On This Day, Marine Corps Lance Corporal Hollye Meeks Passed Away in Houston, Texas (June 1, 2012)

Honoring LCpl Hollye Meeks @USMC (2012)
Photo by: Staff Sgt. Raymie G. Cruz

Photo: “Lance Cpl. Hollye K. Meeks (left) searches Cpl. Roxanne Cox, after receiving a class on the proper procedures from members of a police transition team. Eight female Marines from different units within 3rd Marine Aircraft Wing volunteered for the Lioness Program to conduct security searches of women crossing into Iraq. Meeks is a motor transport vehicle operator, Marine Wing Support Squadron 374, Marine Wing Support Group 37 (Reinforced), 3rd MAW, and a Houston, Texas native. Cox is a maintenance management specialist, with Marine Aircraft Group 16 (Reinforced), 3rd MAW, and a Cincinnati native.” (22 Aug 2006)

Obituary: Marine Corps Lance Corporal Hollye Meeks, 25, was born July 4, 1986 in Richmond to Randy and Becky (Kunz) Meeks. She passed away June 1, 2012 in Houston. She graduated from B.F. Terry High School and was an accomplished basketball player. She also pole vaulted and ran track. Upon graduation she enlisted in the USMC. She spent time in 29 Palms, CA. and proudly served her country in Syria and Iraq. Hollye is survived by her parents, Randy and Becky; aunts and uncles, Carol and Russell Clayton, Bob and Margaret Kunz, Linda and Duane Segers and Danny and Margie Meeks; birth father, William Brown; 4 half sisters and one half brother; and numerous cousins; Godparents, Marvin “Bud” and Shirley Nordt; and a multitude of good friends; and her dog “Boss”.

Related Links:
Hollye Krystine Meeks Obituary
Lance Cpl. Hollye K. Meeks searches Cpl. Roxanne Cox
Female Marines train for Iraq border security
Marines Dodging Death: Sixty-Two Accounts of Close Calls

Fatal Encounters Premiered ‘Fatal Voyage’ on ID: Charter Boat Joe Cool Discovered by U.S. Coast Guard, But No One Found On Board (April 9, 2012)

ID Go: Kelley Branam lives in Miami’s most exclusive neighborhood. Guillermo Zarabozo lives in its grittiest.It’s improbable that their paths would ever cross.But, in less than 24 hours, their lives will intersect at sea in a fatal encounter. -Fatal Voyage, Fatal Encounters (S1,E4)

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.

Related Links:
Fatal Voyage | Fatal Encounters | Investigation Discovery (S1,E4)
Fatal Voyage | Fatal Encounters | Investigation Discovery (website)
Fatal Voyage | Fatal Encounters | Investigation Discovery (Amazon)
Hook, Lines & Murder | Murder in Paradise | Investigation Discovery (S1,E4)
Hook, Lines & Murder | Murder in Paradise | Investigation Discovery (website)
Hook, Lines & Murder | Murder in Paradise | ID True Crime Files (Amazon)
Hijacked | Dark Waters: Murder in the Deep | Investigation Discovery (S2,E4)
Hijacked | Dark Waters: Murder in the Deep | Investigation Discovery (website)
Hijacked | Dark Waters: Murders in the Deep | Investigation Discovery (Amazon)
Kirby Archer Commits String of Crimes After Dishonorable Discharge from Army Including Four Murders in an Attempt to Flee to Cuba (September 22, 2007)
Murder in Paradise Premiered ‘Hook, Lines & Murder’ on ID: Kirby Archer & Guillermo Zarabozo Charter the Joe Cool from Miami to Bimini, But Never Make It… (May 4, 2013)
Dark Waters Premiered ‘Hijacked’ on Investigation Discovery: When the Joe Cool Didn’t Return Home, Friends & Family Knew Something Was Wrong (August 7, 2019)

Iraq War Army Veteran Steven Russell Jr. Convicted of the Capital Murder of Girlfriend Joy Owen; Sentenced to Life in Prison, No Parole (2012)

Steven Russell
Steven Russell, Jr., US Army Veteran

Army veteran Steven Russell, Jr. was convicted of the capital murder of his girlfriend Joy Owen on January 27, 2012. Russell was sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole. Prosecutors say Russell killed Joy because she tried to leave him. In the middle of the night on November 3, 2009, Russell cocked his gun and fired it four times at Owen with no apparent provocation. The North Little Rock Police Department found Joy Owen’s body around 4:30 a.m. In the course of the homicide investigation, police learned that Russell had received 5-years probation in Clark County, Arkansas for the second-degree domestic battery of another girlfriend in 2008. According to reports, the U.S. Army said Russell was a mechanic stationed at Fort Sill, Oklahoma and he enlisted in the Army in 2001; the year he left the Army was not available.

Steven Russell’s defense team admitted he killed Owen but blamed the shooting on post-traumatic stress disorder brought on by his war service in Iraq in 2003. The attorneys appealed the decision claiming he “had the dubious task of recovering bodies and equipment after they had come in contact with improvised explosive devices.” But the state Supreme Court disagreed with the defense saying the judge was confronted with conflicting forensic evaluations. While two mental health professionals “found that Russell lacked capacity as a result of mental disease or defect to conform his conduct to the requirements of the law or to appreciate the criminality of his conduct, the court also had before it (another doctor’s) opinion to the contrary.” The Supreme Court upheld a Pulaski County jury’s 2012 conviction of capital murder.

“You would have to believe [Owen] did something that reminded him of his Iraqi war experience … and I can’t make that jump. To me, it was too convenient, and there was too much purposeful action.” –Dr. Brad Diner, psychologist

Related Links:
Arkansas Iraq War vet gets life in prison for killing girlfriend
Joy Owens, former MP daughter, students talk about her slaying
Ark. court upholds veteran’s murder conviction
Arkansas Man Challenging Judge Barring Partner At Home

Ice Cold Killers Premiered ‘Hunting Humans’ on ID: After Multiple Disappearances, Alaska Authorities on Hunt for Serial Killer (January 24, 2012)

Robert Hansen was a mild-mannered family man with a passion for hunting. A master at his trade, Hansen sought a more challenging prey – his fellow human. Hansen kidnapped women, set them loose in the Alaskan wilderness, and hunted them down for sport. -Hunting Humans, Ice Cold Killers (S1,E1)

Victims:
Andrea “Fish” Altiery (disappeared 12/2/81, unknown if body recovered)
Roxanne Easlund, 24 (disappeared 6/28/1980, unknown if body recovered)
Megan Emerick, 17 (suspected abduction on 7/7/73, body never recovered)
Angela Feddern, 24 (disappeared February 1983, body found)
DeLynn “Sugar” Frey (disappeared September 1983, body found)
Lisa “Betty” Futrell, 41 (disappeared 9/7/1980, body found)
Malai Larsen, 28 (disappeared June 1981, body found)
Paula Goulding (disappeared 4/25/83, body found)
Sue Luna, 23 (disappeared 5/16/82, body found)
Joanna Messina (disappeared 5/19/1989, body found)
Sherry Morrow, 23 (disappeared 11/17/81, body found)
Tamara Pederson, 20 (disappeared August 1982, body found)
Mary Kathleen Thill, 23 (suspected abduction on 7/5/75, body never recovered)
Cecelia “Beth” Van Zanten, 17 (suspected abduction on 12/22/71, body found)
Theresa Watson (disappeared 4/29/83, body found)
“Eklutna Annie” (real name unknown, disappeared 11/1979, body found)
Cindy Paulson (abducted & raped on 6/13/1983, escaped & survived)

List compliments of The Frozen Ground.

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.

Related Links:
Hunting Humans | Ice Cold Killers | Investigation Discovery (S1,E1)
Hunting Humans | Ice Cold Killers | Investigation Discovery (website)
Hunting Humans | Ice Cold Killers | Investigation Discovery (Amazon)
Army Reserve Veteran Robert C. Hansen Sentenced to 461 Years Plus Life in Prison, No Parole for Murders of Multiple Women in Alaska (February 28, 1984)
Serial Killer & Army Reserve Veteran Robert C. Hansen Died of Natural Causes While Serving Out a Life Sentence in Alaska State Prison (August 21, 2014)
Ice Cold Killers: Five Military & Veteran Homicide Cases Featured on Investigation Discovery

CNN – Experts: Vets’ PTSD, violence a growing problem | VA Contradicts the Theory (2012)


Court documents show triple murder suspect, Roy Murry, an Iraq war veteran, suffered from post traumatic stress disorder, and now local veterans coping with PTSD are speaking out, wanting to clear the air that, just because you have it, it does not make you a threat to the community. -KXLY 4

“A man opens fire in a national park, killing a ranger who was attempting to stop him after he blew through a vehicle checkpoint. A second man is suspected in the stabbing deaths of four homeless men in Southern California.

Both men, U.S. military veterans, served in Iraq — and both, according to authorities and those who knew them, returned home changed men after their combat service.”

Read more from CNN here.

Iraq War Army Veteran Benjamin Barnes Found Dead in Mount Rainier National Park; Suspect in Death of Park Ranger Margaret Anderson (2012)

Benjamin Colton Barnes
Benjamin Colton Barnes, US Army Veteran

Related Links:
Park ranger killed by gunman in national park
Suspect in Ranger’s Slaying Was “Troubled and Vindictive”
Ranger shot, killed at Mount Rainier National Park
Mount Rainier park remains closed after shooting
Mount Rainier National Park closed; manhunt on for gunman who killed ranger
Manhunt after US park ranger shooting
Rainier National Park Ranger Shot: Suspect Armed And Hiding In Park
Authorities Find Body of Mt. Rainier Shooting Suspect
Suspect’s downward spiral ended with killing at Rainier
Mt. Rainier Body Is Murder Suspect: Police
Benjamin Barnes Identified as Gunman in Mt. Rainier Shooting of Margaret Anderson
Killer’s icy grave: Iraq war vet who gunned down park ranger is found dead after freezing to death in snow
Iraq war vet who murdered park ranger before freezing to death in snow was stationed at U.S. Army’s most troubled base
Benjamin Colton Barnes, Mount Rainier Gunman, Died Of Drowning, Hypothermia
Troubled picture emerges of suspect in park ranger’s slaying
Suspect in shooting of ranger, others found dead in park
Former Army private sought in Rainier shootings found dead
Mount Rainier shooting suspect Benjamin Colton Barnes confirmed dead
FBI: Suspect in Rainier ranger’s killing dead
Man Believed to Have Killed Park Ranger Is Found Dead
Icy death for suspected killer of park ranger
Suspect in ranger shooting is found dead
Suspect in ranger’s slaying found dead in creek
Mt. Rainier New Year’s shooter had Riverside County ties
Police: Body found at Rainier park is that of gunman who killed ranger
Troubled vet on lam dies in Washington wilds
Family of Mount Rainier ranger grieves, celebrates his life
The Killing of a Park Ranger on Mount Rainier Reminds Us to Help Returning Soldiers
Lisa Buscani on Benjamin Colton Barnes and the War that isn’t over
The Mt. Rainier Shooting and PTSD: How the Media Got It Wrong
Our Sickening Rush to See PTSD – and What It Costs Vets
How America’s Wars Came Home With the Troops
The Devil on Paradise Road

Retired Marine Brian Brimager Pleaded Guilty to the Second Degree Murder of Yvonne Baldelli in Panama; Sentenced to 26 Years in Federal Prison (2011)

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Yvonne Baldelli and Brian Brimager, US Marine Corps Veteran

Retired Marine Brian Brimager pleaded guilty on February 24, 2016 to murdering his girlfriend Yvonne Baldelli in Panama on November 27, 2011. Brimager admitted in a California US District Court that he had viciously beat, stabbed, dismembered and dumped Yvonne in the jungle. In his guilty plea, Brimager also admitted to obstructing the investigation into her murder by destroying, concealing and disposing of evidence, including a blood-stained mattress, clothes and jewelry;  killing Baldelli’s two dogs; accessing Baldelli’s email account after her murder and impersonating Baldelli in emails sent from her account to friends and family; withdrawing money from Baldelli’s bank account in Costa Rica after her death; and providing false statements to an FBI agent in an attempt to make it seem as though Baldelli were alive and well and traveling with another man in Costa Rica. The prosecutor told the court that Brimager killed Baldelli in order to silence her because she discovered he had a girlfriend and daughter in San Diego, California. Brimager was afraid Baldelli would ruin his relationship with his new girlfriend by revealing their relationship to her. In an interesting twist, Brimager married his girlfriend in San Diego two weeks after he killed Yvonne. Brian Brimager was sentenced in federal court to twenty-six years for second degree murder and ordered to pay $11,132 in restitution to Baldelli’s father and a $10,000 fine.

“This murder was particularly cruel and depraved…The lengths Mr. Brimager went to to avoid detection were particularly brazen and ultimately shattering to the Bardelli family. I dare say they will never recover. A day may never go by without them thinking of Ms. Baldelli’s murder and the images seared in to their psyches.” –US District Judge Jeffrey T. Miller

Related Links:
Justice for Yvonne Baldelli
Yvonne Baldelli Candlelight Vigil
The March Yvonne Baldelli
48 Hours: Preview of Devil’s Island
’48 Hours’ Preview: Devils Island
48 Hours: Devil’s Island
Yvonne Baldelli’s Remains Found in Panama
Skeletal remains found in Panama are US citizen Yvonne Baldelli
Yvonne Baldelli, Body Found: Top 10 Facts You Need to Know
Panama authorities charge Brian Brimager in death of Yvonne Baldelli
Ex-Marine Charged With Girlfriend’s Murder in Panama
“48 Hours” preview: Nov. 15 double feature
“48 Hours” investigates American’s death in Panama
Search for missing American takes “48 Hours” to Panama
Family of woman who vanished in Panama continues searching
“48 Hours” investigates new revelations in 2011 Panama disappearance
Yvonne Baldelli’s boyfriend a “person of interest” in case
Former Marine accused of killing girlfriend in Panama
Man indicted in disappearance, possible death of former girlfriend
Retired Marine to change plea in Panama murder case
Marine changes plea, admits killing girlfriend
Man pleads guilty to cutting up his Dana Point girlfriend in Panama, leaving her remains in backpack
FBI: Retired Marine Sentenced to 26 Years in Prison for Fatally Stabbing his Girlfriend, Dismembering her Body with a Machete and Dumping her Remains in the Panamanian Jungle
Retired Marine admits killing, dismembering girlfriend
Machete Slicing of Girlfriend Nets Ex-Marine 26-Year Term
Ex-Marine Sentenced to 26 Years in Girlfriend’s Grisly Machete Murder
Former Marine Sentenced To 26 Years For Murdering, Dismembering Girlfriend with Machete
Retired Marine who killed his girlfriend in Panama and dismembered her body with machete is sentenced to 26 years in prison
Former marine admits killing and dismembering his girlfriend before dumping her remains in a backpack in the Panama jungle
‘Island of Lost Dreams’: Wife Stands by Husband Convicted of Killing Girlfriend
Wife stands by Marine husband who killed girlfriend (Pt. 1)
Wife stands by Marine husband who killed girlfriend (Pt. 2)
Wife stands by Marine husband who killed girlfriend (Pt. 3)
Wife stands by Marine husband who killed girlfriend (Pt. 4)
Wife stands by Marine husband who killed girlfriend (Pt. 5)
‘Semper free!!!!!!’: The ‘cruel and depraved’ case of the murderous Marine veteran
Parents of woman BRUTALLY murdered by ex-Marine boyfriend speak of their heartbreak


An ex-Marine with a secret life has a girlfriend who goes missing in Panama – was it murder? -48 Hours

Disabled Army Veteran Justin Crowley-Smilek Shot and Killed By Farmington, Maine Police Officer in Confrontation Outside Station (November 19, 2011)

Justin Crowley-Smilek
Justin Crowley-Smilek, U.S. Army Veteran

Army veteran Justin Crowley-Smilek was shot and killed by a Farmington, Maine police officer on November 19, 2011. According to reports, it is believed that Justin went to the police station for help but would be accused of yielding a knife and chasing the officer when he was shot. Justin had deployed to Afghanistan in 2006 and returned suffering with Post Traumatic Stress. He was eventually honorably discharged from the military for PTSD. He moved back to Maine to live with his parents after his discharge from the Army. The Maine State Attorney General’s office deemed the shooting justified. In January 2013, the family pursued civil justice in the U.S. District Court against Officer Ryan Rosie and the Town of Farmington. The wrongful death lawsuit claimed their son had gone to the police station in mental distress seeking help and that Rosie used excessive force against him. They believed Rosie had insufficient training and panicked when their son confronted him. According to a notice filed with the court, the lawsuit settled in January 2016.

Related Links:
Man fatally shot outside of town office by Farmington police
Farmington police say man shot dead confronted officer with a knife
Farmington officer opted not to use Taser in fatal shooting
Beyond the yellow ribbon: The tragic death of Justin Crowley-Smilek
Vet killed by police had PTSD: father
Attorney general says deadly force justified in shooting of Farmington veteran
Maine Lawmakers Considering Bill to Create Veterans’ Treatment Court
Veterans, lawmakers hail new veterans’ treatment court signed into law
Maine town sued in shooting death of Army veteran
Deal in Farmington Wrongful Death Suit Rejected
Farmington denies lawsuit allegations that officer in 2011 shooting was not well trained
Farmington police officer will be tried for Crowley-Smilek shooting
Lawsuit alleging excessive force by Farmington police officer to move forward
Farmington officer will head to trial in shooting death
Crowley-Smilek family settles lawsuit against Farmington officer

Homicide Hunter Premiered ‘A Killer Always Rings Twice’ on ID: Lt. Joe Kenda Hunts for Serial Rapist & Killer Before He Strikes Again (November 8, 2011)

When 22 year-old Micki Filmore is found raped and murder in her apartment, detective Kenda focuses his investigation on her activities the previous night. Micki was seen dancing with a man who then paid a late night call to her door. -A Killer Always Rings Twice, Homicide Hunter (S1, 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.

Related Links:
Homicide Hunters: Lt. Joe Kenda Episode 3 – Double Murder In Mayberry
A Killer Always Rings Twice | Homicide Hunter | Investigation Discovery (S1, E3)
A Killer Always Rings Twice | Homicide Hunter | Investigation Discovery (website)
A Killer Always Rings Twice | Homicide Hunter | Investigation Discovery (Amazon)
A Killer Always Rings Twice | Homicide Hunter | Investigation Discovery (Hulu)
Violent Crime, Suicide & Non Combat Death at Fort Carson, Colorado
Army Spc. Tracy Spencer Sentenced to Life in Prison for the Rape & Murder of Veteran Micki Filmore & Nurse Barbara Kramer (December 31, 1986)
What the DoD Doesn’t Want You to Know: 50 Shocking Military Homicides in the Last 30 Years (March 23, 2018)

Army Veteran Remano Campbell Sr. Murdered at Alabama Home by Wife Eugenia & Alexander Williams; Both Received Life in Prison (October 12, 2011)

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Remano Campbell Sr., U.S. Army Veteran

Army veteran Remano Campbell, 32, was found shot to death at his home on October 12, 2011 in Mobile, Alabama. Remano served seven years in the Army and deployed to Iraq twice. He survived an improvised explosive device attack during one of his two tours to Iraq. Remano was found dead after his home caught fire. Remano was entering his home when he was shot multiple times. His car trunk was found open and his keys were still in the door. In March 2014, Remano’s widow Eugenia Campbell and her friend Alexander Frank Williams were arrested for his murder. Prosecutors said insurance money was the motive behind the murder. In November 2016, Eugenia Campbell and Alexander Williams were sentenced to life in prison for the first degree murder of Remano Campbell.

Related Links:
Prichard police chaplain’s son found shot to death, home catches fire
Iraq combat veteran’s wife, another man, arrested for his 2011 slaying
Arrests made in 2011 shooting of Prichard police chaplain’s son
Remano Campbell murder suspect in court
Wife convicted of killing Army husband gets life sentence
A List of Soldiers Targeted & Murdered for the Servicemen’s Group Life Insurance Benefits (SGLI)