ID Go: A young Army recruit enlists with dreams of serving her country. What she doesn’t expect is to find love with a commanding officer in her platoon. The two battle to keep their forbidden affair secret but can they defeat the enemy within? -Love is a Battlefield, Forbidden: Dying for Love (S3, 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.
This post was inspired by International Men’s Day and a quest to find the truth on the internet. Are men in the US the majority of the victims of crimes?
This research was inspired by the above graphic. My initial research so far for the military backs these numbers so I feel that it is fair to say more men in the military are victims of crimes than women. We have more military men than women so that only makes sense. By the numbers we have roughly 85% males and 15% females. We know more military men have died by suicide or “non combat death” while in service than military women. We know male veterans make up the majority of the homeless mostly due to mental health and substance abuse issues. We don’t know the percentage of men in the military who have been murdered versus the number of female service members. But we do know that the research so far reveals more men are murdered than military women while serving. The number that may throw this off is how many military men are murdering their spouses and significant others and/or members of their family. So more research has to be done.
The Department of Defense hasn’t included the military spouses in the data thus far nor have they included civilians who have been victims of crime by military members. But we know they exist because we try to track all victims of crime perpetrated by a military member on this website in an effort to honor them. Today we featured 30 cases of domestic abuse that led to the homicide of a female spouse or soldier. We have concerns about domestic violence in general especially since we learned that upwards of 40% of males are victims of domestic violence in the United States. We believe it. Since the majority of members in the military are males, we have found multiple cases of men getting targeted by mostly female civilians and then abused and murdered for their benefits and life insurance. In some cases they reported the domestic violence but in most cases they don’t. Why are men less likely to report when they are a victim of domestic violence? Are they being threatened? For example, “I will ruin your career” comes to mind. This is something that needs to be explored further.
Our new concern is that military men are being falsely accused of sex crimes in an effort to make divorce go in the spouses favor or they have been exploited by a service member looking for a new assignment, to get out of a financial obligation, to get an early retirement, and also the Department of Veterans Affairs financial monthly benefits, about $3,000 a month for someone who is 100% disabled. Although sexual assault isn’t specifically mentioned in the above graphic, we also know that the majority of military men are victims of sexual assault and rape but are the least likely to report. We’ve also learned that about a 1/3 of female victims of crime in the military report and 60% of those females report they experienced both perceived personal and professional retaliation as a result of that report, in a lot of cases the report eventually ends the career. And this may be why so many victims of sexual harassment, sexual assault, and rape in the military do not report, specifically men. The military career is an investment that most of us don’t want meddled with.
The military career is our retirement plan, it’s a financial asset. We don’t want to risk losing our careers in the long run because we know a report of a crime or a diagnosis of Post Traumatic Stress Disorder will make us “unfit for service.”
Our number one goal was to find out if more males are victims of violent crime than females, not that it matters because all people are important. But if you try to find the statistics out there, you will find that they are buried by media reports of how many women are murdered by intimate partner violence, pregnant women are especially at risk. Whereas males are more likely to be the victim of a crime perpetrated by a stranger. Make sure and check out The Red Pill trailer below to find out why Men’s Rights Advocates are fighting for their fellow males. Women do it all the time and there’s no reason they can’t either but they are getting judged, villianized, and demonized for their very important and necessary work. It’s time to step it up for men who die by homicide and suicide; and it’s time we teach them it’s okay to reach out for help whether they have combat PTSD or were a victim of crime.
Broad studies have revealed certain trends within crime and victimization patterns. Adolescents are most likely to be victimized. Men become crime victims more often than women do, and blacks experience more crime than other racial groups. –National Institute of Justice
More men are murdered than women, mostly gun violence
Men are more likely to be murdered by a stranger than a women
Women are more likely to be murdered by an intimate partner
Pregnant women are at most risk of homicide by an intimate partner
More men than women are raped and sexually assaulted in the military
More men than women in the US are raped if you include prisons
Men make up 40% of domestic violence cases in the US
Even if you do go forward with a case and it’s adjudicated in your favor, it’s the retaliation that kicks our ass and de-rails our careers. Why is this happening? If you wonder why some who have been assaulted have severe PTSD, it’s the retaliation compounding the original trauma. And if you don’t report and try and soldier on, it catches up with you anyways in the form of behavioral issues and suicidal ideation. How do we stop the retaliation in the military from happening so victims of crimes feel safe to report?
Two can keep a secret, if one of them is dead. These Deadly Women think they’ve committed the perfect murders when they “Hit and Run.” -Hit and Run, Deadly Women (S11, E6)
Dateline:
Preview: The death of a beloved Tennessee man is believed to be a suicide. But when a son questions his mother, he uncovers a dark family conspiracy. Keith Morrison reports. -Secrets in the Smoky Mountains, Dateline NBC (October 24, 2016)
Oxygen:
Preview: Robert McClancy was found dead in his home, but was it suicide triggered from his PTSD, did his best friend who found him turn out to be the one who killed him, or was it his seemingly loving wife behind it all? -Martha Ann McClancy, Snapped (S21, E2)
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.
Robert McClancy was found dead in his home, but was it suicide triggered from his PTSD, did his best friend who found him turn out to be the one who killed him, or was it his seemingly loving wife behind it all? -Martha Ann McClancy, Snapped (S21, E2)
Charles ‘Chuck’ Kaczmarczyk called the police after finding his friend, Robert McClancy, dead in his home from what appears to be suicide, but something didn’t seem right. -Martha Ann McClancy, Snapped (S21, E2)
Actual footage from the sentencing of Martha McClancy. -Martha Ann McClancy, Snapped (S21, E2)
Catch up with the key players after the verdict. -Martha Ann McClancy, Snapped (S21, E2)
A churchgoing southern woman loses her husband to tragedy, but a cloud of suspicion haunts her new marriage and leads investigators to a new conclusion. -Martha Ann McClancy, Snapped (S21, E2)
Dateline:
Preview: The death of a beloved Tennessee man is believed to be a suicide. But when a son questions his mother, he uncovers a dark family conspiracy. Keith Morrison reports. -Secrets in the Smoky Mountains, Dateline NBC (October 24, 2016)
Investigation Discovery:
ID Go: Two can keep a secret, if one of them is dead. These Deadly Women think they’ve committed the perfect murders when they “Hit and Run.” -Hit and Run, Deadly Women (S11, E6)
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.
Preview: A man finds himself living between hostile neighbors on both sides, including a former marine with severe PTSD. Their campaign of intimidation ramps up to the point of no return, ending with a deadly confrontation on the street outside their homes. -Monkey in the Middle, Fear Thy Neighbor (S4, E8)
Date: June 10, 2012 Victim: David Wintermyer, 47, retired US Marine Corps, veteran Offender: Spencer Newcomer, 42, employed (self-defense) Location: York, Pennsylvania Circumstances: Spencer Newcomer wouldn’t mow his grass because he wanted to be one with the land and mother nature on his down time, he owns the home his grandfather owned, lots of great memories, Greg Taylor lives next-door to Spencer, Dave Wintermyer inherited his father’s home and moved to the neighborhood on the other side of Spencer, Dave retired from the Marines after twenty years, his long tours overseas ended his marriage, Dave was very proud to be a Marine, he flew the American flag and the USMC flag proudly on his property, Dave wants to play the hero and help others, Spencer’s dad was a Marine too, he served four years, Spencer appreciated Dave’s service because of his dad’s experience, Dave got out of the Marine Corps but he didn’t give up leadership or Marine Corps values, he would do anything for anybody, Dave would clear everyone’s driveways when it snowed, he became the guardian of the street, Dave would look after people’s homes when they were gone, Spencer’s dogs started pooping on Dave’s lawn, Spencer denied that it was his dog, Greg said Spencer’s dogs pooped in his yard as well, the neighbors confirmed Spencer’s dogs did not stay in his yard, Spencer found Dave in his yard one day, Dave was burning brush in his yard and blasting music, Dave told Spencer he didn’t like his dogs, on another occasion Dave took Spencer’s ladder without his permission and Spencer confronted him about it, Dave thought he was Mayor of Yorkland, Greg got more and more obsessive with his property, Greg and Dave started ganging up on Spencer about his overgrown property, Dave mowed his lawn every week, Greg and Dave had disdain for Spencer’s yard, Dave asked Spencer countless times to keep his dogs off his lawn but Spencer brushed it off as if he didn’t care, Dave approached Spencer one day and told him he had enough of his dog’s pooping on his property, Dave told Spencer he was a Marine and he was not and he needed to respect that, he threatened Spencer, but Spencer didn’t appear to care that he was offending anyone or if his dogs were bothering Dave, Spencer became more wary of Dave’s behavior, it got stranger and stranger, neighbors thought Spencer’s shed was an eye sore and needed to be torn down, Dave was worried that termites would get into his backyard, Spencer didn’t think it was a big deal because no one could see it, Greg was anal and wanted everyone’s stuff to look like his, Greg and Dave acted like they owned the block, Spencer met Bonnie Henderson and eventually asked her to move in with him, she loved his untamed yard, she noticed some of the yards in the neighborhood were immaculate, Dave was angry about his weeds growing six feet tall, Greg hatched a plan with Dave and they reported Spencer to the township, they complained about the weeds in the backyard and the inspector told him he needed to cut down the weeds, he was fined $600, this was just the beginning of their campaign of harassment, someone knocked over Spencer’s woodpile in his backyard while they were not home, the township does not allow boats or jet skis on the property, both Dave and Greg got fined for this, Dave got angry at the town for enforcing the law about his jet skis, another neighbor got fined as well for having a boat in his yard, they thought Spencer was the one reporting them but he denied it, according to Spencer’s girlfriend, he doesn’t like confrontation, Dave started venting on social media about the situation, speaking in a threatening tone, ranting about government overreach, authorities deduced that he suffered from some form of PTSD based on his social media rantings, Dave’s ex-wife didn’t deny that Dave most likely had PTSD after multiple deployments, Dave ranted to Spencer about getting fined by the township, Greg and Dave targeted Spencer and constantly tried to stir things up in the neighborhood, someone flattened Spencer’s tire and vandalized his property, they wrote graffiti all over his windows, the behavior was getting worse and escalating, Spencer called the police to report the harassment, one night they discovered both of Spencer’s dogs were poisoned, they survived but this made Spencer angry, they were scared too, Spencer didn’t know who to trust, Greg wanted to talk to Spencer and Greg said things had gone too far, he said he wanted to live in peace, Greg told Spencer he had nothing to do with any of the vandalism and blamed it all on Dave, he threw Dave under the bus, Greg was instigating Dave to do more and take more action, he used Dave to fuel the fire, he was feeding Dave stuff so he would call the township, Dave wasn’t a bad guy but he had demons that he struggled with, it appeared Dave’s demons were winning the battle, he admitted on social media he couldn’t sleep, Dave’s ex-wife said people with PTSD have triggers, when those triggers happen, it takes them to a very different place, they react on those triggers in a lot of different ways, Dave glared at Spencer and girlfriend when they were in the backyard, Spencer started carrying a pistol because he feared for himself in his backyard, he was protecting himself and his property, he had a permit but never had an occasion to draw a weapon on anyone, things get worst when Bonnie’s rabbit was mutilated, Greg continued to gaslight Dave into taking action, it felt like an act of terrorism to Spencer, they said Spencer was weak, had no guts and the pair were closing in on him, Dave continued to threaten Spencer and his girlfriend and stared at them while they were in their backyard, Spencer didn’t know any way to engage Dave without it escalating to a violent confrontation, Spencer built a wood rack that couldn’t be tipped over, the pair came over and busted up the wood rack, Greg was constantly egging on Dave who had a more aggressive personality, Spencer decided to take action, he called the police and they said there was nothing they could do about it, it added fuel to the fire for Dave, Greg continued to gaslight Dave to take action including harming him if he showed up on their property, Spencer had no idea they were texting each other and egging each other on, Dave started screaming at Bonnie and told her he was going to force her to eat their own dog crap, he was enticing Spencer to come and fight him, Bonnie was fearful because Dave appeared unhinged, Greg watched everything from his property, the police believed their goal was to kill Spencer, Spencer was running late one day and Greg was trying to hold him up, Dave came at Spencer on the road, told him he was sick of his dogs, Spencer tried to diffuse the situation, Dave threatened to kill his dogs so Spencer stopped his vehicle to deal with the situation and protect his dogs and property, Spencer felt backed in a corner as Dave aggressively came at him, Spencer pulled his gun out to defend himself, Spencer saw rage and said Dave looked unhinged, Dave pulled out what looked like a pistol from his pocket and Spencer shot him four times in the chest, but it wasn’t a pistol, it was a cell phone, Spencer called 911 and explained the situation, Spencer was afraid Dave was going to kill him, Spencer was arrested by the police and he was charged with murder, Spencer was held in solitary confinement and waited nine months for a trial, the DA was considering the death penalty, but the defense subpoenaed Dave’s cell phone records and discovered a series of texts between Dave and Greg planning an attack on Spencer, Dave was planning on a confrontation, this new evidence helped the jury decide that Spencer was innocent, but Dave’s ex-wife said the jurors didn’t get to see the real side of Dave, Spencer returned to his home, Greg was never charged with any crime but neighbors believed he was 90% of the reason for all this, Spencer feels isolated by the community and said he regrets that it came to this, he didn’t want this to happen but he felt like he didn’t have a choice Disposition: Spencer Newcomer was found not guilty of manslaughter in March 2013
David Wintermyer, U.S. Marine Corps Retired (Photo: Investigation Discovery)
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.
I cannot in good conscience remain silent about the treatment of our wounded and injured service members and their families. I am writing this letter on behalf of my husband Sgt. Thomas Lee. He medically retired from the Delaware National Guard’s 153rd MP Company in August 21, 2016. He deployed to Afghanistan January to September 2013. Upon returning from deployment he was sent to the Wounded Transition Battalion (WTB) at Fort Belvoir, VA in October 2013 for neck, back, shoulder, skin and stomach issues. The time frame for service members to spend at the WTB is approximately 12 months; my husband was there for 3 years. When my husband arrived, there were around 300 service members there. Every service member is assigned a nurse case manager who oversees the scheduling of appointments and does weekly check-ins with them. The nurse case manager’s job is to support and facilitate the care of service members; however, often they are misleading and at times lying to get information which is used by the command against the service members. The WTB does not promote an atmosphere of healing but rather one of harassment and punishment, where they provide the bare minimum of care, distribute medications and focus on the symptoms rather than diagnose and treat the actual issues. The WTB along with Fort Belvoir Community Hospital has failed my husband along with countless other service members. Our service members and families sacrifice so much for our country and it is a shame to see how they get treated when they return from combat broken physically and mentally.
My husband and I lived through a nightmare for the past 3 years, he was fortunate enough to survive 2 deployments only to be permanently disabled by a military doctor here in the states. Do you know what it’s like to watch helplessly someone you love whose served their country go from injured to permanently damaged and not to be able to hold any one accountable? My husband came to the WTB with 2 careers, 21 years with the Postal Service and 18 years of military service, he left the WTB unable to return to either career. Below are the events that forever changed our lives.
Army veteran Marinna Rollins, 23, was found dead of an apparent suicide on May 7, 2017 in Fayetteville, North Carolina. According to reports, Rollins was medically retired from the Army with Post Traumatic Stress Disorder after a traumatic event while stationed in South Korea. Rollins was involved in the execution style killing of her estranged husband’s dog Huey around April 16 or 17. The harrowing incident was filmed and released to the public resulting in worldwide coverage. Marinna and her accomplice, Jarren Heng, were both facing felony charges in court. Jarren Heng is an active duty soldier stationed at Fort Bragg and he still faces felony charges, although the conspiracy charge was dropped after Marinna died. Meanwhile a Facebook page was created called Justice for Huey and they are also petitioning the Army to take action. According to Marinna’s estranged husband, Matt Dyer, Marinna was watching the dog for him while he was in South Korea but at some point decided she wanted to keep the dog and didn’t want to give Huey back.
Meanwhile, she registered the dog as an emotional support animal. Matt shared that he was okay with her keeping the dog because he thought Huey would be good for her PTSD. Matt and Justice for Huey have been empathetic of Marinna and believe that had Jarren Heng never entered her life, this would not have happened. Matt expressed that he was aware that Jarren hated Huey and was controlling of Marinna. Marinna and Matt grew up together in Windham, Maine and were still technically married as their divorce had not been finalized yet. Initially it appears that Marinna did try and find a home for the dog with no success. Matt thinks Jarren Heng convinced Marinna to get rid of the dog. Did Jarren Heng pressure her to get rid of the dog because it was her soon to be ex-husband’s dog? We may never know the answer to that question but nonetheless this is a very heartbreaking situation: an innocent dog lost a life, another soldier with Post Traumatic Stress lost her life, and Matt lost his childhood friend & wife and his dog.
MILITARY JUSTICE FOR ALL 