Fort Hood Army Soldier Gary Prokop Killed by Wife & Friends for Benefits & Life Insurance; Tyshee Prokop Sentenced to Life in Prison (June 25, 1998)

Tyshee Prokop Deadly Women
She Had Her Gang Boyfriend Kill Her Husband In His Sleep

When some brides vowed to love and honor their husbands, they lied. These Deadly Women made a mockery of marital commitment. They only promised “To Have and To Kill”. -To Have and To Kill, Deadly Women (S8, E14)

Tyshee Prokop and her childhood friends from Killeen, Texas murdered Gary Prokop, an Army soldier stationed at Fort Hood in 1998. Tyshee married Gary shortly after meeting him and they had a child together. But Tyshee wasn’t ready for family life. About a year and a half after they were married, they filed for divorce. Gary was going to get out of the Army and move back home. Tyshee conspired with her friends to have Gary murdered before he got out of the Army so she could collect medical benefits and the $100,000 dollar life insurance policy. He was murdered on June 25th with a single gunshot wound to the head while he was sleeping. One of the co-conspirators, Rodney Barfield, felt remorse about his involvement with the crime. He confessed his full involvement in the murder and detailed everyone’s roles. In 2002, Tyshee Prokop and her friends were arrested and charged with the murder of Gary Prokop. They were sentenced as follows:

Tyshee Manik Prokop – pled guilty, sentenced to life in prison
Charles Edward Turnbull III – convicted, sentenced to life in prison
Rodney Barfield – pled guilty, sentenced to 25 years
Reuben James Salgado – pled guilty (tampering with evidence charge)
Jacob Luther Harris – pled guilty (to a conspiracy charge)

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:
Spec Gary Thomas Prokop | Find A Grave
Army wife charged in husband’s killing
Killeen woman accused of murdering husband pleads not guilty
Jcc Man Arrested On Charges Tied To Texas Killing
Killeen woman pleads guilty to murder, avoids death penalty
‘Prokop 5’ murder suspect pleads guilty to tampering with evidence
Four of five sentenced for Killeen murder-for-hire scheme
Victim’s parents get child custody
Forensics could be key to two-year mystery
She Had Her Gang Boyfriend Kill Her Husband In His Sleep | Deadly Women
Tyshee Prokop had her husband, Spec Gary Thomas Prokop, killed for his military benefits and insurance
Tyshee Manik Prokop | Texas Prison Inmates | The Texas Tribune
Parole Review Info for Tyshee Manik Prokop | Texas Dept of Criminal Justice
ISO A Femme Fatale? Jail Babes Has The Hook-Up
Servicemen’s Group Life Insurance is a Common Motive for Murder
Violent Crime, Suicide, and Non Combat Death at Fort Hood, Texas (US Army)
Deadly Women Premiered ‘To Have and To Kill’ on ID: Gary Prokop Murdered for Military Death Benefits and Life Insurance (October 17, 2014)
Army Soldiers at Fort Hood in Texas Are Dying at Alarming Rates Stateside
Deadly Women: 30 Military and Veteran Homicide Cases Featured on ID
To Have and To Kill | Deadly Women | Investigation Discovery (S8,E14)
To Have and To Kill | Deadly Women | Investigation Discovery (website)
To Have and To Kill | Deadly Women | Investigation Discovery (Amazon)
To Have and To Kill | Deadly Women | Investigation Discovery (Hulu)

University of Penn. Student Shannon Schieber Found Raped & Murdered in Home; Air Force SrA Troy Graves Sentenced to Life in Prison (May 7, 1998)

Shannon Schiebercredit: Courtesy Schieber Family
Shannon Schieber, Pennsylvania (Photo: People Magazine Investigates)

Offender: Troy Graves, 29, US Air Force service member
Victims: Shannon Schieber, 23, University of Pennsylvania student (rape/homicide), multiple rape victims in Pennsylvania & Colorado

Circumstances: Shannon Schieber was enrolled as a Phd. student at the Wharton School of Business, on May 7, 1998, Shannon was studying for exams when a neighbor heard what sounded like cries for help, he called 911 to report that his neighbor was asking for help, the police arrived but no one answered the door and the neighbor backed off his statement, they searched the property and the neighbor said it could have been outside so they left, Shannon’s brother showed up the next day and Shannon didn’t answer the door, the neighbor told her brother what he heard the night before, they broke into the apartment and found Shannon naked on her bed, Shannon was strangled to death and it appeared she tried to fight off her attacker, police found DNA at the scene, DNA ruled out those close to Shannon, Shannon’s parents were outraged that the man who killed their daughter was in the apartment when the police knocked on her door, but the police did their job right and by the book, a few days before the murder, Shannon reported being followed home one night, she was scared, so police started investigating the stranger angle, perhaps this is a serial rapist, they look into sex crimes in the area, they want to match the DNA to other sex crimes in the area.

In February 1999, they got a DNA match, 2 other sexual assaults had occurred but they were coded as misdemeanors, the assaults occurred just a few blocks from Shannon’s apartment, in June and July 1997, two more sexual assaults were connected to the offender bringing the total to 5, the PPD coded these sexual assaults as misdemeanors as well, they downgraded the offenses because it lessoned the load for the police, and made the arrest rate look better than it was, Shannon’s case helped enact change in Philadelphia, if they had investigated these cases, everyone would have known there was a serial rapist, Shannon would not be dead if she knew what was going on, the DNA still didn’t have a match to the offender, in 1997, a sketch was drawn from the recollections of the first victim, they got a new composite, this offender would enter the home, hold the victim down on the bed, rape them or make them perform oral sex, it was about control and domination for this guy and he was also somewhat of a romantic, once they acquiesced, he would treat them like a date, he would get comfortable with the victims, they determined he was a light skinned black male based on information he shared with one victim about his life growing up with bi-racial parents.

He was dubbed the Center City rapist, in August 1999, no other cases were reported since Shannon’s murder, the case went cold, the police got a bulletin in 2001 from Fort Collins, Colorado, the offenders modus operandi sounded familiar to the Philadelphia PD, on June 13, 2001, one victim was home when she was attacked from behind and raped, after she acquiesced, the rapist became gentle as if he was a boyfriend, after he left, she called 911, she was his third victim in Fort Collins, they were all blitz attacked, FC police were investigating a serial rapist, a fourth & fifth rapes were reported, he made a mistake and left behind a ball cap at the fifth victims home, Fort Collins DNA was matched to the rapes in Philadelphia, PPD gave FCPD the composite drawing, police received a letter in the mail from the suspect, he was taunting them, in the fall of 2001, the attacks in Fort Collins stopped, meanwhile the PPD started focusing on cross referencing names of suspects with the two geographic locations, they got a match for Air Force service member Troy Graves, he was in Philadelphia, Fort Collins, and now at Warren AFB in Cheyenne, Wyoming, in 2002, the police had the new suspect in their sites.

The police learned that Troy was also investigated by the Office of Special Investigations, it was over charges of harassing a female colleague, the charges were dropped but there was still something suspicious there, Graves has a clean criminal record and no finger prints on file, the case was circumstantial, they reached out to Graves to come to the police department and do an interview, Troy Graves and his wife showed up to the Fort Collins PD, the police immediately separated the couple, his wife admitted that he had insomnia and went for walks and drives at night and that honestly she thought he was having an affair, meanwhile Troy denied knowing anything about the crimes, the police confronted him about the rapes in Fort Collins, he denied being arrested for any sex crimes, he denied being investigated by the Air Force, he did not want to provide his fingerprints but a warrant was issued to compel him, the fingerprints were a match, Troy Graves was arrested and booked into custody on April 23, 2002, this case changed the PPD policies on sexual assault to include how evidence is handled and how the victims are treated and interviewed.

Disposition: Troy Graves feared a trial would not go in his favor in Fort Collins, Colorado, he pleaded guilty in exchange for a life sentence without the possibility of parole; Pennsylvania wanted to seek the death penalty but Shannon’s family did not want that because Shannon wouldn’t have wanted that, Graves entered into a plea agreement and got life in prison plus sixty years

Notable Quotes: “We have to change the system but not put people to death.” -Vicki Schieber (Shannon’s mom)

Source: ‘Terror in Philadelphia’ People Magazine Investigates, Investigation Discovery

Investigation Discovery:

In 1998, a gifted Philadelphia graduate student is found murdered in her bed. The hunt for her killer forces police to reevaluate a series of unsolved crimes, turning the city upside down. Will her killer be caught or will he strike again? -Terror in Philadelphia, People Magazine Investigates (S3,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.

Related Links:
U. student killed in Center City
Family, friend mourn Schieber’s death
Grief, Questions After Student is Slain
DNA tests clear ex-boyfriend in Schieber murder
Airman arrested in sexual assaults
Center City rapist suspect arrested
Suspected Serial Rapist Arrested
Colo. airman arrested on sex charges suspected as Center City Rapist
Colorado Suspect Is Believed Tied to Other Attacks
Airman trained at VAFB arrested in Colorado sex assaults
Airman’s DNA Linked to Slain Md. Woman
Officials: DNA Evidence Links Colorado Man to Philly Rapes, Murder
Airman Awaits Hearing in Rape Case
Troy Graves: I did it… and ‘I’m sorry’
Serial rapist says he’s sorry
Remorseful airman admits murder, rapes
Admitted serial rapist now will face a charge of murder
USAF content with civilian prosecution of Graves
Serial rapist pleads guilty in Colorado
Graves Pleads Guilty In Philadelphia Rapes, Murder
Victims speak out; Graves gets life
Colorado: Life Sentence For Airman
Airman gets life sentence in string of sexual assaults
A baffling case: The women who loved Troy Graves
The story of Shannon Schieber
Why two mothers back death penalty repeal
A Place of Peace | Bethesda Magazine
Death Penalty Vs. Life: An Issue Of Closure Vs. Peace
Victim’s family moves “from pain to peace”
Investigating rape in Philadelphia: how one city’s crisis stands to help others
Woman advocates repeal of death penalty as part of unconditional pro-life policy
What are Fort Collins’ most infamous moments?
Rape is Rape, Isn’t It? | ProPublica
Rape is Rape, Isn’t It? | The Marshall Project
The Annual Ritual Shaping How the Philadelphia Police Department Handles Rape, Abuse Cases
How one woman changed the way Philly police handle rape
Why is the death penalty discussed in religious terms?
How do you fix a broken system? One U.S. city offers a model for handling sex-assault cases
How a Business Student’s Dying Cries of ‘Help Me’ Eventually Led to a Serial Rapist
Death penalty: Parents of murder victim oppose killer’s execution
Mom of Wharton Student Found Raped, Murdered in 1998 Still Wonders: ‘How Could Somebody Do That?’
Troy Graves | Murderpedia, the encyclopedia of murderers
People Magazine Investigates Premiered ‘Terror in Philadelphia’ on ID: University Student Shannon Schieber Found Raped & Murdered (November 12, 2018)
Terror in Philadelphia | People Magazine Investigates | Investigation Discovery (S3, E2)
Terror in Philadelphia | People Magazine Investigates | Investigation Discovery (website)
Terror in Philadelphia | People Magazine Investigates | Investigation Discovery (Prime Video)
All Charged Up | Forensic Files | FilmRise

Unsolved Homicide: FBI Seeking Information for the Murder of Army Soldier Solomon Robinson Who Was Home on Leave in Bronx, New York (April 3, 1998)

Solomon Robinson, U.S. Army (photo: FBI.gov)

FBI SEEKING INFORMATION:

Murder Victim
Bronx, New York City, New York
April 3, 1998

Reward:

The FBI is offering a reward of up to $25,000 for information leading to the identity, arrest, and conviction of the individual(s) responsible for the murder of Solomon Robinson.

Details:

The Federal Bureau of Investigation’s New York Field Office is seeking the public’s assistance in identifying the individual(s) responsible for the murder of Solomon Robinson. 

On April 3, 1998, Robinson was shot once and stabbed multiple times in St. Mary’s Park in the Bronx, New York City, New York.  At the time, Robinson was an active United States Army soldier and was back in the Bronx on approved leave. 

This is a joint investigation with the New York Police Department (NYPD).

Submit a Tip:

If you have any information concerning this person, please contact your local FBI office or the nearest American Embassy or Consulate.

Field Office: New York

Submit an anonymous Tip online

FBI LINK: SOLOMON ROBINSON (FBI MOST WANTED)

New development brings hope for relatives of 1998 Bronx murder victim | A teenager from the Bronx who was committed to serving in the Army was attacked and killed in a local park 26 years ago. The murder of Solomon Robinson still hasn’t been solved. But now, detectives say they’ve learned new information that has led to a new development in the cold case. | NBC New York

Related Links:
‘No soldier left behind’: Detective vows to find Bronx soldier’s murderers 26 years later
Soldier Visiting Mother Is Killed in Bronx | New York Times
G.I. Fatally Shot, Knifed Pays Visit to His Mom in Mott Haven for Last Time

On This Day in History: Army Veteran Timothy McVeigh Convicted for Oklahoma City Bombing (June 2, 1997)

Timothy McVeigh Army
Timothy McVeigh, U.S. Army Veteran

“Timothy McVeigh, a former U.S. Army soldier, is convicted on 15 counts of murder and conspiracy for his role in the 1995 terrorist bombing of the Alfred P. Murrah Federal Building in Oklahoma City. On April 19, 1995, just after 9 a.m., a massive truck bomb exploded outside the Alfred P. Murrah Federal Building. The blast collapsed the north face of the nine-story building, instantly killing more than 100 people and trapping dozens more in the rubble. Emergency crews raced to Oklahoma City from across the country, and when the rescue effort finally ended two weeks later, the death toll stood at 168 people, including 19 young children who were in the building’s day-care center at the time of the blast.” Read more from This Day in History here.

Related Links:
Oklahoma City Bombing: 168 People Died in an Act of Domestic Terrorism at the Alfred P. Murrah Federal Building (April 19, 1995)
Timothy McVeigh convicted for Oklahoma City bombing (June 2, 1997)
American Experience PBS Premiered ‘Oklahoma City’: Timothy McVeigh & Terry Nichols Conspired to Bomb the Alfred P. Murrah Federal Building (February 7, 2017)
Oxygen Premiered ‘In Defense Of Timothy McVeigh’: Convicted Oklahoma City Bomber Executed by Feds in 2001 for Terrorism (June 25, 2018)
The Oklahoma City National Memorial & Museum
Oklahoma City National Memorial (U.S. National Park Service)

Army Soldier Kevin Spann Fatally Shot by Two Teenagers at Front Door of Georgia Home; Wife Gina Spann Sentenced to Life in Prison, No Parole (May 11, 1997)

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Kevin Spann, U.S. Army

Army SSG Kevin Spann married Gina Lynn Pierce in 1989 and became a step-father to her son. They met in Gina’s hometown in Illinois and moved to Fort Worth, Texas in 1990. About a year after they were married, Kevin was deployed to Kuwait in support of Operation Desert Storm. Gina couldn’t handle being alone so she went back to her hometown in Illinois. After Kevin returned home from Kuwait, he went to Illinois to see if Gina would go to Fort Gordon, Georgia with him. Gina agreed and things were going well until Kevin had to start working long hours. Kevin suggested she get a job to help occupy her time. It would be at this job where Gina would meet three teenagers who quickly became her friends despite the age difference.

Gina became popular with the teenagers when they learned that she could buy them alcohol. They all started partying together at hotels after work and eventually Gina started sleeping with one of them. After awhile Gina just moved the parties to her marital home. Kevin would come home from work and find drunk, passed out kids all over his house. Gina also did not hide the fact that she was sleeping with one of the teens, Larry Kelley. She did not care how Kevin Spann felt about the arrangement. One day, Larry’s step father kicked him out of the house. Because Larry didn’t know where else to turn, he turned to Gina who agreed to let him move in with them. Not only did he move into the house but he moved into the marital bedroom with Gina and Kevin moved out. Kevin slept in another room in the same house.

In the spring of 1997, Kevin had finally had enough and asked Gina for a divorce. But Gina begged Kevin to make the marriage work and she promised him she would change. She knew that if Kevin divorced her she would end up with nothing. Kevin loved her and wanted to make the marriage work so he agreed to try again but he insisted that Larry get out of his house in one week. It would be days later that Gina found her front door open and Kevin lying on the floor in a pool of blood. SSG Kevin Spann was shot twice and killed at his doorstep on Mother’s Day, May 11, 1997. He was shot once in the head and once in the chest, torso area. When the killers left, he was still alive. Kevin bled to death.

Gina and Larry Kelley provided each other with alibis when investigators questioned their whereabouts. Although Larry also told police that he was Gina’s live in boyfriend which peaked investigators interest and made the couple prime suspects. They hauled both Gina and Kevin down to the station. Gina adamantly denied any involvement in the shooting. Larry on the other hand told investigators everything. He told them that Gina asked him to find someone to shoot her husband so he did. He found Matthew Piazzi and Gerald Horne to do the job. Investigators would learn that Gina devised a plan and told the teenagers what to do. After Gina and Larry left the residence, Matthew and Gerald were to knock on the door, wait for Kevin to answer, shoot him, and then get rid of the gun. Matthew was the gunman.

Investigators searched Gina’s car and found a $300,000 life insurance policy for Kevin Spann which gave them the evidence they needed to charge Gina with murder. Gina Spann and Larry Kelley conspired to murder Kevin and were both sentenced to life without parole. Gina finally admitted her role in the murder after learning that Larry Kelley was facing the death sentence. She agreed to tell investigators what her role was in the murder if they took the death penalty off the table for both of them. Gina Spann plead guilty to first degree murder and Larry Kelley was convicted of first degree murder. Matthew Piazzi and Gerald Horne both plead guilty to first degree murder and were sentenced to life in prison. Christopher Bargeron pled guilty to conspiracy and was sentenced to 5 years in prison.

Source: Special Delivery, Deadly Affairs, Investigation Discovery

Investigation Discovery:

Kevin and Gina Spann know that life in the military is anything but easy. But when Kevin goes away, Gina plays. -Special Delivery, Deadly Affairs (S2, E9)

Some women can’t resist boy toys. But fur flies when these Deadly Women reveal they’re “Killer Cougars.” -Deadly Women (S10, 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.

Related Links:
Augusta slaying
Murderpedia: Gina Lynn Spann
Three others say wife tried to hire them to kill Fort Gordon soldier
Kelley found guilty of murder
Spann gets life sentence
Teenage boys recruited by wife to kill Fort Gordon soldier
Serviceman Killed By Wife; Her Son Receives Insurance Payout
United States Court of Appeals, Seventh Circuit (1999)
Kelly v The State of Georgia (2000)
First parole board member declines parole for convicted murderer
The Mother’s Day Murder by Wensley Clarkson
Special Delivery | Deadly Affairs | Investigation Discovery (S2,E9)
Special Delivery | Deadly Affairs | Investigation Discovery (website)
Special Delivery | Deadly Affairs | Investigation Discovery (Amazon)
Killer Cougars | Deadly Women | Investigation Discovery (S10,E1)
Killer Cougars | Deadly Women | Investigation Discovery (website)
Killer Cougars | Deadly Women | Investigation Discovery (Amazon)
Killer Cougars | Deadly Women | Investigation Discovery (Hulu)
Deadly Affairs Premiered ‘Special Delivery’ on ID: Gina Spann Manipulated Teenagers to Kill Her Husband (September 28, 2013)
Deadly Women Premiered ‘Killer Cougars’ on Investigation Discovery: Two Teenagers Promised Money if They Killed Kevin Spann (August 26, 2016)

Army Veteran Doug Gissendaner Murdered for Marital Home & Life Insurance; Wife Kelly Sentenced to Death, Executed in Georgia (February 7, 1997)

screen-shot-2016-11-13-at-8-26-20-pm
Doug Gissendaner, U.S. Army Veteran

Army veteran Doug Gissendaner was murdered by his wife Kelly and her lover Gregory Owen in Auburn, Georgia on February 7, 1997. Doug met his wife Kelly in 1989 in Georgia. Kelly was a party girl and had already been married for six months and divorced when she met Doug. She had a child from her previous marriage and Doug welcomed the child with open arms. Within two months, they were married and then Kelly got pregnant. Doug loved being a father, husband, and family man. Then Doug joined the Army and got stationed overseas in Germany. While Doug was away, Kelly resorted to her old ways and started partying at the clubs on base. Kelly loved being on base with soldiers since the military base was a ready supply of men. It was reported that Kelly was so promiscuous on base that eventually she was asked to leave and her and the children were sent back to the United States.

In 1991, Doug returned home from his enlistment in the Army. He decided to forgive his wife and they reunited. Shortly after the reunification, Doug learned that Kelly was pregnant with someone else’s child. He was disappointed to say the least as he wanted to keep his family together. Divorce was inevitable. But after three years of being alone, Doug was desperate to be with his family again. The couple remarried and moved in together. Doug put up with Kelly so he could be a family man and provider to the children. Kelly wanted a house so Doug bought her one. What Doug didn’t realize is that Kelly was having an affair with 25 year old Gregory Owen. Kelly approached Owen about three months prior to the murder and asked him to get rid of Doug. Owen didn’t take her seriously initially and suggested she simply divorce him.

On the day of the murder, Kelly drove Owen to her residence in Auburn where he would wait for Doug with a knife and a nightstick that she provided to him. Kelly went out drinking with her friends to establish an alibi. Owen ambushed Doug when he got home and forced him into his own vehicle. He then took him to a remote wooded area where he forced him on his knees, hit him on the head from behind with the nightstick, and stabbed him in the neck ten times. Owen paged Kelly after he was done. Kelly showed up to the crime scene, demanded to see the body, and used gasoline, an accelerant, to set Doug’s car on fire. Kelly Gissendaner reported Doug missing to the police the following day. Investigators suspected Kelly immediately because they believed she was not being truthful. They found Doug’s body eleven days later.

Kelly eventually admitted to police that she was having an affair with Gregory Owen and this tip led investigators to the man who would eventually confess to the murder of Doug Gissendaner. Owen was tormented with guilt and felt manipulated and used. As a result, Owen testified at Kelly’s trial that she wanted to cash in on an insurance policy and become the outright owner of the marital home. In exchange for his testimony, Gregory Owen was sentenced to life in prison with the possibility of parole in twenty-five years. Kelly Gissendaner maintained her innocence but was found guilty of malice murder and sentenced to death in 1998. She lived her prison life in solitary confinement and was executed by the State of Georgia on September 30th, 2015. Kelly Gissendaner wanted things her way no matter the cost and conveniently had her husband killed after he bought her a house.

Investigation Discovery:

For these women, one good man wasn’t enough. A middle-aged woman used looks to prey on elderly gentleman; an army wife didn’t want a soldier but a squad; and a serial wife cooks up meals to die for. These Deadly Women married for the money, honey. -Deadly Women (S8, E11)

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:
Find-A-Grave: Douglas Morgan Gissendaner
Family: Kelly Gissendaner’s murdered husband ‘is the true victim’
Gissendaner v State of Georgia 2000
Kelly Gissendaner execution postponed indefinitely
Sentence upheld against only woman on Georgia’s death row
Georgia’s only female death row inmate to be executed
Only woman on Ga. death row denied clemency, set for execution
Georgia woman’s execution postponed because drugs appeared ‘cloudy’
Kelly Gissendaner: 5 Fast Facts You Need to Know
Former Ga. chief justice regrets vote in Gissendaner case
WATCH: Kelly Gissendaner’s 1997 Interview on the Search for Her Husband
Kelly Gissendaner Death Unfair? Boyfriend Gregory Owen Did the Murders, Gets Parole in Eight Years
Georgia Executes Kelly Gissendaner, Renewing Questions About Death Penalty
Kelly Renee Gissendaner got her lover, Gregory Bruce Owen, to kill her husband Doug for the insurance money; She is now on death row
Execution Date Set for Kelly Renee Gissendaner, Convicted of Husband’s Murder
Georgia to execute its first female prisoner in 70 years
Kelly Gissendaner First Woman Executed in Georgia in 70 Years
Children of woman on Ga. death row plead for her life to be spared
Family split over whether Kelly Gissendaner should die tonight
Kelly Gissendaner Left Message for Kids Before Execution Was Postponed
Ga.’s female death row inmate’s last meal request
Georgia death row inmate requests 2 whoppers and more for last meal
Georgia Woman Kelly Gissendaner Sings ‘Amazing Grace’ During Execution
Georgia inmate Kelly Gissendaner executed after failed appeals
Georgia executes Kelly Gissendaner after Supreme Court denies stay requests
Kelly Gissendaner Executed in Georgia After Courts Deny Stay Requests
Kelly Gissendaner executed for planning husband’s murder as man who killed him escapes death sentence
She sang Amazing Grace then the drugs took hold and she stuttered into silence: As the state of Georgia executes its first woman for 70 years, a chilling dispatch from inside the chamber
Georgia executes Kelly Gissendaner, despite plea from Pope Francis
Detective recounts how he put Kelly Gissendaner on death row
The Premeditated Murder of Kelly Gissendaner
Justice has different meanings for Kelly Gissendaner’s family
Profile of Husband Killer Kelly Gissendaner
First We’ll Kill My Husband by Lyn Riddle (Amazon)
Review of First We’ll Kill My Husband
For the Money Honey | Deadly Women | Investigation Discovery (S8, E11)
For the Money Honey | Deadly Women | Investigation Discovery (website)
For the Money Honey | Deadly Women | Investigation Discovery (Amazon)
For the Money Honey | Deadly Women | Investigation Discovery (Hulu)
Deadly Women Premiered ‘For the Money Honey’ on Investigation Discovery: Kelly Gissendaner & Lover Murdered Army Veteran Doug Gissendaner (September 26, 2014)
Deadly Women: 30 Military and Veteran Homicide Cases Featured on Investigation Discovery

Army Veteran James Neal Broke Into Estranged Wife’s Colorado Springs Home & Fatally Shot Danny Richmond; Sentenced to 45 Years in Prison (July 9, 1996)

James Neal
James Neal, U.S. Army Veteran

On July 9th, 1996, 911 received a phone call from a distressed man who reported a burglar was in his apartment. And then the operator hears a bang and the line goes dead. Homicide detective, Lt. Joe Kenda, of the Colorado Springs Police Department was informed shots were fired after what appeared to be a burglary gone wrong. He was informed Danny Richmond, 34, was dead and his roommate Savannah Neal, 50, was present at the time of the shooting. The pair had met at work. Danny was the 911 caller; he reported someone broke into the apartment before he was shot. Kenda has learned from experience that burglars usually pick locks but in this case, whoever this person was, shot at the front door multiple times. This person had a motive to kill the person behind the door. Danny was shot in the central chest and he was shot in excess of 48 inches away. They didn’t find any casings in the room.Kenda observed that Danny was laying in his bed and eating when he was shot.

Kenda noticed Danny’s wedding ring and assumed he was married so he thought maybe Savannah was letting him stay at her apartment because he was having troubles. Did Danny’s estrange wife have something to do with this? Kenda wondered why Savannah was not dead? Why was she not harmed? Kenda deduced the shooter was after one person: Danny Richmond. The police eventually found a 357 Magnum casing at the threshold of the door. It appeared this person reloaded the gun quickly and Kenda thought it very likely could be someone military because Fort Carson is in Colorado Springs. Kenda set out to learn more about Danny. Danny was described by his co-workers as great. One co-worker shared that Danny met Savannah Neal at work; she acted as his mentor. Kenda also learned that Danny was not really married but he wore a wedding ring to show his commitment to Savannah. Kenda learned they were in a personal relationship and were romantically involved.

Kenda was looking for a third person now that he learned about the relationship between Danny and Savannah. A co-worker shared that Savannah was married for 25 years to James Neal but they were having problems so she moved out. The co-worker confirmed that James was in the Army but now worked as a security guard. Kenda then went to the hospital to question Savannah. She admitted things were bad with James and when he found out about her seeing Danny, he was angry. She alleged that he stalked her and Danny; he made threats; and he followed her all over the city. She said the night of the shooting she fixed Danny something to eat and served him in bed. They both heard loud pounding at the door so she went towards the door as it exploded open. She observed that James had a gun in his hand and went straight to the bedroom and shot Danny then he just left. The whole thing happened in the course of 30 seconds.

Kenda needed to find James Neal. He put out an all points bulletin (APB) asking officers to be on the look out and aware that he was armed and dangerous. Minutes later a police officer spotted the gray Camry and pulled him over. James didn’t move so the police officer approached him unsure of what he may do. The officer went up to the driver side of the car and observed that James had blood on him near his shoulder and stomach; next to him was a 357 Magnum revolver. James was telling the officer that he wanted to die and was speaking coherently. He admitted to shooting himself as the officer pulled him over. One officer explained that he shot himself in those locations most likely because he lost his courage to commit suicide. James Neal admitted to Kenda that he wanted to die and he shot his wife’s boyfriend. James Neal was convicted of first degree murder and sentenced to forty-five years in prison. Some relationships can turn to nightmare scenarios and this is one of them.

Investigation Discovery:

When the severed head of a wife and mother is found, Lt. Joe Kenda uses forensics and interrogation to find both her body and her killer. Then… a young man’s murder looks like a robbery gone wrong until Kenda learns the odd reason he’s living there. -The Line Goes Dead, Homicide Hunter (S6,E13)

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:
The Line Goes Dead | Homicide Hunter | Investigation Discovery (S6,E13)
The Line Goes Dead | Homicide Hunter | Investigation Discovery (website)
The Line Goes Dead | Homicide Hunter | Investigation Discovery (Amazon)
The Line Goes Dead | Homicide Hunter | Investigation Discovery (Hulu)
Homicide Hunter Premiered ‘The Line Goes Dead’ on ID: Army Veteran Murdered Estranged Wife’s Boyfriend Danny Richmond (November 30, 2016)
Violent Crime, Suicide & Non Combat Death at Fort Carson, Colorado (US Army)

Navy Petty Officer Elise Makdessi Murdered in Virginia Home; Spouse Eddie Makdessi Found Guilty of Murder, Sentenced to Life in Prison (May 14, 1996)

Elise Makdessi
P.O. Elise Makdessi, U.S. Navy

Navy Petty Officer Elise Makdessi worked as an Air Traffic Controller at Naval Air Station Oceana in Virginia. Elise was married to Eddie Makdessi for five years and they lived off base in Virginia Beach. Elise unknowingly helped plan, organize, and carry out her own murder and it is unclear if she was a willing participant in the original plot with Eddie to scam the government out of money or if she was controlled by Eddie. Eddie Makdessi murdered Elise Makdessi and Navy Petty Officer Quincy Brown on May 14, 1996 as part of an elaborate scam. The whole thing was a set up. Elise thought she was part of an arrangement where she would invite Quincy Brown to the house, have sex with him, then accuse him of rape. She also manufactured evidence to make it look like she was documenting sexual abuse in an effort to sue the Navy and make millions. She had journals and created what looked like a rehearsed video outlining what four Navy men, including Quincy Brown, did to her on the job.

Five years earlier in 1991 the Navy Tailhook scandal in Nevada made national headlines. Navy Lieutenant Paula Coughlin was one of the alleged victims who went public with her story. Two years before Elise and Quincy were murdered, Paula Coughlin won 1.7 million after suing the Las Vegas Hilton hotel where the Tailhook Association convention was held. Eddie must have convinced Elise that they too could make millions if they alleged that Elise was sexually assaulted on the job. What they didn’t realize is that you can’t sue the Navy; Coughlin won a lawsuit against the Hilton hotel. The Feres Doctrine prevents any soldier or their family from suing the Department of Defense for compensatory damages. Investigators believe that knowledge of this information gave Eddie and Elise Makdessi the motive to come up with the false accusation scheme to sue the Navy. Eddie was a scammer and always looking for new ways to make quick money. Elise didn’t know she was double crossed until Eddie was plunging the knife. A month before the murders, Eddie purchased $700,000 worth of life insurance on Elise.

Eddie and Elise Makdessi invited Petty Officer Quincy Brown over to the house under the guise of having a threesome. DNA evidence revealed that Elise and Quincy Brown had sex. Investigators would learn that Eddie shot Quincy first, then stabbed Elise. He hurt himself to make it appear that Quincy invaded the house, knocked him out, raped and killed Elise, and then he awoke from unconsciousness and shot the intruder. Eddie staged the crime scene and he almost got away with it. But investigators figured out this was a ‘set up’ based on the crime scene evidence, interviews with Elise’s co-workers, the video tape, and the large insurance policy. They were also savvy enough to recognize that this was a copycat case. Elise’s sexual harassment and sexual assault claims were in fact fabricated. All the men she accused of sex crimes in the video passed a polygraph examination and her supervisors testified that Elise never reported sexual harassment or sexual assault like she claimed in her video testimony. Unfortunately Quincy Brown was the pawn they used in their game and he never got the chance to see that the allegations were proven false.

Eddie was indicted in 2001. But by the time investigators were ready to arrest Eddie Makdessi for the murder of Elise Makdessi and Quincy Brown, Eddie had fled the country. They eventually caught up with him in Russia. Unfortunately, Russia did not have an extradition treaty with the United States so police could not force Eddie to come back to the states. Mike Mather, an investigative reporter, went to Russia to interview Makdessi and learned that he was remarried with a child yet things weren’t going so well for Eddie financially in Russia. After that interview, Eddie decided to leave his wife and child in Russia and go back to America to face the charges. He was going to prove his innocence and clear his name. He was sure he would beat the charges. It would be ten years after he committed the first degree murders of Elise and Quincy Brown before he went to trial. On March 16, 2006, Eddie Makdessi was convicted of two counts of murder, sentenced to life in prison, and ordered to pay a $202,500 fine. The motive was the life insurance money. He used the $700,000 payout to travel the world before settling in Russia. Eddie continues to deny committing the crimes.

Elise Makdessi’s sister, Dawn Crosby, asked the jury to “show Eddie Makdessi that my sister’s life was worth more than $700,000.” –The Virginia-Pilot (March 17, 2006)

Forensic Files:

Full Episode: Virginia Beach police arrive at the Makdessi apartment to find Elise Makdessi and her lover, Quincy Brown, dead. Elise’s husband Eddie had reported that he killed Quincy Brown in self-defense after Brown had murdered Elise. Eddie gave the police a videotape Elise had made a week before, alleging that she had been the victim of sexual harassment. -Double Cross, Forensic Files (S13,E5)

Investigation Discovery:

Paramedics respond to a horrific crime scene – a woman is found tied to a bed with slashes across her body. Next to her on the floor, a man with three gunshot wounds. Detectives spend the next several years unraveling this bizarre mystery. -Last Man Standing, Solved (S2,E10)

When a Naval Officer is apparently raped and stabbed by a coworker, a mysterious VHS tape suggests the victim may have been silenced to prevent a scandal. Dogged investigation and cutting edge forensic science reveals a shocking murder plot. -Deadly Accusations, Unusual Suspects (S7,E4)

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:
Tailhook Plaintiff Wins Suit (1994)
Notes, Videotape Left Left by Woman Say She was Raped, the Oceana Worker was Slain by a Colleague, An Affidavit Says
DSS Returns Double Homicide Suspect to U.S.
Forensic Expert Uses Blood to Re-Create 1996 Slayings
Jury recommends life sentence for Makdessi
The word of a jailhouse snitch: Can it be trusted?
Man accused of killing wife, her lover a decade ago finally to go on trial
Officer, paramedic recall Elise Makdessi’s death
You’ll never believe what a convicted killer is requesting from a judge
State of Virginia: Adib Eddie Makdessi v. Harold Clarke (2016)
Female sailor’s false rape allegation, plot fails
Navy Petty Officer Quincy Brown Murdered by Military Spouse Motivated to Kill by Wife’s $700,000 Life Insurance Policy (May 14, 1996)
Press Release: Department of State Returns Double Homicide Suspect Adib “Eddie” Ramez Makdessi to U.S. (July 22, 2003)
Forensic Files Premiered ‘Double Cross’: Navy Sailors Elise Makdessi & Quincy Brown Found Murdered in Makdessi’s Virginia Home (October 24, 2008)
Solved Premiered ‘Last Man Standing’ on ID: Navy Sailors Elise Makdessi & Quincy Brown Found Murdered in Makdessi’s Virginia Home (October 26, 2009)
Unusual Suspects Premiered ‘Deadly Accusations’ on ID: Navy Sailors Elise Makdessi & Quincy Brown Found Murdered in Makdessi’s Virginia Home (January 25, 2015)
Double Cross | Forensic Files | IMDb
Double Cross | Forensic Files | FilmRise (S13,E5)
Double Cross | Forensic Files | Full Episode (YouTube)
Double Cross | Forensic Files | Netflix (Collection 9, E35)
Double Cross | Forensic Files | Amazon Prime Video (S21,E1)
Deadly Accusations | Unusual Suspects | Investigation Discovery (Amazon Video)
Deadly Accusations | Unusual Suspects | Investigation Discovery (S7,E4)
Last Man Standing | Solved | Investigation Discovery (S2,E10)
Last Man Standing | Solved | Investigation Discovery (website)
Servicemen’s Group Life Insurance is a Common Motive for Murder

Navy Petty Officer Quincy Brown Murdered by Military Spouse Eddie Makdessi; Makdessi Motivated to Kill by Wife Elise Makdessi’s $700,000 Life Insurance Policy (May 14, 1996)

Quincy Brown
P.O. Quincy Brown, U.S. Navy

Honoring Navy Petty Officer Quincy Brown who died on May 14, 1996 in Virginia Beach, Virginia. Petty Officer Brown and Petty Officer Elise Makdessi were murdered by Elise’s husband Eddie Makdessi in the Makdessi home. Quincy Brown was lured to the residence under false pretenses, not aware that he was part of a plot that ended with murder. Eddie shot Quincy Brown and then stabbed Elise Makdessi. He told the police that Quincy Brown broke into his home, knocked him out, raped and murdered Elise, and when he awoke he shot the intruder. Forensic science proved that Eddie’s version of events were not supported by the evidence. Investigators concluded that Eddie was most likely motivated to kill by his wife’s $700,000 life insurance policy he had purchased a month earlier. Eddie Makdessi was indicted in 2001 but wouldn’t go to trial for his crimes until 2006 as he fled the country with his life insurance money. Unfortunately, the United States didn’t have an extradition treaty with Russia. After Eddie Makdessi finally returned to the US, he was charged with two counts of first degree murder, found guilty, and sentenced to life in prison. He continues to deny that he committed the crimes.

Investigation Discovery:

Paramedics respond to a horrific crime scene – a woman is found tied to a bed with slashes across her body. Next to her on the floor, a man with three gunshot wounds. Detectives spend the next several years unraveling this bizarre mystery. -Last Man Standing, Solved (S2,E10)

When a Naval Officer is apparently raped and stabbed by a coworker, a mysterious VHS tape suggests the victim may have been silenced to prevent a scandal. Dogged investigation and cutting edge forensic science reveals a shocking murder plot. -Deadly Accusations, Unusual Suspects (S7,E4)

Related Links:
Tailhook Plaintiff Wins Suit (1994)
Notes, Videotape Left Left by Woman Say She was Raped, the Oceana Worker was Slain by a Colleague, An Affidavit Says
DSS Returns Double Homicide Suspect to U.S.
Forensic Expert Uses Blood to Re-Create 1996 Slayings
Jury recommends life sentence for Makdessi
The word of a jailhouse snitch: Can it be trusted?
Man accused of killing wife, her lover a decade ago finally to go on trial
Officer, paramedic recall Elise Makdessi’s death
You’ll never believe what a convicted killer is requesting from a judge
State of Virginia: Adib Eddie Makdessi v. Harold Clarke (2016)
Female sailor’s false rape allegation, plot fails
Forensic Files Sex Crimes Double Cross 1
Forensic Files Sex Crimes Double Cross 2
Unusual Suspects: Deadly Accusations (Amazon Video)
Unusual Suspects: Deadly Accusations (ID YouTube)
Navy Petty Officer Elise Makdessi Double Crossed & Murdered by Husband Eddie, The $700,000 Life Insurance Policy was the Motive (May 14, 1996)
Press Release: Department of State Returns Double Homicide Suspect Adib “Eddie” Ramez Makdessi to U.S. (July 22, 2003)
Solved Premiered ‘Last Man Standing’ on ID: Navy Sailors Elise Makdessi & Quincy Brown Found Murdered in Makdessi’s Virginia Home (October 26, 2009)
Unusual Suspects Premiered ‘Deadly Accusations’ on ID: Navy Sailors Elise Makdessi & Quincy Brown Found Murdered in Makdessi’s Virginia Home (January 25, 2015)

Michael James & Jackie Burden Gunned Down in North Carolina by Army Privates James Burmeister & Malcolm Wright in Racially Motivated Random Act of Violence (December 7, 1995)

US Army Seal

Related Links:
Jackie ReJee Burden (1968-1995) – Find A Grave Memorial
Michael James (1959-1995) – Find A Grave Memorial
N.C. racial shooting victims buried
Army investigates GIs’ extremist ties
Army opens investigation of soldiers in hate groups New probe follows N.C. double slaying attributed to 2 privates
Killing Lifts Lid On Fort Bragg’s Racist Underground — `Skinhead’ Soldiers Gather At Local Bars
Racial Slaying Prompts Military Investigation at Base
Slayings of 2 Blacks Raise New Issues for Military
Ranks Filled with Race Radicals? Alleged Hate Crime in N.C. Affects Army
Task Force Finds No Widespread Extremist Activities
Former Paratrooper Testifies He Helped Make the Bomb
Ex-Soldier Guilty of Killing Black Couple
Ex-Soldier Convicted Of Murdering Couple
Skinhead paratrooper convicted of murdering black couple
Burmeister’s Cold Exterior Cracks at Sentencing
Former soldier goes to prison for racial murders
Ex-soldier gets life for racial murders
Ex-Paratrooper Gets Life Sentence in Racial Slayings
Ex-G.I. at Fort Bragg Is Convicted in Killing of 2 Blacks
Soldier Gets Life Term for Race Murders / Eleven Jurors Wanted James Burmeister to Die for His Crimes
Convicted Killer Refuses to Testify
Another Soldier Convicted in Race-Based Killings
2nd Ex-Soldier is Senteced to Life in Slaying of 2 Blacks
Discrimination resurfaces in the military
Murders impel US army to flush out neo-Nazi groups
FORT LEWIS: Soldiers to be searched for gang tattoos
Extremism in the Ranks
Skinhead’s spider web
Fort Bragg’s Deadly Summer | Vanity Fair
Skinhead Paratrooper Dies in Federal Prison
Soldier Convicted To Prison 12 Years Ago Dies In Prison
Criminal Gangs in the Military – Gangs – POLICE Magazine
Sikh shooting latest violent link to Fort Bragg