“The commander of the 2nd Bomb Wing at Barksdale Air Force Base issued a statement Wednesday afternoon expressing deep concern for the safety of the military members and their families assigned to BAFB in light of the recent murders of five Barksdale Airmen and/or their spouses. ‘I’ve been stationed at eight installations in my 25-year Air Force career and I have never experienced as many murders involving Airmen and their families,’ said Air Force Col. Michael A. Miller.” Read more from Ark-La-Texhere.
TSgt Joshua Kidd, U.S. Air Force: died September 25, 2018, murdered outside home, DNA links two teens to murder, Jareona Crosby and Alonzo Wilson charged with second degree murder, awaiting trial
TSgt Kelly Jose, U.S. Air Force Reserve and spouse Heather Jose: died November 8, 2018, murdered after giving a guy they met at the shopping mall a ride, found slain in a burned out car, Dewayne Willie Watkins, 34, was indicted in connection with the robbery, kidnapping, and murder, charged with two counts of second degree murder, state seeking the death penalty
Antonio Williams (spouse of civil servant Airman Ivy Shelby-Williams): died June 22, 2019, gunned down while delivering mail to Michael Gentry at his home in Shreveport’s South Highlands neighborhood, Michael Gentry, 32, arrested after the shooting & charged with second-degree murder
TSgt Perry Bailey, U.S. Air Force: died June 30, 2019, murdered in Shreveport residence, the female homeowner said her former boyfriend, Brandan Brown, broke into the residence through the master bedroom window and shot her current boyfriend Perry Bailey, Brown died by suicide
27 year-old Ashley Melnyczok is a single mother. Her daughter is her life’s joy. In June 2015, Ashley is murdered in her Colorado Springs home. While hunting for clues, police hunt down a cast of dangerous characters and uncover a heinous plot. -Murder Behind Closed Doors, Grave Mysteries (S2,E3)
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.
When a serial rapist targets military spouses, NCIS agents race against time before he strikes again. -Ruthless, 48 Hours
It is believed that Willie Abner Brown committed 12 sexual assaults in the Jacksonville, North Carolina area, five of them were Marine spouses. After the similarities in reports were observed, the Jacksonville Police Department created a Task Force with Camp Lejeune and Naval Criminal Investigation Services (NCIS) because they felt the cases were connected. The Marine Corps leadership at Camp Lejeune were very concerned that there was a serial rapist on the loose because five different military spouses reported being attacked, four were attacked while their husband’s were deployed. The attacker also stole money and debit and credit cards from his victims. Investigators were able to identify Willie Brown via video surveillance while he was using one of the victim’s credit cards at a local convenience store. They learned Brown was a janitor at Camp Lejeune.
The police picked Brown up for a traffic violation and brought him to the station for fraudulent use of one of the victim’s credit cards. The Jacksonville Police Department knew exactly who Willie Brown was because of his long rap sheet. They could prove the theft but they wanted to prove the multiple rapes so they set up a war room to gather and collect information that would help them substantiate that Willie Brown was involved in the sexual assaults as well. They interviewed every victim they could to get a better understanding of the modus operandi of the serial attacker. Investigators also searched Brown’s house and his girlfriend’s house and found items that connected Willie to the victims and the weapon they believe was used in one of the attacks. The victim’s were relieved Willie was finally caught and couldn’t harm anyone else.
Willie Abner Brown
The prosecutor was only able to prove that Willie was connected to four of the twelve sexual assaults. DNA evidence specifically connected Willie Brown to some of the victims. During trial, Willie Brown took the stand to defend himself and he maintained his innocence. He admitted to the robbery but not the sexual assaults. And he told the jury he was sexually assaulted as a child and couldn’t physically carry out the attacks. After a day of deliberation, the jury found Willie Brown guilty on March 13, 2014 of multiple felony charges including rape. He was also convicted of assaulting one of the victims with a deadly weapon. Willie Brown was sentenced to prison for 410 years. “You have to fight for your story, you have to fight for your word.” One of the victims said even if they can’t do anything with your case, you should still report it because someday someone else will report and the cases will be connected.
Editor’s Note: If you would like to watch the full episode of ‘Ruthless,’ please visit the CBS All Access website, visit the 48 Hours website, or download the 48 Hours app on your iPad. The most recent episodes are unlocked on the 48 Hours website and app. If you would like to watch past episodes on the 48 Hours app, it cost’s $4.99 a year. There’s programming dating back to 2005 on the 48 Hours app, including some classics, to feed your true crime addiction.
Offenders: Jhaden Davis, 21, US Navy, Camp Lejeune, NC (GUILTY, Sentenced to LWOP) Joseph Pirrotta, 24, Navy Veteran, Beaufort, NC (GUILTY, Accessory to Murder) Brandon Smallwood, 23, US Navy, Camp Lejeune, NC (GUILTY, Accessory After the Fact)
The homicides of father and son Duane and Albert Correll in Beaufort, North Carolina were featured on Investigation Discovery. Duane and Albert were both shot on June 2, 2012 in the course of a robbery. Duane was born in Michigan and his love for fishing brought him to North Carolina; shortly after arriving, he met his wife. They had Albert a couple years later and he joined Duane’s wife’s daughter Andrea. Eventually, the couple split and Andrea lived with her mom and Albert lived with his father. Duane hurt his back and was disabled so he had a hard time working. Albert got a job and went to work so his father wouldn’t have too. They were close and bonded over their love for fishing. It was especially tragic that the pair would be discovered together with gunshots. Albert wasn’t breathing and Duane was dying, yet more concerned about the health of his son.
Albert and Duane were rushed to the hospital; Albert was pronounced dead at the scene. They had both been shot in the chest. The police began their investigation and learned that they had just returned from Wal-Mart. Investigators wondered if they got in an altercation and were followed home. They didn’t find any weapons at the scene. They started interviewing the 911 callers but nobody actually saw what went down. One witness said he saw a gray vehicle and two individuals, one was confronting Albert. The confrontation lead to gunshots and the witness ran into their home to call the police. It was too dark to get a good look at the suspects before they took off. Then another witness came forward and said they were dead because of her. A woman claimed that her ex was jealous of Albert and said he was going to kill him. The police wanted to speak to him.
The day before, Kevin Connor sent Albert some threatening texts. It read “you won’t live to see the sunrise” so the police set out to find him. Albert’s girlfriend told police where he lived; he was roommates with Joseph Pirrotta. When police arrived at their home, they located three individuals inside. They cleared the apartment and Kevin wasn’t there. Joseph was home with a couple of his friends. He recently had been in the Navy and was stationed at Camp Lejeune but had been dishonorably discharged due to drug use two weeks prior. Joseph informed the police that Kevin no longer lived at the residence but he had his phone number. He was asked to call him, he answered and informed Joseph where he was at. The police immediately went to apprehend him. Kevin said he didn’t do anything but was willing to cooperate with the police.
Kevin told them he heard that Albert was shot; he used his girlfriend and other friends as his alibi for the day. He acknowledged he had problems with Albert and admitted to sending him a threatening text but denied killing him. Kevin had an airtight alibi and was absolutely cleared. Surveillance video footage at Wal-Mart did not indicate any suspicious activity and like Kevin was another dead end. That same night, Duane Correll didn’t make it and died. The police visited with Albert’s mother the next day and she had just recently learned that Albert and Duane had died; she was not doing well and in complete disbelief. The family couldn’t think of anyone who held a grudge against them and would want to murder them. The police went back to Albert’s girlfriend and learned that she had a brief fling with Jhaden Davis and he may have something to do with it.
Nicki told detectives things didn’t end well with Jhaden because he accused her of taking $300 from his bedroom and for some reason he decided to go after Albert thinking he could get the money out of him. A couple weeks before the homicides, Jhaden called Albert demanding his money. He told him to pay up or it wasn’t going to be pretty. Investigators learned Jhaden lived in the same apartment as Joseph Pirrotta and another guy named Brandon Smallwood. They were all in the Navy and stationed at Camp Lejeune together. Police went back to the residence to speak with Jhaden and learned he was on base. The roommate shared that Brandon and Jhaden stopped by over the weekend to pay rent; he also said no one had any weapons. They reached out to NCIS because they didn’t have jurisdiction on base and needed NCIS agents to assist them.
Local police interviewed Jhaden first and he claimed he was on base all weekend but there was no way to prove or disprove this but Jhaden was off-duty on the night of the murders. Brandon admitted that they did leave base for little while and went into town. Jhaden and Brandon were told not to leave the base. Police subpoenaed the phone records of Pirrotta, Davis and Smallwood. They also reinterviewed the friends hanging out at their apartment that night. During the interview, they suspected one of them was hiding something. They showed her pictures of the victims and were able to push her to the point that she decided to tell them everything. She told them Jhaden used her car prior to the murders. Jhaden left the apartment with Joseph Pirrotta. Jhaden returned a little after 10 p.m., a few minutes after the 911 calls. Jhaden & Pirrotta left the apartment and went back to Camp Lejeune. The next morning Jhaden came back and confessed.
Jhaden Davis told Victoria that he shot both Albert and Duane. It appeared that he was bragging and he implied to her that she better keep it quiet because now she knows what he was capable of. When confronted, Davis wouldn’t budge and said he was on base the whole time. Brandon said Davis and Pirrotta asked him if he wanted to go with them. Pirrotta was confronted and he spilled the beans on everything. He admitted that Davis wanted his $300 and revenge. They surprised Albert and Duane and then ambushed them; the Correll’s had no idea who was behind them. Davis first hit Albert with the butt of the gun, then shot Duane who was trying to protect Albert. Afterward, Davis shot Albert in the chest two times because Albert was the main target. Pirrotta said he thought they were going to rob them, not murder them. Davis took the money out of Albert’s wallet and Pirrotta told them where it was located.
Prosecutors moved forward with cases against Jhaden Davis, Joseph Pirrotta, and Brandon Smallwood. In July 2017, Jhaden Davis was convicted of two counts of first-degree murder and sentenced to two life sentences without the possibility of parole. In December 2017, Joseph Pirrotta pleaded guilty to robbery and accessory after the fact to murder and was sentenced to ten years in prison. In March 2018, Brandon Smallwood pleaded guilty to felony obstruction of justice and was sentenced to five to fifteen months, with credit for time served. Albert and Duane’s family feel like the whole thing was so senseless, all over a girl and $300. Albert and Duane Correll will not be forgotten. The family left behind loves and misses them and still waits for their calls.
ID Go: A dying man calls 911 saying he’s been shot in the heart, and his son has also been shot dead. The shooter escapes into the darkness, and as detectives investigate, they navigate a complex group of suspects to uncover a tangled web of rage and revenge. -Hearts of Darkness, Murder Calls (S3,E5)
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.
US Army veteran, Robert Burgess, 56, is accused of fatally shooting William Charles Smith in the head during an attempted robbery on August 28, 2016 in Chicago, Illinois. He is awaiting trial and being held in prison without bail.
Left to right: Dustin Mincy, Roman Alred, Mykal Hall, Aaran Perry (photo courtesy http://www.usjag.org)
Fort Carson Army soldiers Dustin Mincy, 20, Roman Alred, 20, Mykal Hall, 19, and Aaron Perry, 21, were arrested and charged with suspicion of first-degree burglary, felony menacing, and child abuse on July 24, 2016 in Colorado Springs, Colorado.
“I knew what my fate was. I was going to be murdered.” -Norman Early III
On the morning of September 20, 2015, Diana Reyes lured Norman Early III into her home so her husband and his friends could “pay him a lesson” for an alleged affair Early had with Reyes while her husband was deployed overseas with the US Marine Corps. Early claims that he thought she was separated and getting a divorce. He even stated that he loved her and although they were involved romantically, he never slept with her. Reyes on the other hand sat in a room in the house and listened to him being beat by her husband and his Marine buddies. Norman Early sustained an orbital fracture, his eye was bruised and swollen shut, and he had numerous contusions to his head and body. Marines Sergio Medina, Rodrigo Sanchez, and Leonardo Ortiz were initially charged with several felonies, including attempted murder, kidnapping, and torture. The attempted murder and kidnapping charges were dismissed during the preliminary hearing. Their lawyers accepted a plea deal for first-degree robbery. Lance Cpl. Sergio Medina was sentenced to 6 years in prison. Lance Cpl. Rodrigo Sanchez and Lance Cpl. Leonardo Ortiz were sentenced to 3 years in prison. Military officials said all three were discharged from the Marine Corps.
When an elderly Vietnam vet is stabbed to death, Seattle detectives expose a crime ring led by a Gypsy con woman and killer. Finally she’s exposed for defrauding millions from her victims and murdering those who’ve stood in her way. -Senseless in Seattle, Killer Instinct with Chris Hansen (S1,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.
Ashley Melnyczok, Colorado Springs, Colorado (photo: Investigation Discovery)
On June 3, 2015, Ashley Melnyczok was found stabbed to death in her Colorado Springs, Colorado apartment. She had been stabbed four times, twice in the neck and twice in the back; the killer also put a plastic bag over her head causing suffocation. Ashley was discovered by her friend who was initially considered a suspect but he was quickly ruled out. With no known suspects, detectives started doing a victimology to learn more about Ashley and her life. They learned that Ashely had a rocky relationship with the father of her daughter, Jason Connor, and had lost custody as a result of the tumultuous relationship. But Ashley was determined to get custody of her daughter and began to make positive changes to improve her life. She got a new waitressing job, a new apartment, and was determined to fight off depression in an effort to provide stability for her daughter. Jason was also ruled out as a suspect.
When investigators looked into Ashley’s criminal history, they found multiple domestic violence incidents and a pending domestic violence case against Joseph Kimsey. Kimsey, 23, was an Army soldier stationed at Fort Carson and according to Army leadership was nowhere to be found and considered Absent without Leave (AWOL). In the course of the investigation, investigators also learned that Ashley’s car was missing so they were on the hunt for it. And eventually, two individuals were pulled over in the stolen car. When police asked where they got the car, the pair claimed that Jonathon “JP” Nelson gave it to them. This was the same person a witness said answered Ashley’s door on June 1st. According to records, JP Nelson was dishonorably discharged from the Army a couple years earlier and had a pending criminal case; he was accused of hitting a female in the back of the head with a sledgehammer. JP was apprehended and arrested by police after trying to make entry into Ashley’s apartment with a large duffel bag.
While JP Nelson was in county jail, an inmate contacted detectives to inform them JP had confessed to the murder and said he didn’t do it alone. They knew the inmate was being truthful because he revealed a detail about the homicide that had been kept from the press. When pressed for a name, he could only provide them with a nickname “Pony Boy” so police set out to find out who Pony Boy was. About a month after the homicide, Ashley’s ex-boyfriend Joseph Kimsey was arrested for failure to appear in court. When interviewed, police learned that Kimsey was Pony Boy and that Nelson and Kimsey served in the Army together at Fort Carson. They were also both in county jail at the same time. JP Nelson bonded out on May 1st but he continued to stay in contact with Kimsey who was still in jail. The two of them initially schemed to rob Ashley to get money for Kimsey’s bond but Ashley didn’t take the bait.
Kimsey was released from county jail on June 1st. He made contact with Ashley and she agreed to meet with him at her new apartment, but he didn’t go alone. Once inside, Kimsey and JP Nelson demanded that Ashley open her safe but she refused so the pair attacked her. Ashley fought hard for her life and as a result it took two of them to kill her. The prosecution theorized that the bag was put over her head to keep her quiet. Both Jonathon Nelson and Joseph Kimsey were charged with first degree murder. A fingerprint in Ashley’s blood tied Jonathon Nelson directly to the murder. Investigators ascertained that JP returned to Ashley’s apartment two days later to dismember and dispose of Ashley’s body, instead he was spotted and arrested. In 2017, both Jonathon Nelson and Joseph Kimsey were found guilty of first degree murder and sentenced to life in prison without parole.
Jonathon Nelson (Dishonorably Discharged Army Veteran)
Joseph Kimsey, U.S. Army
Investigation Discovery:
ID Go: 27 year-old Ashley Melnyczok is a single mother. Her daughter is her life’s joy. In June 2015, Ashley is murdered in her Colorado Springs home. While hunting for clues, police hunt down a cast of dangerous characters and uncover a heinous plot. -Murder Behind Closed Doors, Grave Mysteries (S2,E3)
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.
Army veteran Joseph Jeremy Weber, 28, was shot and killed in Sunnyvale, California by police on April 8th, 2015 after an alleged liquor-store robbery. Apparently, Weber was shot and killed by the police because he was wielding a knife despite being asked to drop the weapon multiple times. Authorities released that Joseph Jeremy Weber was a disabled veteran reportedly dealing with post-traumatic stress disorder. The confrontation was preceded by a 911 call reporting a robbery where a man took a pack of cigarettes at knifepoint from a clerk at Grewalz Liquor & Groceries. The police say the suspect continued to move toward an officer while holding a knife and this is what prompted the 13-year police veteran to open fire. Joseph Jeremy Weber later died at the hospital.
The first officer on scene confronted the suspect in an alley and the police radio recordings reveal the officer reported that the suspect was about 50 feet away at that moment. Joseph Jeremy Weber refused to drop the knife and moments later, the officers reported shots were fired and the suspect was down. The Sunnyvale Department of Public Safety contended the suspect closed the distance during the gap in transmissions. The officer’s attorney stated, “Even when (the suspect) was advancing, [the] officer was still giving commands. The suspect was within range to inflict death or great bodily injury. There’s no question.” The officer was placed on paid administrative leave, which is routine in all officer-involved shootings. The outcome of the investigation is unknown.
MILITARY JUSTICE FOR ALL 