Military Spouse Julie Snodgrass Found Stabbed to Death in the Philippines; Air Force Sgt. Joseph Snodgrass Sentenced to Life in Prison (February 26, 1991)

On February 26, 1991April 11, 2021 By AdministratorIn Armed Forces, Domestic Violence, Felony Crime, Homicide, In Their Name, Military Policy, USAF5 Comments

Julie & Joseph Snodgrass — Julie Snodgrass and MSgt Joseph Snodgrass, U.S. Air Force (Photo: Forensic Files)

Military spouse Julie Snodgrass, 33, was found stabbed to death near Clark Air Force Base in the Philippines on February 26, 1991. Julie was discovered in the cab of her pickup truck on an isolated road off base and an autopsy revealed that she was stabbed more than 42 times. The Air Force Office of Special Investigations (AFOSI) had jurisdiction of the case. During the investigation, they found evidence on Air Force Sgt. Joseph Snodgrass’ work computer that linked him to the crime. AFOSI found a letter addressed to his mistress asking for help with the murder of his wife. He also talked about the life insurance policy he had purchased in the event his wife died. The letter disclosed that Snodgrass elicited the help of his housekeeper (and lover), a Philippine native, to hire three hitmen to carry out the crime. The pair could then be together and live off the $400,000 life insurance pay out. During an interview with AFOSI, Sgt. Snodgrass grabbed the floppy disks and cut them to pieces with some shears.

Computer forensic scientists were able to find a way to put the disks back together so the data was readable again. This was the evidence the Air Force needed to make their murder-for-hire case. In the meantime in June 1991, Mount Pinatubo erupted resulting in layers of volcanic ash falling on Clark Air Force Base and Naval Base Subic Bay. Amidst the chaos, Snodgrass attempted a jail break in August 1991 while awaiting trial but lost his bearings in the ashy mess and eventually surrendered. The eruption’s aftermath triggered the decision to withdraw all American Forces from the Philippines. Joseph Snodgrass pleaded guilty to the solicitation of his wife’s murder and was sentenced to life with no parole in a military prison. As a result of the forensic history made by piecing the floppy disk back together making it usable again, the military changed the policies pertaining to the destruction of classified data on floppy disks. The AFOSI’s “catastrophic blunder” was made right and secure communications destruction policy was changed as a result of the lessons learned when forensic scientists made history.

Forensic Files:

Medical Detectives (Forensic Files) – Season 10, Ep 9: Shear Luck

When the wife of a serviceman was brutally murdered in the Philippines, the Air Force Office of Special Investigators swung into action. Clues led to the victim’s husband, but he insisted he was innocent. Investigators would have to do something unprecedented: Reassemble a 5 1/4 inch computer disk which had been cut to pieces with pinking shears. -Shear Luck, Forensic Files (S10,E9)

Editor’s Note: Full episodes of Forensic Files are available on a variety of media platforms. Medical Detectives Channel features full episodes of Forensic Files on YouTube. You can also find full episodes of Forensic Files on both Netflix and Amazon Prime Video. On Netflix, the seasons are grouped as collection 1-9. On Amazon Prime Video, you can find Season 1-10 here; Season 11; Season 12; Season 13; Season 14; Season 15; Season 16; Season 17; Season 18; Season 19; Season 20; and Season 21. Start bingeing and see for yourself why Forensic Files is such a hit!

Update (April 11, 2021:

Today, we were informed that Forensic Files got the narrative wrong and Air Force OSI did not commit a “catastrophic blunder.” MJFA reminded said person that if they weren’t hiding all the crime and death from the public, we’d know more about the case details. We simply are repeating what the crew at Forensic Files said. First this person reminded us, the floppy disk was destroyed in their presence because according to Forensic Files, they were “momentarily distracted.” Then they failed to address the fact an accused killer had a pair of scissors on his person, both a danger to OSI and other Air Force personnel. And finally, Joe Snodgrass worked with AFOSI and knew prior to his interview he was going to be questioned about the floppy disks, so he came prepared to destroy them.

Yvonne, Carlos & Benjamin Cisneros Found Dead in Colorado Home; James Perry Acquitted of Homicide, Murdered in New York (January 12, 1979)

On January 12, 1979October 1, 2019 By AdministratorIn Armed Forces, Army, Felony Crime, Homicide, In Their Name, Military Policy, Sexual Assault, Stateside DeathLeave a comment

When a pregnant mother and her young sons are brutally slain, pressure mounts for the CSPD to catch the monster who did it. After a city-wide manhunt, Kenda begins to tighten the noose on a prime suspect, but what happens next will shock him to his core. -The Master Key, Homicide Hunter (S4,E8)

The neighbor was supposed to watch Yvonne Cisneros’ two children Carlos and Benjamin but they never showed up. She was concerned and went to check on them but there was no answer. Yvonne, 22, and the two children were found dead with multiple stab wounds by Ben Cisneros in their Colorado Springs apartment on January 12, 1979. Kenda was called to investigate the triple homicide. Yvonne was strangled and stabbed 60 times in the chest, back and abdomen; there was evidence of a sexual assault. Two-year-old Benjamin had been stabbed 22 times. And 4-year-old Carlos was stabbed 19 times; he also had crushing injuries to the head made with a barbell. This was a vicious frenzied attack. They were stabbed with a tool; the evidence lead to one perpetrator.

Ben Cisneros was the number one suspect initially. Ben Cisneros was in the military. He met Yvonne when she was 16. They were planning on having another child. Yvonne was 3 months pregnant when she was murdered. Ben was assigned to the Butts Army Air Field at Fort Carson; he was an air traffic controller. Ben Cisneros was at work at the time of the crime and was quickly ruled out by Kenda. Ben was concerned when Yvonne didn’t answer the phone so when his shift ended he went straight home. The Army could back up his alibi. The coroner determined the deaths were between 9 and 11 a.m. There was no forced entry so the killer had the key or was let into the apartment. Then a witness reported to Kenda that he saw the maintenance man enter Ben and Yvonne Cisneros’ apartment the morning of the homicides.

Kenda got a warrant to search the premises of James Joseph Perry. His common law wife said he was not home at the time of the crime. She was employed as a cleaner at the apartment building and had a master key but when she went to retrieve it, it was missing. In the laundry room, Kenda found a bottle of bleach and the clothes that matched the description provided by the witness. Kenda took the clothes for analysis at the crime lab but he knew it most likely would not show anything because bleach destroys evidence. Kenda needed to directly connect Perry to the crime. They found a pen with paint splatter at the scene of the crime. Kenda wanted to compare the paint Perry used on his last job to the paint on the pen they found. Kenda confiscated the paint cans from the maintenance building as evidence.

When detectives met up with Jimmy, they noticed paint on his watch too. Perry was arrested and immediately asked for an attorney. Kenda believed Perry took the master key, quietly entered the Cisneros’ apartment, and then attacked Yvonne first. Perry raped her, attacked her with a weapon, and killed her. He then attacked and killed the children because they witnessed what he did. He went home, bleached his clothes and went about his day. The lab results supported the prosecutions theory. The paint from the pen matched the paint Perry last used. At Perry’s trial, the jury reached a verdict and found the defendant not guilty on all counts. The investigators were shocked and felt like they let Ben, Yvonne and the children down. After the trial, James Perry moved back to New York City. Several months later, Kenda learned someone threw James Joseph Perry out of a 10th floor window at an apartment in the Bronx. He was dead. Karma?

Source: The Master Key, Homicide Hunter, Investigation Discovery

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.

Sam & Rosa Melena Found Near Death, Sam Later Died; AWOL Army Soldier Lawrence Todd Sentenced to Life in Prison for Murder (November 14, 1978)

On November 14, 1978September 21, 2019 By AdministratorIn Armed Forces, Army, Felony Crime, Homicide, In Their Name, Military PolicyLeave a comment

The elderly owners of a beloved local grocery are brutally attacked and left for dead. Working with little beyond a vague witness description, Lt. Joe Kenda leads a state-wide manhunt to catch a pair of cold-blooded killers before they disappear for good. -Blood Red Highway, Homicide Hunter (S3,E8)

On November 14, 1978, store owners, Sam & Rosa Melena, were robbed and left for dead in Colorado Springs, Colorado. Sam Melena was found with multiple stab wounds and Rosa was badly beaten but both were alive. But Sam Melena later died of his injuries in the hospital and Rosa was still in critical condition. In the course of an official murder investigation, Lt. Kenda learned the persons who robbed the grocery store got away with $32 and witnesses described two people running from the scene, a black man and a white woman with red hair. Kenda went to the hospital to interview Rosa Melena while she was alert and observed the pattern of a sole on her face. They took pictures. Rosa told Kenda she heard someone ask to use the store phone and then heard a loud crash. When she went to investigate, she witnessed a black man stabbing Sam and when he saw her, he attacked her too. After the interview, Kenda ordered a canvas of the area and found a new lead.

One neighbor said the description of the suspects sounded like the couple who lived in a basement apartment in his building. Lawrence Eugene Todd was in the Army. On the day of the crime, Lawrence and Vicki Locklin asked for 20 cents to make a phone call at the grocery store. Kenda determined the phone call was a distraction device used to help Lawrence catch the grocery store owners off guard. Kenda went looking for the pair in their basement apartment but they were gone. Although, during the search of the abandoned apartment, they found some important documents. The two were from Visalia, California. Todd was in the Army stationed at Fort Carson. Kenda issued an all points bulletin statewide and nationwide to help find them right away. Meanwhile, Kenda learned from a background search that Vicki Locklin had a minor record of shoplifting in Visalia, California. And Lawrence Todd had one record, an assault with a deadly weapon in California. (Why does the Army recruit Todd?)

“When people become desperate, it’s very easy to do desperate things.” -Lt. Joe Kenda

Meanwhile Kenda got some information from Fort Carson and learned from a sergeant in his unit that Todd had a lot of problems in the last several months because he hated the Army. He wanted out any way he could get out, then he went AWOL. The sergeant told Kenda he believed he knew where they would go. They wanted to go back to California. It was all the pair could talk about; they wanted to go back home to Visalia. Kenda asked the Denver Police Department to check all the truck stops in the area but the deadly duo had already hitched a ride with a trucker. Someone witnessed them catch a ride with a trucker and called the cops. The same trucker was pulled over and in deed Lawrence Todd and Vicki Locklin were in the truck. During the interrogation, Vicki Locklin told Kenda what happened. She said they were poor and needed money. Lawrence grabbed Sam from behind and started strangling him.

Vicki said Lawrence demanded she throw him a knife and he stabbed Sam multiple times. He cut his hand on the knife when he did it. He then went after Rosa, strangled her, and kicked her in the head. He went back to Sam and kicked him repeatedly before they grabbed the money and left the store. There was no interrogation with Lawrence Todd as he asked for a lawyer. Kenda compared Lawrence’s shoes to the bruise on Rosa’s face and it was a match. They also found the knife Vicki told them they ditched after the crime. Both defendants were indicted for aggravated robbery, attempted murder, and first degree murder. Vicki Locklin cut a deal with the prosecution in exchange for her testimony and leniency; she was sentenced to ten years in prison. Lawrence Todd was found guilty and he was sentenced to life plus 98 years in prison. Kenda was disgusted Lawrence Todd took a life for $32 and said he needed to be in a cage and never get out.

“You bastards, these are little old people, running a bread and milk store in the middle of nowhere, and you’re going to attack them for the contents of the register. I was angry to the core. You’re not going to do this in my city, you’re just not.” -Lt. Joe Kenda

Source: Blood Red Highway, Homicide Hunter, Investigation Discovery

MILITARY JUSTICE FOR ALL

Tag: Stabbed to Death

Military Spouse Julie Snodgrass Found Stabbed to Death in the Philippines; Air Force Sgt. Joseph Snodgrass Sentenced to Life in Prison (February 26, 1991)

Yvonne, Carlos & Benjamin Cisneros Found Dead in Colorado Home; James Perry Acquitted of Homicide, Murdered in New York (January 12, 1979)

Sam & Rosa Melena Found Near Death, Sam Later Died; AWOL Army Soldier Lawrence Todd Sentenced to Life in Prison for Murder (November 14, 1978)

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