Court heard an appeal Wednesday from a woman convicted of killing two men on her Epping, N.H., farm. -WMUR-TV (January 13, 2010)

The mother of one of the victims of Sheila LaBarre is telling her son’s story, saying he was more than the pictures shown during the trial. -WMUR-TV (May 28, 2010)

The mother of one of Sheila LaBarre’s victims hand-delivered a petition to the state Attorney General’s Office on Friday accusing Epping police of “gross negligence” in how they handled the case. -WMUR-TV (August 31, 2012)

A decade after the arrest of Sheila LaBarre, those who worked the case said the memories are still with them. -WMUR-TV (March 31, 2016)

Arts & Entertainment:

Kevin Flynn discusses his book Wicked Intentions, an account of real-life serial murderer Sheila LaBarre. -MacmillanUSA (April 25, 2011)

14 :: Sheila LaBarre Part 1 :: w\ Kate from Ignorance Was Bliss (July 5, 2018)

How to spot women who are master manipulators so you don’t compromise your values, what you want and end up being manipulated, used, abused, taken advantage of and tossed aside after they are done with you. -Coach Corey Wayne (May 24, 2017)

Investigation Discovery:

Preview: This cougar uses her feminine wiles to get the attention of young men, breaks them down and leaves their remains. -Master Manipulators, Deadly Women (S4,E6)

Video Links:
Searching For Sheila’s Missing Man
LaBarre Admits State Can Convict Of Two Killings
LaBarre Undergoes Third Psychiatric Evaluation
Sheila LaBarre Trial Begins With Trip To Wal-Mart, Farm
Jury Visits Wal-Mart, Farm On Day One Of LaBarre Trial
Part 1: Video Shows Interior Of Sheila LaBarre’s House
Part 2: Video Shows Interior Of Sheila LaBarre’s House
Part 3: Video Shows Interior Of Sheila LaBarre’s House
Part 4: Video Shows Interior Of Sheila LaBarre’s House
Part 5: Video Shows Interior Of Sheila LaBarre’s House
Prosecutors Make Opening Statements In LaBarre Trial
LaBarre Appears To Laugh As Recordings Are Played
Court Ends Early As LaBarre Has Reaction To Tapes
Rogers: LaBarre’s Conversations Had A Pedophilia Theme
Rogers: LaBarre’s Ideas “Outlandish”
Psychiatrist Explains “Rabbit Or Pedophile” Comment
Rogers On Progression Of Deteriorating Mental State
LaBarre’s Defense Makes Openings Statements
LaBarre’s Sister Testifies About Father’s Abuse
Sister Describes LaBarre’s Stay At Hospital
Noojin: LaBarre Thought She Was Reincarnated Witch
Sheila LaBarre Sentenced
Mother Says Countie Was Always Smiling
Lawyers Say Police Violated LaBarre’s Privacy
LaBarre victim’s mother accuses of police of negligence
Sheila LaBarre’s Farm Auctioned Off
Remembering Sheila LaBarre case, 10 years later
Serial Killer Sheila Labarre’s House – Farmhand’s Nightmare
Serial Killer Sheila Labarre, House of Horror Now
Book Trailer for “Wicked Intentions”
Kevin Flynn on Wicked Intentions, the story of Sheila LaBarre
Wicked Intentions: The Sheila LaBarre Murders by Kevin Flynn (A True Story)
Red Flags – Coach Corey Wayne
Master Manipulators – Coach Corey Wayne
Deadly Women – Cougar Seduces, Tortures and Kills Men (Preview)
Master Manipulators | Shiela LaBarre | Female Killers (S4, E6)
Master Manipulators | Deadly Women | Investigation Discovery (website)
Master Manipulators | Deadly Women | Investigation Discovery (Amazon)
Killing Farm | Killer Instinct | Amazon (S1,E4)

Navy Wife Dina Kichler Raped & Murdered in Florida; John Brewer Plead Guilty to Avoid Death Penalty, Sentenced to Life in Prison (December 3, 1990)

On December 3, 1990December 1, 2019 By AdministratorIn Armed Forces, Felony Crime, Homicide, In Their Name, Military Policy, Navy, Sexual AssaultLeave a comment

fullsizerender-2 — Dina Kichler, U.S. Navy Spouse

Navy spouse Dina Kichler was beat, raped and murdered by civilian John Brewer in Mayport, Florida on December 3, 1990. Brewer targeted Dina Kichler months before by befriending her and offering to help her out while her husband was away. The night after her husband Pat Kichler shipped out for six months with the US Navy on the USS Forestall, John Brewer made his move. He stopped by Dina’s residence uninvited and because she knew him she opened the door. John immediately hit her in the face and dragged her upstairs to her bedroom where he beat, raped, and strangled her to death. Her co-workers called the police because they were concerned when Dina didn’t show up for work and they couldn’t get ahold of her. It would be a few years and significant advancements in forensic technology before authorities could prove that John Brewer committed the rape and murder of Dina Kichler. John Brewer was considered a suspect in the murder of Dina Kichler but the prosecutor lacked evidence beyond a reasonable doubt to prove that Brewer committed the crime.

In the meantime, detectives attended a national conference where they discussed unsolved cases with other investigators. After the Florida detectives discussed the Dina Kichler case, New Hampshire detectives recognized the modus operandi of the killer. The methodology of the death was identical to that of Michelle Lafond who was raped and murdered in 1987. Florida police combed through the New Hampshire case file and discovered that John Brewer applied for a job with Michelle’s husband. Meanwhile, the DNA evidence collected from the bodies of both Dina and Michelle were compared to the DNA of known suspects. As a result, John Brewer’s DNA sample was a match to Dina Kichler in Florida and Michelle Lafond in New Hampshire. At this time, Florida prosecutors were able to prove their case beyond a reasonable doubt and John Brewer plead guilty to the rape and first degree murder of Dina Kichler in June 1999 to avoid the death penalty. He also plead guilty to the rape and murder of Michelle Lafond in New Hampshire. John Brewer was given two life sentences.

Investigation Discovery:

In December of 1990, young Navy wife and mother Dina Kichler is found brutalized and strangled in her Mayport, Florida apartment. Investigators work through a list of the victim’s admirers before closing in on the killer. -An Eye for Murder, Unusual Suspects (S7,E7)

MILITARY JUSTICE FOR ALL

Tag: New Hampshire

N.H. man indicted in connection with death of Air National Guard commander

Dateline Premiered ‘The Intruder’ on NBC: Army Veteran Gregory Owens Convicted of the Attempted Murder of Wife Rachel in Maine (June 2, 2017)

Deadly Women Premiered ‘Master Manipulators’ on ID: Female Killer Sheila LaBarre Sentenced to Life in Prison for Two Homicides (September 16, 2010)

Sheila LaBarre Murdered Army Veteran Kenneth Countie at Epping, New Hampshire Farm; Sentenced to Life in Prison for Two Homicides (March 21, 2006)

Navy Wife Dina Kichler Raped & Murdered in Florida; John Brewer Plead Guilty to Avoid Death Penalty, Sentenced to Life in Prison (December 3, 1990)

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