Kassab said in that moment, as he stood in the preserved crime scene, he realized the man he had once considered a loving partner to his stepdaughter had slaughtered his family and then staged the attack. 14287 Obituaries. Is that what you're asking for?" 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, 2, in their Fort Bragg apartment in 1970. MacDonald claims that his family was beaten and stabbed to death by a group of hippies chanting "acid is groovy, kill the pigs." A chest tube was inserted to treat a pneumothorax, a second chest tube was implemented due to a malfunction of the first one, and he made a quick and uneventful recovery. MacDonald's defense lawyer, Bernard Segal, told Judge Dupree during the 1979 trial, "Your Honor cannot hereentertain or consider the suggestion that the [CID] investigation was incompetent. He testified that he placed the receiver near -- but not against -- his ear, and did not touch the main body of the phone at all. . I wouldn't want to live in the house again. . A nurse with whom MacDonald had had intimate relations told investigators that MacDonald had told her that Kimberley suffered from enuresis (bedwetting). pathologists . MacDonald refused to submit to such an examination. MacDonald claimed that his defense was hampered because he did not have access to FBI Agent Tool's February 21, 1970, report of the briefing of the FBI by the CID, regarding the alleged existence of a "half-filled bloody syringe," and that he had discovered this document years after trial, through the FOIA. Looking down, he saw the glint of a blade, and realized he had been stabbed with either a knife or ice pick. During the 2003 Larry King Live interview, he said that the apartment "was kept for about 15 years, and then when we wanted entry, when the defense finally was close to getting an order from a judge to go into that apartment, they wrecked it.". On August 17, 1979, MacDonald gave a statement to the press. But while Kassab saw MacDonald as an engaged and loving father and husband, Army investigators grew suspicious of MacDonalds account of the killings and ordered him to appear for an Article 32 hearinga military process used to determine whether there was enough evidence to pursue formal charges against MacDonald. . None of Jeffrey MacDonald's nor anyone else's blood was found at the spot where he was attacked. In Memoriam, donations to Parkinson Society Nova Scotia appreciated. . After conducting an analysis, investigators found Kristen's blood on Jeffrey's glasses, even though he claimed he had taken them off before going into her room. Feb 25, 1970. MacDonald claimed that Colette appeared to be dead when he saw her. Through the plastic windows of his jeep on the rainy morning of Feb. 17, MP Kenneth Mica claims to have seen a female in a raincoat and rain hat by a phone booth on his way to the crime scene. Colette had been stabbed 16 times and punctured 21 times with an ice pick, while 5-year-old Kimberley was killed by six blows to the head and eightto 10 stab wounds, according to a1998 Vanity Fair article. Freddy Kassab wrote, "MacDonald's fatal mistake was made when he told me in a phone conversation which I recorded, that he had caught and killed one of the alleged assailants. Was anybody prosecuted for the theft of that? The urine stain on the master bedroom sheet was shown to be Kimberley's urine, not Kristen's. It would take six more months before Mildred Kassab reached the same conclusion. ". researched the fatal blows suffered by Colette and concluded that they were inflicted by a left-handed person." MacDonald refused to submit to a sodium amytal examination, stating that it would cause him to "relive" the night of the murders, which would be too traumatic for him. MacDonald said, "She usually had two pairs laying there. Claimed to have done mouth-to-mouth resuscitation on all victims. MacDonald told CID investigators that his friend Ron Harrison brought champagne to MacDonald's hospital room because everyone was "down" and Harrison thought it might cheer them up. ", During the Article 32 hearing, MacDonald, while confined to Bachelor Officers' Quarters (BOQ), had entered into a sexual relationship with Linda Mathews. "Human sacrifice involving a pregnant woman is the most prestigious for the cult members," she told authorities during her interrogation, per Vanity Fair alluding to Colette Macdonald's pregnancy at the time of her death. Although this hair was initially found not to match MacDonald, it was not tested against hairs from the children's heads, nor was it tested against hairs from all parts ofMacDonald's body. Curry Funeral Home Jun 22, 2022 A memorial video for Collette can be found in the video tab. The remaining four stains were located on the left front seam, left shoulder, left sleeve, and left cuff of Jeffrey MacDonald's pajama top. the California licensing board . He claimed that he had been asleep on the couch when at least four drug-crazed hippies broke into the home and savagely killed the family. . Fibers from Jeffrey MacDonald's pajamas were found in all three bedrooms, including underneath the headboard of the master bedroom bed (where the word "PIG" had been written in Colette's blood), and underneath the covers of the children's beds. of Justice, demanding that the scene and the scene [sic] and the evidence be preserved. At trial on July 25, 1979, Bernie Segal asked Ivory if he was present when the hair samples were obtained. You." That is just absolutely Government talk without the facts or evidence to back it up.". He left the gymnasium and went to feed his horse which is on a--behind a store located on Bragg Boulevard in Fayetteville and arrived home between 5:00 and 5:30 p.m.". MacDonald's mother stated that during a fight with his brother, Jay, MacDonald had once "almost killed" Jay. At that time were you involved in the writing of a book?" At trial in 1979, MacDonald was asked if he and Colette talked about school and the class she was taking. ". Per Jeffrey MacDonald's website (quote copied June 9, 2004): "There were no scratch or gouge marks found on Jeffrey MacDonald. And absolutely nothing fit, Kassab told the, To realize he had done it, and Colette loved him, and when you sit back and picture in your minds eye what happened that night, with him attacking, and I know from the autopsy reports what was done to the two children, you cant help but visualize in your mind, though we dont talk about it, Freddy Kassab told, Stevenson told reporters in 2005 that he had promised Freddy Kassab on his death bed that he would continue the familys quest to keep MacDonald behind bars, according to. ". No person in this case has ever stated or testified to seeing anyone enter the MacDonald apartment on the night of the murders. I don't remember." MacDonald claimed that the CID failed to find evidence that MacDonald's brother, Jay, had been in his house. The veneer of the MacDonalds perfect marriage had also began to crack. Their lives seemed very ordinary until everything changed. . Jeffrey called police to report a "stabbing" and was found wounded by his dead wife. For more detail regarding his injuries, see. Because the crime had occurred on military property, the Macdonald murders' case was handled by the army's Criminal Investigation Division, more commonly known as the C.I.D. On Jan. 21, 1980, Jeffrey MacDonald furnished information to investigator Ted Gunderson about the crime scene investigation. Claims he wore no gloves while checking his family's injuries, and that after checking his family's injuries, he used the master bedroom phone and then the kitchen phone, to call for help. When he awoke, MacDonald found Colette sprawled on the master-bedroom floor, the handle of a knife sticking out of her chest. Jeffery had suffered a puncture wound to his chest, which led to a collapsed left lung. He had a mild concussion, but the severity of his wounds was far less in comparison to his family. He was taken to Womack Army Medical Center for treatment. Who Killed Colette MacDonald and Her Daughters? On May 18, 1995, MacDonald wrote that when the CID was plucking him for hair samples, William Ivory was smirking. Why not be the first person to write a loving message or add a candle. During the Article 32 hearing, said that when he went to Kimberley's room, he could see her chest and neck. . In 1985, the court found that Ivory's statements would have been of little use to MacDonald in light of the questionable exculpatory value of the evidence and that their use for impeachment purposes would merely have been cumulative. Find an obituary, get service details, leave condolence messages or send flowers or gifts in memory of a loved one. MacDonald said he suffered two to three puncture wounds in the upper left chest during the attack, and three puncture wounds in the upper left bicep, all of which he believed were icepick wounds. MacDonald claims that Helena Stoeckley gave her floppy hat to P. E. Beasley, a Fayetteville detective. . The Kassabs did not move to the Washington Square apartment until the following year. MacDonald was seen professionally by LTC (Dr.) F. W. Pierce, optometrist, on February 16, 1970, the afternoon before the murders. In his statement he claims to have done so accompanied by (former) Congressman A. Lowenstein. Create your free profile and get access to exclusive content. CID Investigator William Ivory said, "The interview was tape recorded and then transcribed. In 1985, the court found that "[William Ivory's] observation and the significant amount of physical evidence which contradicted MacDonald's version of the murders diminishes the possibility that the skin found under Colette MacDonald's fingernail would have exonerated MacDonald. Despite claiming to want to help his injured family, he disobeyed the operator and laid the phone down, fully aware that no help was on the way. The fact that each member of the MacDonald family had a different blood type allowed investigators to map out who had been where and the result didn't align with Jeffrey MacDonald's story. Search Ottawa obituaries and condolences, hosted by Echovita.com. Jeffrey MacDonald claimed to have no knowledge of the 31"-long piece of wood used as a club in the murders. MacDonald, bloody but alive, was next to his wife, who had been pregnant with their third child when she was stabbed 16 times with a kitchen knife and 21 times with an icepick. . It was eerily quiet as they entered the house, but what they saw horrified them. As described by the 1983 book "Fatal Vision" by author Joe McGinnis, a baby bottle rested near Kristen's mouth, a chilling reminder of the victim's youth. Now, for the first time, those who have known and loved MacDonald for decades have opened up to PEOPLE exclusively about him. Create a free profile to get unlimited access to exclusive videos, breaking news, sweepstakes, and more! He had biblical levels of persistence, Bob Keeler, a reporter for Newsday, recalled in A Wilderness of Error.. Per Jeffrey's account, the woman had allegedly held a candle while chanting phrases such as "kill the pigs" and "acid is groovy." My wife and I can sit for hours and days and not talk to each other, but were both thinking, you know. . On the headboard of the bed, MacDonald' was a teacher and vice principal with the HRSB for 35 years. She was found with multiple stab wounds in her chest and neck and a fractured skull. Flowers and On Feb. 17, 1970, Colette Stevenson MacDonald, 26, and her two daughters, Kimberley, 6, and Kristin, 2, were beaten and stabbed to death in their home MacDonald alleged that the failure to disclose Agent Ivory's statements relating to the skin amounted to suppression. Therefore, had they shed, they would have shed sewing threads, not fabric fibers. Dr. Jacobson replied, "I don't know.". MacDonald was convicted of the three murders in 1979, nine years after Colette and her children were slain. Ron Harrison told CID investigators that MacDonald asked him to purchase a bottle of champagne for him. WebJeffrey MacDonald claimed that a suede coat belonging to Colette MacDonald was missing from her personal effects. To support his claim of "intruders," MacDonald relies on Helena Stoeckley's claim that she was with Greg Mitchell on the night of the murders. During the April 6 interview, MacDonald told investigators that "When I woke up, the first thing I thought of was you know, I'm ashamed to say myself. But as horrifying as the crime scene was, it had nothing on the story Jeffrey recounted about that night to the MPs at the scene. When questioned six weeks after the murders during the April 6, 1970 interview, MacDonald said he didn't remember seeing the towel. Colette MacDonald 1944 - 2022 Visitation Information Friday, June 24, 2022 2 to 4 and 7 to 9pm C.L. . . On April 6, 1970, MacDonald told investigators that he approached Kim from the south side of the bed, because her record player and other items obstructed the entry on the north side. During the Article 32 hearing in 1970, Jeffrey MacDonald contacted several authors with regard to writing a book about his case. It didn't match what Jeffrey MacDonald had described at all. During the interview MacDonald gave to the CID in 1971, he claimed that none of his patients that he counseled were angry with him on the day of the murders. WebMcDonald Funeral Home Welcomes You. Register today to set up custom notification and save notice's that are important to you. . Jeffrey MacDonald's own lawyers delayed the testing by filing numerous motions, each one of which had to be addressed before testing could continue. She would twist the truth to suit her own purpose." Jeffrey MacDonald. Following the blood pattern, authorities put together a new hypothesis, and it was horrifying. Merrill Bronstein, staff surgeon at Womack Army Hospital, testified at trial that MacDonald had told him the female intruder had long, light brown hair. . As reported in the Raleigh Observer on August 18, "MacDonald told reporters outside the courtroom that he recognized Miss Stoeckley 'The voice as much as the face' as one of the intruders who bludgeoned and stabbed his family and attacked him on that night.". During the April 6, 1970, interview, Shaw said, "You said when you woke up you could see your wife." Jeffrey MacDonald told Dr. Sadoff and others that he had suffered a hemopneumothorax, a more serious condition than a pneumothorax. Mrs. Kane executed a written statement wherein she discussed certain details of a telephone call she received at her residence at about 3:20-3:30 a.m. on February 17. The living room had a height of 7', and the ceiling was too low for the attacker to have raised a 31" club to strike MacDonald. During subsequent laboratory examinations of the fingernail scrapings, no piece of skin was found. Create your own everlasting tribute today. ", When asked by Woerheide during the grand jury proceeding if MacDonald had in fact hired investigators, MacDonald replied, "I never hired investigators, no." Their descriptions matched the descriptions MacDonald had given of the so-called "intruders." We even came back at night so we would have the same lighting conditions as the night of the murders. MacDonald contended that the government suppressed the existence of a half-filled bloody syringe which could have proved that he did not commit the murders. Despite the fact that they matched his descriptions of the intruders, he said nothing to anyone about it. The MacDonald homicides have always been considered as one of the most gruesome crimes in American history. Jeffrey then allegedly returned his dead wife's body to the master bedroom. Medical records support the fact that MacDonald did not have a hemopneumothorax. Also, depending upon long he was unconscious, his memory of events afterward would also be impaired. Told CID investigators that as he was pushing two of the assailants toward the hallway, both assailants were tearing his pajama top. . The small, 1-cm. As late as May 2005, in his submission to the parole board, MacDonald still claimed that with regard to fibers found on the murder club, "in 1989 these fibers were examined again by the government and found to be black wool, not blue cotton from Jeff MacDonald's pajama top, as stated at trial to the jury. It was parts of two or three days.". He also told CID investigators that the female intruder was wearing boots that were "wet, but not bloody.". Mica's patrol partner, Dennis Morris, testified at the 1970 Article 32 hearing but said nothing about this alleged sighting. Treatment consisted of a Vaseline gauze bandage for his chest wound, and some sedative medications. Link your TV provider to stream full episodes and live TV. For his part, MacDonald called Kassab and made a grandiose claim that he and some Green Beret buddies had gone out on the streets to look for the hippies responsible and found and killed one of them. Walk through the house, walk through the rooms and talk about what we know,investigator Mike Pickering said in the docuseries. David Ash of the Willard Street Methodist Church and the Rev. . noted that they believed that Colette whom Jeffrey had thought was dead revived herself and rushed to protect her little girl. Jeffrey MacDonald claims that because Stoeckley was described as being a "reliable" police informant her "confession" should also be considered to be reliable. Dorothy and Jay MacDonald. On February 17, 1973, in a telephone conversation taped by Freddy Kassab, Kassab told MacDonald that he had an affidavit from Linda Mathews, the girl with whom MacDonald had had sex while confined to the BOQ. ", In Freddy Kassab's "A Denouncement of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit, he writes, "While it may be true that his attorneys wrote the Department of Justice, requesting termination of the investigation (2 letters) MacDonald never in person went to the Dept. He stated that he had inadvertently called the MacDonald home in the early morning hours of Feb. 17, 1970, intending to reach Dr. Richard MacDonald. ", Per the phone conversation between Mr. Bidwell and Sgt. Study of Janice Glisson's FBI note (R-11) shows that it actually says, ". . A judge later awarded MacDonald $50,000 of the proceeds but gave the remainder of his $325,000 share to attorneys, MacDonalds mother and the Kassabs. He claims that he told Freddy this because he was "desperately to provide some relief" to the Kassabs. Brussel and Silverman as the CID's experts to review MacDonald's Rorschach tests. A unique and lasting tribute for a loved one. During the 1979 MacDonald murder trial, Jimmy Friar came forward for the first time with information he deemed pertinent to MacDonald's innocence. A photo of Kristens room and the rocking horse appeared in the, Per MacDonald's website (2003), "Helena Stoeckley identified and described items within the MacDonald home in great detail, including a jewelry box found in the master bedroom . Told the hospital orderly that he woke up in the hallway and that he could see his wife.