This affidavit contended that, although several saran fibers found at the crime scene which did not match any evidentiary item recovered had most likely sourced from a doll and not a wig, these fibers were also used in the manufacture of human wigs prior to 1970, and thus added to "the weight of previously amassed exculpatory evidence". [62] Bloodstained splinters likely sourcing from the section of lumber recovered close to the back door of the apartment were recovered from all three bedrooms of the apartment, but not the room where MacDonald claimed to have been attacked. MacDonalds pajama bottoms could have yielded clues about what happened. Questioning then focused upon the crime scene and results of the forensic testing. Language links are at the top of the page across from the title.
While at Fort Sam Houston, he volunteered to be assigned to the Army's Special Forces ("Green Berets") to become a Special Forces physician. [41][42][43], Having received impromptu resuscitation, MacDonald sat upright, then exclaimed: "Jesus Christ! Colette had answered and stated a babysitter would be there in the early evening but that after she had left, all the family would be present and alone. Stoeckley also told a Nashville police officer she thought she witnessed the MacDonald killings. [97] Stombaugh contended that, in order for the holes to have been as smooth and devoid of fraying or tearing, the garment would have had to remain stationary, an extremely unlikely occurrence if, as MacDonald contended, he had wrapped it around his hands to defend himself from blows from an attacker wielding an ice pick or club. [75], Investigators were unconvinced of MacDonald's accounts. The case against the Green Berets was ultimately dismissed for reasons of national security when the Central Intelligence Agency refused to release highly classified information about the operations in which Detachment B-57 had been involved. But five months later, investigators dropped all the charges and honorably discharged him from the Army. There is no motive." Experts Weigh in on Appeal, Green Beret Convicted of Killing His Family Could Walk Free If He Admits Guilt But Wants to Be 'Vindicated', See 'Scandal' 's Scott Foley as Convicted Killer Jeffrey MacDonald, Who Maintains His Innocence, 1979 Murder Convictions of Ex-Green Beret Surgeon Jeffrey MacDonald Should Stand: Prosecutors' New Filing, Lawyers for Dr. Jeffrey MacDonald, Fighting in Court Filing to Overturn 1979 Conviction for Murdering Family, Say Prosecutors Hid Evidence. The Army charged MacDonald with murder in May 1970. In 2011, the Court of Appeals reversed this decision, remanding MacDonald's claims back to the district court for further consideration. A section of this ruling reads: "The government has furnished no satisfactory explanation for the delay from the end of June 1972 until the grand jury was convened in August 1974, so this time must be weighed against it. Rock also noted the fact that if no wet footprints and mud were found at the crime scene belonging to the alleged intruders, that meant the crime scene investigators had also failed to find any evidence of the large numbers of military police and civilians who also walked around the house. This wound was described by a staff surgeon as a "clean, small, sharp" incision measuring five-eighths of an inch in depth, and had caused his lung to partially collapse. We had three people that were over-killed, almost. U.S. district court and 4th Circuit Court of Appeals judges rejected requests for a retrial in 2014 and again in 2018. [8] MacDonald then laid his torn pajama top over her dead body and repeatedly stabbed her in the chest with an ice pick, then discarded the weapons close to the back door of the property after wiping them clean of fingerprints. [33] He also became an instructor at the UCLA medical school, a medical director of the Long Beach Grand Prix, a lecturer on the subject of the recognition and treatment of child abuse, and a participant in the development of a national cardiopulmonary resuscitation training program. I need to walk out of here, back to life. A doctor removed MacDonalds bloody pajama top from its place on Colettes body, court records show. "[156], The following day, Bernard Segal and Wade Smith delivered their closing arguments on behalf of the defense. Prior to his death, Mitchell allegedly confessed to multiple people of his involvement in the murders,[219] although he had previously passed a polygraph test in 1971 and the CID had cleared him of any involvement. If the group that MacDonald claimed murdered his family resembled Mansons crew, they wouldnt just fade into oblivion, theyd strike again, Cooney theorizes. Her body was found inside her Seneca, South Carolina apartment, with her death estimated to have occurred five days before her body was discovered on January 14. Military Police Did Not Photograph MacDonalds Injuries. He also claimed the reason he had never remarried was the fact he was unable to forget his wife and children, whom he thought about daily. It is further concluded that Miss Stoeckley is convinced in her mind that she was physically present when the three members of the MacDonald family were killed. His next potential parole hearing was in May 2020, although it is unknown whether he applied for parole on this date. MacDonald was also found to have a mild concussion. April 6, 1970. [143] Although Segal subjected Stombaugh to a harsh cross-examinationrepeatedly raising his voice as he challenged Stombaugh's credentials and forensic methodsStombaugh remained steadfast as to his conclusions. [158][n 25], Following a brief recess, Smith appealed to the jurors to question the lack of an obvious motive for MacDonald to have committed the murders. [180], In September 2012, the district court conducted a formal evidentiary hearing regarding DNA evidence and statements relating to key witnesses who offered testimony indicating MacDonald's innocence. [24], As Army investigators studied the physical evidence, the Army CID quickly came to disbelieve MacDonald's account, as they found very little evidence to support his version of events. [35], Taken to the Womack Army Medical Center, medical staff discovered the wounds MacDonald had suffered were much less numerous and severe than those inflicted upon his wife and children. MacDonald claimed that on that 1970 night, four intruders killed his wife, Colette, 26, and daughters Kimberley, 5, and Kristen, 2. "[35], Colette MacDonald was discovered sprawled on the floor of the master bedroom. When they entered the apartment, they found McDonald, a Green Beret trauma surgeon, lying unconscious across his wife Colettes dead, mutilated body. All Rights Reserved. We shared our life experiences." ", "MacDonald Starts Serving Triple Life Sentence at Terminal Island", "Ruling Restoring Conviction Ends Ex-Army Doctor's New Life", "Alfred Kassab, 73, Helped Indict Killer", "What Made Freddy Kassab Change His Mind About Son-In-Law Jeffrey MacDonald and See Him as a Vicious Family-Killer? Her autopsy indicates she died of acute pneumonia and cirrhosis. Sign up now to learn about This Day in History straight from your inbox. By the second year of his studies, MacDonald and Wells had separated. [5], Towards the end of his eighth grade year, MacDonald became acquainted with Colette Kathryn Stevenson (b. They heard him become angry, defensive, and emotional in response to suggestions by the investigators that he had committed the murders. [118], With the cooperation of Colonel Kriwanek and other Army investigators, Kassab visited the crime scene for several hours in order to compare the physical evidence against MacDonald's testimony in March 1971. He was first offered the chance to recount his version of events, and recounted his claims of being attacked by four intruders, with whom he grappled before falling to the ground, observing "the top of some boots" and being rendered unconscious before regaining consciousness, experiencing symptoms of pneumothorax, in the hallway after the intruders had left. [213] All efforts have proved unsuccessful, as successive courts have ruled that these uncovered and stipulated items do not establish any proof of innocence and thus would not have influenced the verdict of the jury. [85], An initial Army Article 32 hearing into MacDonald's possible guilt, overseen by Colonel Warren Rock, convened on July 6, 1970. She had this sort of very lovely appearance, quiet beauty and a sort of vulnerable look, MacDonald is quoted as saying in the book, Fatal Vision. [61], In addition to the lack of damage to the inside of the house, no fibers from MacDonald's torn pajama top were found in the living room, where he claimed the garment had been when torn in his struggle with the intruders. Date case occured : February 17, 1970 Where did the murder take place: Fort Bragg, North [171], MacDonald again appealed this decision, contending his conviction should be overturned due to suppressed exculpatory evidence. Stabbing! [n 18], Between 1972 and 1974, the case remained trapped in limbo in the Department of Justice as legal issues were raised and debated over whether sufficient evidence and probable cause existed for indictment and prosecution. The following day, he was assigned an army lawyer. William Lavigne and Timothy Dumas were found dead at a training site on Fort Bragg, North Carolina. Bailey also testified he found MacDonald to be a controlling individual who was "extremely dependent on what others thought of him" and that he would often launch into a verbal "tirade" to allow his deep-seated emotions to become expressed by other means. I heard my kids crying! On this occasion, he was markedly arrogant and sarcastic when questioned with regards to issues such as his infidelity or the prosecution's illustration of forensic contradictions between his version of events and the physical evidence, on one occasion shouting: "I have no idea! [166][n 26] He was released on August 22, having posted $100,000 bail, and subsequently returned to work as the Director of Emergency Medicine at St. Mary's Medical Center in Long Beach, California. Hes less wounded [than his wife and daughters], even though hes in more of a struggle. Stabbing! Green Berets are charged with murder. The U.S. Army announces that Colonel Robert B. Rheault, Commander of the Fifth Special Forces Group in Vietnam, and seven other Green Berets have been charged with premeditated murder and conspiracy to commit murder in the summary execution of a Vietnamese national, Thai Khac Chuyen, The former Army doctor and Green Beret was convicted in 1979 of the murders of his pregnant wife, Colette, and two small daughters, Kimberley, 6, and Kristen, [152] Following this testimony, Murtagh and Segal alternately argued before Judge Dupree for the dismissal, or introduction of, testimony from several witnesses to whom Stoeckley had earlier allegedly confessed. All articles are regularly reviewed and updated by the HISTORY.com team. At the completion of his internship, MacDonald and Colette vacationed in Aruba before MacDonald joined the Army. The Supreme Court refused to review this decision on March 19, 1979. Mario Madera-Rodriguez begins what is scheduled to be a three-week trial at He filed this complaint in early 1972; however, because the murders had occurred while MacDonald was serving in the Army, and he had since been discharged, the citizen's complaint was declared moot. Four strangers coming in doesnt make a lot of sense. MacDonald was unable to offer a plausible explanation to this questioning before abruptly accusing Grebner of having "run out of ideas" and attempting to frame him to maintain a 100% solved homicide rate. Silverman further states MacDonald had avoided and resented his commitments as a husband and father and that, given his ongoing "denial of truth", he would continually seek both attention and approval. Furthermore, Stoeckley had only made this admission in response to a promise of financial and emotional assistance. The hairs did not match MacDonald or any of the victims. I would like to smell the flowers again, and I think I should.. Referencing the life-and-death struggle MacDonald claimed to have engaged in with the alleged intruders, Blackburn stated the evidence indicated a struggle had occurred in the MacDonald home, but this struggle was between "only one white male and one white female. The jury heard MacDonald's matter-of-fact, indifferent recitation of the murders. However, intense lobbying by Freddy Kassab, Colettes stepfather, later helped lead to murder charges being filed against MacDonald. Seventy-five witnesses were called to testify. The jury also heard investigators later confront him with their knowledge of his extramarital affairs, to which MacDonald murmured, "Oh you guys are more thorough than I thought. [187], Shortly after MacDonald's initial release from prison in August 1980, his supporters hired a retired FBI Special Agent and private investigator named Ted Gunderson to assist in overturning his conviction. Believing Colette dead, MacDonald carried the mortally wounded Kimberley back to her bedroom. For more on the Jeffrey MacDonald case, watch The Accused on our 10-part true crime show, People Magazine Investigates, airing Monday night at 10 p.m. Their first daughter, Kimberley Kathryn, was born on April 18, 1964. Why Wasn't DNA Testing Done on All the Evidence in the Jeffrey MacDonald Case? Furthermore, although a single hair found within Colette's left palm was also cited by MacDonald as belonging to one of the alleged intruders, this testing also revealed the hair to have come from his own body. MacDonald himself displayed no emotion. The following year, MacDonald dismissed Segal as his legal representative. But I suggest that people can, and do. Interestingly, the MPs found a copy of Esquire magazine with an article on the recent Manson family murders in the living room. Asked if MacDonald would be a good candidate for the organization, Cooney tells A&E True Crime, Im just not sure he would. Initial jury selection began on this date, and would continue for three days. After all, it was our daughter and two grandchildren who were butchered. Consequently, when at home, he was frequently exhausted and had limited interaction with his wife and daughters. The three denied any involvement and all agreed to and passed polygraph tests. [153], On August 28, 1979, both counsels delivered their closing arguments before the jury. "[35], Five-year-old Kimberley was found in her bed, having been repeatedly bludgeoned about the head and body and stabbed in the neck with a knife between eight and ten times. None of his story holds together. [204] This lawsuit resulted in a mistrial on August 21, 1987. As MacDonald was regularly taking the amphetamine Eskatrol in an effort to lose weight via a weight-control program for his Green Beret unit, McGinniss suggests MacDonald may have murdered his family in a spur-of-the-moment fit of psychotic rage as a result of his frequent consumption of the amphetamines. Officials conducted an Article 32 military hearing (similar to a civilian preliminary hearing), then dismissed the case because of insufficient evidence in October. 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