This research is not complete. As a matter of fact, it has only just begun. This list was created as a result of one google search and the discovery of a few cases as research is conducted in other areas. The majority of these murder for life insurance cases are examples of civilian women targeting mostly Army soldiers. Criminals are in fact targeting soldiers for lifetime benefits including monthly financial benefits, housing, medical, and the Servicemen’s Group Life Insurance. The best armor is education. If it seems too good to be true then it probably is. If it appears that your significant other is especially interested in financial matters despite just meeting them, red flag. If they appear adept in how the military works and begin controlling you by threatening to go to your Commander, is that love? How many other soldiers did they marry or date before you? Often we want to overlook things for the sake of peace and the benefit of the children involved. Is it fair that you are an after thought and all that really matters is your paycheck? Be careful of who you let in your world and who you marry. Most of these cases involve a woman targeting a male soldier. Was there substance abuse and/or domestic abuse prior to the final act of homicide? Did they verbally threaten the soldier’s life? Did the soldier feel trapped because they had nowhere to turn without risking their career? How can we prevent these crimes from happening in the future?
All our soldiers need a safe place to turn if they suddenly realize they are trapped in a situation they didn’t bargain for. Spouses literally have a license to abuse on a federal military base. The Commander cannot hold them accountable because they are civilians. Civilian authorities do not have jurisdiction on federal bases. Who holds civilian spouses accountable on federal bases for crimes against soldiers? How often is the soldier punished and held accountable for the spouse’s behavior? Will reporting these crimes mean risking losing their career? Are our male soldiers afraid they won’t be believed or they will be belittled by their Chain of Command and Commander? The spouses who have you murdered in the end for the life insurance are the same spouses that will level false allegations against you, use the children as a weapon, and blow your money while you are fighting wars and risking your life in Iraq and Afghanistan. Our soldiers need a safe way to exit domestic abuse situations without worrying about this same spouse lying to the Commander to manipulate the narrative. This is why seasoned investigators would benefit our soldiers to help evaluate and assess the situation in an effort to keep people safe and prevent further harm. We cannot ‘believe all women’ as evidenced by the female perpetrators in the majority of these life insurance motivated homicide cases. As of now we are dependent on the assessment of one Commander. It all depends on who can tell the best sob story. You have a 50/50 chance at justice in the military if you are dealing with some kind of sociopath hell bent on revenge because you rejected them. Is this why soldiers are not reporting domestic abuse and instead ending up dead?
The asterisk (*) denotes that the soldier was a victim of homicide or attempted homicide for the insurance money. **Elizabeth Shelton and unborn baby survived the murder-for-hire plot.
Greg Mulvihill and Diana Lovejoy, California (photo: Oxygen)
Date: September 1, 2016 Victim: Greg Mulvihill, Software Engineer Offenders: Diana Lovejoy, Fitness Trainer and Weldon McDavid, Jr., Marine Corps veteran Location: Carlsbad, California Circumstances: Diana Lovejoy was sweet, caring, smart and had a creative gift for writing and music, she was in the marching band in high school and extremely disciplined, she had a healthy lifestyle and good looks, she did several triathlons and was a personal fitness coach, she eventually met Greg Mulvihill, after two years of dating, the couple tied the knot, they wanted a family but Diana had several miscarriages before she finally she got pregnant, it was a difficult high risk pregnancy but she gave birth to a healthy baby boy, but when the child was two, the marriage was falling apart, Diana kicked Greg out and got a restraining order, in court documents, Diana alleged that he wished her dead, sexually molested her in his sleep, and she suspected he molested her son, Greg denied the allegations and fired back, he informed the court of what life was like with Diana who he said verbally abused and belittled him over the last several years, Greg filed for divorce in August of 2014 and the couple fought bitterly over the custody of their son, at first Greg was only allowed supervised visits but after numerous investigations by the court and law enforcement, they found no evidence of abuse, they awarded Greg 50/50 custody with Diana, Diana claimed she was fearful for their lives and started self-defense training at the range, her trainer was a former Marine, this former Marine hated bullies, he joined the USMC and after he got out, he specialized in fire arms instruction, then he met a girl named Crystal Harris (story featured on Dateline), Crystal wanted to buy a gun for protection because her husband was abusive and violent, Weldon taught her how to use a gun, even how to use it under stressful situations, one night, Crystal captured on tape her husband raping her, she played the tape for Weldon, Crystal later called the police and reported him for rape, Weldon went to her house to teach her what to do if her husband shows up, Crystal never needed to use the gun because her husband was convicted of a forcible sex crime and served more than three years in prison, she was thankful for what Weldon did for her and what he taught her, she could call him anytime and he was there for her, she moved on with her life, Weldon moved on too and a few years later, Weldon found romance, she too was someone who met him while she was at the range for self-defense training, the new girl wasn’t interested at first but we was witty and intelligent and caught her attention, she too felt empowered around Weldon, he was strong and made her feel safe, they got married and had a son, then he told her about another woman he was training at the range named Diana Lovejoy, but something with her didn’t feel right, she would text Weldon at all hours and his new wife didn’t like that and didn’t feel that it was professional, on September 1, 2016, Greg was shot by what appeared to be a sniper, detectives looked for the shooter who vanished, Greg called 911 earlier in the evening to ask for advice, he said someone wanted to meet with him, they had documents he needed for the custody battle with Diana, Greg asked if he should go, the person claimed to be a private investigator, Greg went to meet with the caller looking for the documents and they saw someone in a sniper position, they started running away but Greg was shot once, Greg’s friend called 911 and Greg survived his injuries, Greg had no idea who could do this, he didn’t think Diana had anything to do with it despite a bitter custody battle, police traced the phone call to a trac-phone, they investigated where it was purchased, and it was Diana Lovejoy, they searched for evidence in DLs home, they had enough to arrest her and bring her to the station, she denied everything, they asked her if she hired someone to kill Greg and she denied it, she described her relationship with her self defense trainer, Weldon McDavid, Diana told police Weldon was going to scare Greg into dropping the custody battle and go away, she paid him to scare him, on Sept 1, he got into her car with his gun and she dropped him off at the location, he said things went wrong and he had to shoot him, she said she hired him to intimidate him only, Weldon’s home was searched for guns and the police found a portion of an AR-15 in the garage, there were 7 spent shell casings, the same number of shots fired that night, police arrested Weldon and initially he denied everything, police believe DL fabricated the abuse allegations against Greg, DL used Weldon to carry this murder out, she slept with him and used her sexuality to manipulate Weldon, the two faced trial together, Weldon admitted to being at the scene of the shooting, Diana admitted to hiring Weldon to intimidate him, the prosecutor confronted DLs false allegations against Greg in the trial, DL asked her aunt to find a hitman, she refused and DL found Weldon, Weldon testified on his own behalf that he was hired by DL, he said he wasn’t planning on firing any shots, he thought he heard one of them say they had a gun, he said he did not aim at Greg to kill him, lawyer said he had misguided hero complex, DL picked the night of the new moon when it was the most dark out, Weldon said he was just trying to help DL and her son, DL said she didn’t have any control over Weldon’s actions Disposition: Diana Lovejoy was found guilty of attempted murder and conspiracy to commit murder, she was sentenced to 26 years to life in prison; Weldon McDavid, Jr. was found guilty of attempted murder and conspiracy, he was sentenced to 50 years to life in prison
Source: ‘The Night of the New Moon’ Dateline
True Crime Daily:
Diana Lovejoy is accused of trying to kill her ex-husband Greg Mulvihill. -True Crime Daily
Greg Mulvihill and his estranged wife Diana Lovejoy went through eight miscarriages before the birth of their little boy. Then, Lovejoy allegedly tried to have the father of her only child killed. What would motivate a mother to do this? Crime Watch Daily’s Ana Garcia has the story. -True Crime Daily
Pt. 2: Woman Tries to Have Estranged Husband Killed -True Crime Daily
Pt. 3: Woman Tries to Have Estranged Husband Killed -True Crime Daily
Pt. 4: Woman Tries to Have Estranged Husband Killed -True Crime Daily
In the San Diego area, a secretive mission in the middle of the night ends with one man in the hospital and two unlikely suspects in handcuffs. -True Crime Daily
True Crime:
A former marine, who once was the hero for a woman in an abusive marriage, is back on ‘Dateline.’ But this time, has his desire to help gone too far? -The Night of the New Moon, Dateline NBC
A contentious divorce and custody battle lands one father in the crosshairs of a sniper. -Diana Lovejoy, Snapped (S24, E7)
Staff Sergeant Ellsworth Allen Raup III, 33, passed away suddenly on May 9th, 2016 in Killeen, Texas. According to KWTX 10, Staff Sergeant Raup was following a van too closely on U.S. 190 when it stopped suddenly and he didn’t have time to react. As a result, he slammed into the van with his motorcycle and was thrown through the rear window. Allen was born in Texas City, Texas on November 13th, 1982. He was an Eagle Scout and graduated from La Marque High School in 2001 where he was active in the ROTC program. After graduation, he married Dana Pacheco-Raup on October 29, 2001. He enlisted in the Marine Corps while still in high school and attended boot camp in November 2001. During his time in the Marines, he served two deployments, one to Iraq and one to Honduras. He transferred to the Army in 2010 and was trained as an EOD technician. Staff Sergeant Raup served as a team leader with the 797th Explosive Ordnance Division and was also attached to the 752nd Ordnance Company at Fort Hood. He was deployed twice with the Army, once to Iraq and once to Kuwait. Allen was awarded numerous medal and awards during his military career including commendations from the Army, Marines, and the Joint Services.
ID Go: In peaceful Alden, New York, siblings who live in neighboring houses get into a conflict when their prodigal brother returns home. Soon, the family is at each other’s throats until their war finally comes to a shocking, fiery end. -Burn Neighbor, Burn, Fear Thy Neighbor (S3, E6)
Date: June 3, 2009 Victims: Helena & David Ward, Raymond Sindriewicz, and Holly & Dale Earsing Offender: Andrew Sindriewicz, 49, Marine Corps veteran, disabled, caretaker for mother Location: Alden, New York Circumstances: Brothers Raymond and Andrew didn’t get along as they got older, Raymond moved in next-door with his sister Helena due to failing health, Andrew started blasting heavy metal music in the garage and Raymond asked him to turn down the music, Andrew would turn it down initially but after Raymond left, he turned it back up, Andrew harbored grudges, sister Helena described Andrew as menacing, Andrew had a dark side, Raymond collected furniture that he restored & sold at local flea markets, Andrew didn’t like all the junk collecting on his sister’s property, Andrew trimmed a tree that dropped on Raymond’s furniture but he wouldn’t admit he did it on purpose, Andrew refused to turn down loud music, Andrew and Raymond got in a physical altercation because of the loud music, Andrew was accidentally cut by the skill saw, Andrew became distraught about their oldest sister who died, Andrew pointed a gun at his sister Helena one night, Andrew suffered with anxiety, Andrew wouldn’t leave the house because he was afraid Raymond would shoot him, Helena called the police for fear that Andrew would commit suicide, instead Andrew was charged with menacing behavior and possession of a deadly weapon, Helena felt bad that he was arrested and went to bat for him at court, the charges are dropped, but Andrew didn’t forgive her, their mother died in the spring of 2007, Raymond was cut out of the will, Raymond felt betrayed that he got nothing and believed that Andrew manipulated their mom, Andrew and sister Helena inherited their mom’s house but Andrew had no money to maintain the house, Andrew wanted his niece and her family to move into the house and help him pay the bills, Andrew turned the garage into his permanent home after they moved in, Andrew started getting annoyed with the children and their messes, Andrew played loud music day after day and wouldn’t turn it down as if he was torturing everyone, niece Holly called the police on Andrew who pretended to be asleep, Holly hoped the issue was settled but it was not, Andrew was very upset that she called the police, the kids got a new puppy but Andrew was not happy because they didn’t ask his permission first, Andrew got his own dog and gave the dog commands to bite their dog, he hoped his dog would kill their dog, Dale confronted Andrew and they got in a fight, Andrew resorted to underhanded tactics like removing the A/C unit from the window, Andrew stopped talking to Holly and Dale, everyone was walking on eggshells, Andrew blasted his music later and later into the night so Holly & Dale shut off his power one night, Andrew tried breaking into their home and they called the police but he couldn’t be charged because it wasn’t criminal in nature, it was a nuisance, there was nothing the police could do to help Holly and Dale, Helena obtained a court order on June 2, 2009 allowing her to sell their mother’s property without Andrew’s say, Andrew was not happy, when Helena returned home the next day, her house was on fire, Dale and Holly’s home was also on fire, both homes were permanently damaged, the family pet was trapped inside and died, the garage apartment also was engulfed in flames, authorities initiated a manhunt for Andrew, the presumed arsonist, after the fire was out, firefighters discovered Andrew’s body in his mother’s home, after an investigation, the family learned that Andrew was seen filling gas cans in town, he poured gasoline all over the properties and then he cut the gas lines, Andrew also purposefully killed the dog and himself in the house fire, neither house was salvageable Disposition: Andrew Sindriewicz died in the housefire, ruled suicide
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Marine Veteran & Civilian Contractor Kenneth Gadson Found Guilty of the Rape & Murder of Rina Shimabukuro; Sentenced to Life in Japanese Prison (December 1, 2017)
Why did a 20-year-old recruit jump to his death at the Marine Corps training facility at Parris Island? That question spurred an internal investigation, which uncovered a larger pattern of hazing and abuse. William Brangham joins Judy Woodruff to offer a closer look at the investigation. -PBS NewsHour
Marine veteran Laura Anne Buckingham of Tennessee was arrested for an alleged plot to kill her ex-boyfriend, who is also the father of their child. Buckingham was charged with attempted first degree murder and she pleaded not guilty. She was released on bail due to a pregnancy and the trial has been postponed.
Laura Buckingham, a celebrity baker and former U.S. marine, is accused of hiring a hit man to have her ex-boyfriend killed. She is facing an attempted first-degree murder charge, but has been released on $150,000 bond because she is pregnant. -HLN
“A Virginia man found murdered in Maryland over the weekend was an informant who successfully got a Marine to confess to three murders in prison. Osama El-Atari had been reported missing by his family…Two days later, El Atari was found dead inside his truck…In August of 2010, the feds wanted to see if El-Atari could get Jorge Torrez, a Marine, to confess on tape to the murder of Amanda Jean Snell, a sailor who was found murdered in Fort Myer. El-Atari and Torrez were in the same cellblock in Arlington County Jail. The two talked for hours with El-Atari getting Torrez to admit to the vicious crime…El-Atari was also able to get Torrez to admit to the 2005 killing of two little girls in his hometown of Zion, Illinois. It is a crime in which a suspect had already confessed. Also, DNA evidence pointed to Torrez.” Read more from Fox 5 DChere.
Joint Base Lewis-McChord (JBLM) is a U.S. military installation home to I Corps and 62d Airlift Wing located 9.1 miles south-southwest of Tacoma, Washington under the jurisdiction of the United States Army Joint Base Headquarters. The facility is an amalgamation of the United States Army’s Fort Lewis and the United States Air Force’s McChord Air Force Base which merged on 1 February 2010 into a Joint Base as a result of Base Realignment and Closure Commission recommendations of 2005. -Wikipedia
Joint Base Lewis-McChord had 16 soldiers commit suicide last year [2011], the most of any Army post, Army statistics show. Since 2003, 68 soldiers from the base have killed themselves, among the higher totals for the Army in that period, but still below Fort Hood, Fort Campbell and Fort Bragg. –NY Times
2014
3 May 14: Pfc Daniela Rojas, Army (non-combat related illness, required treatment beyond military’s capability)
2013
2 Jul 13: Spc Hilda Clayton, Army (non-combat related incident, training exercise)
3 May 13: Capt Victoria Pinckney, USAF (KC-135 airplane crash, malfunction, pilot error)
11 Mar 13: Capt Sara Cullen, Army (helicopter crash during training mission, under investigation)
2011
21 Dec 11: Spc Mikayla Bragg, Army (found shot & killed in a guard tower, military ruled suicide)
27 Apr 11: MSgt Tara Brown, USAF (gunfire wounds sustained from Afghan military trainee)
16 Apr 11: SSG Cynthia Taylor, Army (Afghan National Army soldier grenade attack)
16 Apr 11: SGT Linda Pierre, Army (Afghan National Army soldier grenade attack)
2009
8 Aug 09: SSG Tara Smith, Army (non-combat related medical condition)
27 Mar 09: LT Florence Choe, Navy (Afghan National Army soldier opened fire on military personnel)
2008
25 Jul 08: Spc Seteria Brown, Army (injuries sustained in a non-combat related incident)
2007
28 Sep 07: Cpl Ciara Durkin, Army (single gunshot wound to the head, military ruled suicide, family suspects murder after Ciara shared concerns of safety)
2006
17 Feb 06: SrA Alecia Good, USAF (two helicopters crashed into the Gulf of Aden during a training mission)
2005
6 Apr 05: SGM Barbaralien Banks, Army (helicopter in which she was riding crashed)
6 Apr 05: Spc Chrystal Stout, SCARNG (helicopter in which she was riding crashed)
2004
4 Jul 04: Spc Julie Hickey, Army (complications from a non-combat-related illness)
2003
23 Mar 03: Tamara Archuleta, USAF (killed in a HH-60G Pave Hawk crash)
2002
12 Jun 02: SSgt Anissa Shero, USAF (killed in an MC-130H Combat Talon crash)
9 Jan 02: SGT Jeannette Winters, USMC (killed in a refueling tanker crash)
Civilians
6 Apr 13: Anne Smedinghoff, US State Dept (convoy vehicle struck by vehicle that exploded)
30 Dec 09: Jennifer Matthews, CIA (killed by an informant who had set a trap)
30 Dec 09: Elizabeth Hanson, CIA (killed by an informant who had set a trap)
7 Jan 09: Paula Loyd, Human Terrain System, US Army (doused with fuel & set afire by irate Afghan civilian)
3 Feb 05: Carmen Urdaneta, Management Sciences for Health (aircraft crash near Kabul)
3 Feb 05: Cristin Gadue, Management Sciences for Health (aircraft crash near Kabul)
3 Feb 05: Amy Meeks, Management Sciences for Health (aircraft crash near Kabul)