Additionally, MacDonalds medical records showed that he had no defensive wounds on his arms or hands consistent with the alleged attack. To do so, they are increasingly trying to appeal to the maternal side of these families, and helping mothers and their children escape the criminal elements in their home, before another brood is infected. Out of all the evidentiary and procedural twists and turns, I asked Silverglate to name the one that bothered him the most about the MacDonald case. Oh, yes. The social justice movement is now involved; the Innocence Project, a prestigious nationwide network dedicated to exonerating the wrongfully convicted, has worked strenuously to overturn MacDonalds conviction. He holds dual bachelor's degrees from Pace University and a master's degree from New York University. In 1982, she sat down with Gunderson and Beasley in a taped interview, claiming that she had been part of a satanic cult that had killed the family because MacDonald was not cooperative in helping heroin addicts during his time at Fort Bragg. 6,889 Family Trees. Shes haunting this case. Is it possible that Jeffrey MacDonald will get justice under these circumstances? Smerling is the director of the documentary series A Wilderness of Error, which examines the MacDonald case. Were working to restore it. In 1970 America was gripped by the horror of the Manson murders a fact used against MacDonald because he subscribed to Esquire magazine, which had run a story about the dark side of hippie culture. It is also a Manson-like killing. LP: Did anything new come out in the Wilmington hearing in September? A military hearing found charges against him untrue, but he was convicted nine years later in a civilian trial. Evidence the defense never saw. Silverglate predicts that even after examining the new evidence, Judge Fox will not grant Jeffrey MacDonald a new trial. Staying on top of the machinations of the underworld can be difficult, Detective Inspector Clark said, but the increased strength of police intelligence meant they were able to increasingly charge gunmen, regardless of whether their victims spoke. I remember saying, It doesnt matter. He is both a careful researcher and a profound investigator of the human condition. On Sept. 17, 2012, in Wilmington, N.C., a crowd of familiar faces assembled for a new hearing. Aelyas kept the practice going while Wadea gave himself to real estate; when Wadea lost everything, he was able to resume his practice seamlessly by rejoining his brother. The man is a fanatic.. But MacDonalds legal teamled by Bernie Segalpersuaded the Fourth Circuit Court to throw out the charges, claiming that MacDonald had been denied a speedy trial. But an unfortunate thing happened in the following years. Most notably, the holes in the shirt MacDonald had been wearing appeared too smooth and clear cut to indicate self-defense. We even came back at night so we would have the same lighting conditions as the night of the murders. He made fun of them. She knew this world, and was herself a police informant. In 1921, Aelyas married Soumaya Khoury of Beirut, Lebanon; by all accounts the two were deeply in love, and they died within 48 hours of one another. 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 The Washington Post in 1984, just as the popular mini-series Fatal Vision, which depicted the crimes, was airing across the country. He was troubled by MacDonalds apparently cavalier attitude about the brutal murders on an appearance of "The Dick Cavett Show. WS: Its an enormous problem. Investigating Officer Warren Rock ultimately recommended the charges be dismissed at the conclusion of the hearing and MacDonald began to move forward with his life, leaving the Army, selling most of the familys possessions in a yard sale, and moving to California. Bettmann Archive/Getty ImagesRep. At some time before 3.30am someone brutally attacked the MacDonald family in their home at 544 Castle Drive on what was then the open military base of Fort Bragg. Both brothers married women in Syria and brought them back to the United States. Jeffrey MacDonald, Joe McGinnis, prosecutor James Blackburn (who went to prison himself for defrauding his clients), Wade Smith and others newer to the case gathered once again to testify. Pennsylvania had the highest population of Kassab families in 1920. Bettmann/Getty ImagesThe bedroom of Kristen and Kimberly MacDonald, mere hours after they were murdered. McGinniss stark rendering of Picture #1 stuck in my mind until recently when a friend from North Carolina told me that Errol Morris had published a book suggesting MacDonald was innocent. That same year, seven drug-linked executions were reported in 10 months. Maybe more than I would have thought as a teen. Weve always understood the importance of calling out corruption, regardless of political affiliation. Jeffrey MacDonald had also been at the home at the time, but he suffered only minor injuries compared to what his family endured. Now, it appears the Tibas are at war with everybody. 1,169 Birth, Marriage & Death. No attempt was made to locate the woman that night. When police showed their hand regarding the organised crime threat, back in 2011, the Tibas were at war with the Kassabs and Kheirs. In 1982, she sat down with Gunderson and Beasley in a taped interview, claiming that she had been part of a satanic cult that had killed the family because MacDonald was not cooperative in helping heroin addicts during his time at Fort Bragg. Were sorry, this feature is currently unavailable. Bettmann/Getty ImagesA neighbors dog and MP guards securing the MacDonald property. The FBI lab guy turned over two copies to Brian Murtaugh, the prosecutor. Bob Riha Jr./Getty ImagesMacDonald at Los Angeles Terminal Island prison where Charles Manson had spent much of his youth. Like Wade Smith, Ive been struck by how many people speak of absolute certainty about what happened that February night over 40 years ago. Two members of the Tiba family have been charged in relation to the shooting. MacDonald, it appeared, had been endlessly, unfaithful having at least 15 girlfriends, Vanity Fair reports. These victims include Rachad Adra, who was killed and his four-year-old son injured, when a gunman with a high-powered weapon shot the wrong house in Thomastown in October 2015, and Khaled Abouhasna, who was killed in a shooting ambush six months earlier when he was mistaken for a ruthless standover man. But there was no evidence that had ever taken place. As I read Morris meticulous examination the evidence, the picture in my mind became less clear. I thought of devils that lurked in human flesh, like in The Exorcist, another popular based-on-a true-story-book-turned-movie of the period that floated around our house. This was about 31% of all the recorded Kassab's in USA. The Jeffrey MacDonald murder case is one of the most disturbing in living memory. I would have told the jury that it doesnt make sense. Worse still, Judge Franklin Dupree seemed to have his mind made up before the trial began. He could have gone on with his life, and he should have. 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. Bettmann/Getty ImagesMacDonald in late 1970 after the Army acquitted him of all charges. Colette MacDonald and her daughters suffered horrific violence as they were killed on February 17, 1970 at their Fort Bragg home. On the evening of the murders, Jeffrey MacDonald had taken his kids to ride the pony he had bought them, fed them dinner while their mother took a night class, and put them to bed. WS: In every murder of a spouse, the remaining spouse is the number-one suspect and is almost always charged. The strength of the families now almost a decade after the launch of Santiago are largely determined by how many of them have been killed or locked up. The Tibas, Haddaras, Chaouks, Kassabs, and Kheirs are north-west Melbourne's version of the Five Families, the major players in the New York mafia. Weve covered everything thrown at us this past year and will continue to do so with your support. Despite a lack of motive and no history of violence, MacDonald was convicted of the second-degree murders of Colette and Kimberly, and the first-degree murder of Kristen. And absolutely nothing fit, Kassab told the Orlando Sentinel in 1989. Harvey Silverglate, a renowned civil liberties advocate, has been an appellate attorney for MacDonald. Create a free profile to get unlimited access to exclusive videos, breaking news, sweepstakes, and more! The story many of us think we know tells that MacDonald's wounds were superficial. This was about 31% of all the recorded Kassab's in USA. In July 1974, a Federal judge acted on a citizen's criminal complaint by Kassab and others, by putting the case before a grand jury. Wadea Kassab was born in Damascus in 1872 to an Orthodox family that had long and deep connections to British and American Protestant missionaries in Damascus and Beirut. His uncle, Salim Kassab, was a long-time assistant to, first, Lady Hester Stanhope and later to Elizabeth Bowen Thompson, who helped found British mission schools in Greater Syria. Even scarier stories, Ive found, can be true. Did Jeffrey MacDonald Brutally Slay His Pregnant Wife And Daughters Or Did The Cops Get The Wrong Guy? {{ post.roar_specific_data.api_data.analytics }}. 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 The Raleigh News & Observer. Melbourne's north-west has become a hotbed for armed crime. Kassab a one-time Canadian Army intelligence operator who had once lost his own wife and daughter in a bombing of London during World War II initially believed MacDonalds account of the night and became a staunch and vocal supporter of his son-in-law, the Washington Post reported in 1984. Jeffrey MacDonald had it all. Create your free profile and get access to exclusive content. He didnt do that. Smerling is the director of the documentary series A Wilderness of Error, which examines the MacDonald case. Aelyas (Elias) Kassab, Wadeas younger brother, was born in the Kassabs' summer residence in Bloudan, Syria in 1883. WS: Yes. Often, the spouse turns out to have committed the murder, so its not surprising that the case turned to McDonald. Make a one-time contribution to Alternet All Access, Ive had many cases in court. MacDonald settled into bachelor life, buying a yacht and marina-front condominium in Long Beach, California, Vanity Fair reports. Marc Smerling thinks he has some idea. Freddie Kassab and CID investigators returned to the crime scene in 1971 to contrast MacDonalds claims with the evidence and found his narrative implausible. We would frequently meet at the crime scene and brainstorm the whole scenario. Mr Oueida has been overseas for most of the time since the attack, predominantly in Lebanon and Dubai a haunt for a string of Australian organised crime figures. MacDonald invited author Joe McGinniss to write a book about the case before it had reached a verdict. And a victim falls on the concrete. There is no finality in injustice. Freddy was not going to quit. A neighbors dog and MP guards securing the MacDonald property. After Mica performed mouth-to-mouth, MacDonald came to. They hoped to get a confession, but she stated firmly that she had never been inside MacDonalds home contrary to previous claims she purportedly made to defense attorneys during witness hearings. The prosecution, led by James Blackburn and Brian Murtagh, argued that MacDonald staged the crime scene to blame hippies. I even laughed at the idea of hippie murderers in North Carolina. It doesnt make sense that this man, with no history of violence, went crazy like that. 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. 959 Census & Voter Lists. Some of the shootings are retribution for the severe prison bashing of Bassam Tiba, underworld sources say. LP: One of the things that struck me in reading Errol Morris book was the use of the psychopath diagnosis in court and how problematic that is. The couples youngest daughter, 2-year-old Kristen, had a total of 33 stab wounds. Brian Murtaugh says, Sure, Ill give it to him. Back in the 1979 trial, a lawyer named Jerry Leonard represented Helena Stoeckley. MacDonald was convicted of the three murders in 1979, nine years after Colette and her children were slain. His relentless persistence prompted the government to open a second investigation. That got my attention: the Oscar-winning Morris, whose film The Thin Blue Line exonerated a Texas man wrongfully convicted for murder, is one of the worlds great documentary filmmakers. In 1989after Freddy Kassab had been diagnosed with emphysemahe decided to videotape his arguments against MacDonalds release and arranged for the tape to be played, if necessary, in front of a parole board after he died, according to the Orlando Sentinel. Family members of radio personality Casey Kasem have settled a lawsuit against his widow that alleged her neglect and physical abuse led to his death in 2014. When Jeffrey MacDonald came under suspicion for savagely killing his pregnant wife and the couples two young daughters, one man rushed to publicly support him: his father-in-law Freddie Kassab. MacDonald has had mostly good lawyers, though not always the appropriate ones. Eventually, after pressure from Colettes family, MacDonald was indicted and found guilty of the three murders on August 29, 1979. Make a one-time contribution to Alternet All Access, Scott Adams and why American capitalism kneels before a bigger God. His wife Colette and his children have also been forever denied these things -- but not, I have come to believe, by the man who is currently serving three consecutive life sentences. 6,889 Family Trees. Carl Williams was a boy from Broady, whose fat fingers spread across the state, but we know little about the boys from Broady who are ordering murders and peddling drugs now. These were the families police identified in 2011 as causing most of the trouble in the band, which stretches roughly from Coburg North to Campbellfield, then in an arc around to Altona in But many of the major players now are either related to these families, or closely linked within the criminal milieu. Freddy Kassab had inserted himself into the 1970 military hearing and made himself the center of a media circus, holding news conferences and firing off letters to members of Congress. It is hard not to be shocked by the footage of Oueida's shooting. But just what changed Kassabs mind about the man he once called a nice, presentable young man?". But there is a reasonable doubt, and because there is a reasonable doubt it is absolutely clear that he should be set free. He remained haunted by the horrific way his stepdaughter and grandchildren had lost their lives. These were the families police identified in 2011 as causing most of the trouble in the band, which stretches roughly from Coburg North to Campbellfield, then in an arc around to Altona in the west. The list of misfortunes goes on: exculpatory evidence withheld; possible prosecutorial misconduct; and fallible humans who twisted the MacDonald story to fit their own agendas. Kassab filed a citizens criminal complaint in April 1974, petitioning a federal court to convene a grand jury and determine if MacDonald could be charged. Wade Smith rarely grants interviews. It has Charles Manson written all over it. Enough somethings to fill the long, solitary chapters of a mans life unfolding behind prison walls. It didnt make sense. But Silverglate points out that those lawyers have been up against an increasingly perverse system in which ancient legal rights like habeas corpus have been tossed aside in the name of preserving convictions at any cost. Judge James Fox, a close friend of Dupree's and quite elderly himself, has taken over and has dismissed appeals. The ONeills befriended him and altered the course of his life. The one hardly anyone sees, but that rages, nonetheless. In July 1974, a Federal judge acted on a citizen's criminal complaint by Kassab and others, by putting the case before a grand jury. I have read transcripts, articles, books, opinions, blogs, and bizarre rantings about psychopaths on Joe McGinniss Web site to help me more clearly see the picture of the MacDonald case. Colette was relieved to find out her husband would not be stationed in Vietnam and the whole family was overjoyed to learn she was pregnant for a third time. Additionally, much of what Morris introduces as new evidence was already including in the trial that convicted MacDonald. He claimed there was insufficient evidence, while civilian defense attorney Bernard Segal argued the CID had improperly handled the scene and that alternative suspects like local drug addict Helena Stoeckley, believed to be the blonde woman at the scene, continued to roam free. The family claims his body has never been found. 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 did interviews. Sign up forOxygen Insiderfor all the best true crime content. The family moved to Chicago after MacDonald was accepted into Northwestern University Medical School. But Im an optimist generally about our system of justice, and I hope that MacDonald gets a break. Nonexclusive right to authorize all uses of these materials for non-commercial research, scholarly, or other educational purposes are granted to Khayrallah Center pursuant to Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike (CC BY-NC-SA). This collection is a part of a larger collection that has been divided into more specific collections. Freddie Kassab and CID investigators returned to the crime scene in 1971 to contrast MacDonalds claims with the evidence and found his narrative implausible. They were successful, and a grand jury indicted MacDonald for murder the following year. It would take six more months before Mildred Kassab reached the same conclusion. With their encouragement, he graduated from dental school in Philadelphia in 1895 and set up a practice in Chester. It appeared to investigators that MacDonald had staged the scene, inspired by the recent Manson Family murders to blame hippies for his crime. 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