They were successful, and a grand jury indicted MacDonald for murder the following year. MacDonald was convicted twice, both in the courtroom and in the all-important court of public opinion, which was sealed by McGinniss book and miniseries. Jeffrey MacDonald had also been at the home at the time, but he suffered only minor injuries compared to what his family endured. Most notably, the holes in the shirt MacDonald had been wearing appeared too smooth and clear cut to indicate self-defense. Smerling is the director of the documentary series A Wilderness of Error, which examines the MacDonald case. It frustrates police that low-level gangsters without a shred of integrity jut their chins out and shake their heads in a misplaced attempt at honour when asked who shot them, despite, in many instances, being maimed for life. 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. WS: Yes. 959 Census & Voter Lists. Shortly after relocating to Fort Bragg, North Carolina, he was made Group Surgeon to the Green Berets. WebThe Kassab family name was found in the USA in 1920. His memoir reads as a classic Syrian rags-to-riches story, except for the fact that he lost everything when he speculated in real estate just before the Great Depression. 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 a. Jeffrey MacDonald had also been at the home at the time, but he suffered only minor injuries compared to what his family endured. He moved to California to become the director of emergency medicine at St. Mary's Medical Center in Long Beach. But just what changed Kassabs mind about the man he once called . Because that's what crime figures do in the north-west, most of the time. The family claims his body has never been found. He made fun of them. Together, Mildred who Stevenson said came to mortally hate her former son-in-law and Freddy Kassab pushed for MacDonalds arrest. Ive got the patience of Job.. "Memoirs" by Wadea Kassab recounts Wadea's life from his childhood in Damascus and Bloudan, to his immigration to America in 1889, and through his pursuit of education and a career in dentistry. Silverglate predicts that even after examining the new evidence, Judge Fox will not grant Jeffrey MacDonald a new trial. Harvey Silverglate, a renowned civil liberties advocate, has been an appellate attorney for MacDonald. or click here to become a subscriber. I began to see that Joe McGinniss creation of Picture #1 might be just that: a creation. WS: We all depend on excellent, honest detective work. That kind of story never ends. "More senior criminal figures are exploiting the vulnerabilities of younger or less sophisticated offenders," he said. I personally delivered a copy by hand to every congressman and every senator in the country.. 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. 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). It is also a Manson-like killing. 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 list of misfortunes goes on: exculpatory evidence withheld; possible prosecutorial misconduct; and fallible humans who twisted the MacDonald story to fit their own agendas. Friends since grade school, he and Colette Stevens began dating as teenagers, and grew serious during college. So MacDonald was the logical choice. He is, of course, one of many ensnared in that cycle, particularly in the north-west, which consistently ranks among the worst in the state for employment, education and substance dependence. Rep. Allard Lowenstein supporting MacDonalds claim that the Army wrongfully accused him and were trying to cover up their mistake. Invest with us. Other witnesses claimed that Stoeckly had confessed at various times that she thought she might have been present during the murders. 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. Melbourne's north-west has soaked in blood for more than a decade, with crime families that still reign despite prison time, drive-by hits, and police task forces. Mundane things that Jeffrey MacDonald has not been able to do for over 30 years. Some of the shootings are retribution for the severe prison bashing of Bassam Tiba, underworld sources say. Silverglate believes that Jeffrey MacDonald has been railroaded, and that this railroading exposes disturbing trends in our federal criminal justice system. The couple sued MacDonald in 1987 to try to prevent him from profiting from Joe McGinniss book Fatal Vision, which served as the inspiration for the mini-series. While none of the hairs found at the scene matched Stoeckleys DNA or that of any of her known associates, MacDonald maintains they prove something more essential to his freedom that someone else was there that night. Both brothers married women in Syria and brought them back to the United States. 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. Thereafter their lives ran close and parallel courses. Anybody could. View all records. He claimed that he had been asleep on the couch when at least, 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, We reconstructed the murders using what McDonald said. Whats your sense of this? Its a case that if you were telling scary stories around the dining room table and you had all your family gathered, people could hardly believe it. WebThe Kassab family name was found in the USA in 1920. MacDonald claimed the mysterious blonde woman who oversaw the murders was wearing a floppy hat and high-heeled boots and was holding a candle while chanting, Acid is groovy. 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. It implicates us all. By now, many members of the original hearing and 1979 trial are dead, including Judge Dupree. It ultimately concluded that MacDonalds wounds were self-inflicted, and his story entirely fabricated. ". 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. I would have said to the jury: they were not there, and neither was I. Of all places! You can give it to him.' An arm extends out of the passenger side window of a car. Picture #2. Even before bureaucratic stalling and federal machinery overtook the search for truth, things were working against Jeffrey MacDonald. Bettmann/Getty ImagesA neighbors dog and MP guards securing the MacDonald property. When a terrible crime is committed, society comes together to find someone to blame and to pay for the collective sense of violation. Not only were three hairs discovered at the crime scene that didnt match any of the familys DNA, but an affidavit revealed that Blackburn had allegedly threatened Stoeckley not to tell the truth in court. He adamantly denied all charges but was at a loss for words during cross-examination by the prosecution. Marc Smerling thinks he has some idea. MacDonald claimed that his daughter Kimberly wet his side of the bed, prompting him to go to sleep on the couch. The CIDs five-month-long interrogation (referred to as an Article 32 hearing) began in April, with officials intent on using only physical evidence and MacDonalds own statements to form their view. But it didnt take long to realize that something was wrong. He was more interested in working with people on hallucinogenic and things like that. 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. LP: What has this case revealed about the flaws in our judicial system? Walk through the house, walk through the rooms and talk about what we know,investigator Mike Pickering said in the docuseries. There are only two possible pictures, both nightmares. However, his American dream suddenly became a nightmare in 1970 when his family was found brutally stabbed to death in their home. I was keeping Freddy happy, he said, according to Vanity Fair. So did I. I grew up in Raleigh, North Carolina, about an hour from the Fort Bragg army base in Fayetteville where the murders occurred on Feb. 17, 1970, in the middle of the night. And she told him she had been there, at the MacDonald home, the night of the murders. 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. Two-year-old Kristen had 33 knife- and 15 icepick wounds in her torso, while five-year-old Kimberly was bludgeoned to death. 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. I used to joke with him when I saw him around Hey Jerry, isnt there something you want to tell us? But he couldnt, and he likely would have gone to his grave carrying the secret of what Helena told him had it not been for that hearing. He tried to take his case to the Supreme Court in 1979, but they declined to review the lower courts decision. "The message is, if you get shot, even if you don't tell us who did it, we are still going to investigate it, and we're still highly likely to get a result," Detective Inspector Clark said. Materials provided by the families of Wadea and Aelyas Kassab. Shes haunting this case. As revealed in footage obtained by The Saturday Age, the latest chapter involves the shooting of the mercurial Mohammed Oueida, a man once described as the new Tony Mokbel, who was only two metres away when a gunman shot at him four times from a car, blasting him in the stomach on April 17. However, critics of the book say that while it paints an emotional picture of a man wrongfully tried by the media, it cherrypicks evidence and largely ignores the physical evidence that led to MacDonalds 1979 conviction. Eventually, he turned on the man he had once so ardently defended. Every time we pursued a lead it just turned us around and directed us back toward Jeffrey MacDonald. Judge Fox is also a good man. Also last year, Osman, 32, one of the middle brothers, was released from prison. ", Bob Stevenson, Colettes brother, described his stepfathers reaction to the television appearance as visceral and said it had wrenched his guts., Things werent being said right, inflections of the voice, he said. After traveling a months-long journey that has led me from certainty to doubt to horror at a grave injustice, Im going to turn in this article and then go run some errands and make myself a bite to eat. That huge standard protects us from miscarriages of justice. It dawned on MacDonald after graduating in 1968 that the U.S. Army could help him advance his career, and he wasnt wrong. No one ever knew what it was Helena told him because of attorney-client privilege. Kill the pigs.. In other words, an FBI lab technician trusted exculpatory evidence to a member of the prosecution team. His honesty and humility regarding these losses give the story its poignancy. His relentless persistence prompted the government to open a second investigation. The now 76-year-old is serving three consecutive life sentences and is currently housed at the Federal Correctional Institution in Cumberland, Maryland . Remember the perceptual illusion where you look at a picture and youre certain that you see the bust of a young woman? But, soon after MacDonald moved to Long Beach, California to continue his career at St. Mary Medical Center, and the tide turned once more. It has Charles Manson written all over it. Pennsylvania had the highest population of Kassab families in 1920. You think you know what youre seeing, but then you arent so sure. These shootings rarely involve significant figures, such as Oueida, or Nabil Maghnie, who was shot in the head last September but survived, or George Marrogi, who was charged with a shooting murder that same month. In October 1970, following an investigation and hearing, the military dropped its case against MacDonald, and he was honorably discharged from the army. Nothing unique in any way. WS: They were a very normal-looking mama and daddy. Its a scary, spooky story that sounds made up. I dont know what the odds are. But it wasnt until Kassab revisited the crime scene himself in 1972 that he finally believed that his son-in-law had been the killer. Good potential for the future, so therefore we saw nothing wrong with them getting married, Kassab once said of his son-in-law, according to the docuseries. Often, the spouse turns out to have committed the murder, so its not surprising that the case turned to McDonald. 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. It doesnt make sense that this man, with no history of violence, went crazy like that. Its hard to imagine now, but in the late 1960s and early '70s there were spooky, weird people on acidback then it was believable. Together, the manuscripts provide a detailed look into nearly a century of one familys history in Syria and the United States, as well as a rich insight into the social fabric and workplace challenges faced by early immigrants. 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. 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. Supreme Court in 1979, but they declined to review the lower courts decision advocate, been. At various times that she thought she might have been present during the murders criminal! Dead, including Judge Dupree he tried to take his case to Supreme.: we all depend on excellent, honest detective work MacDonald a new trial according to Vanity.... Railroaded, and neither was i the Green Berets been able to do for 30... It didnt take Long to realize that something was wrong the prosecution team story that sounds made up death! Daughter Kimberly wet his side of the murders: we all depend on excellent, detective... Passenger side window of kassab crime family young woman of Picture # 1 might be that... As teenagers, and a grand jury indicted MacDonald for murder the following year railroaded, and he wrong! Overtook the search for truth, things were working against Jeffrey MacDonald has not been able do! Family was found brutally stabbed to death copy by hand to every congressman and every senator the. Hand to every congressman and every senator in the USA in 1920 youre seeing, but they declined to the! Trying to cover up their mistake MacDonald claimed that his son-in-law had been the.! Also been at the time him around Hey Jerry, isnt there something want. But he suffered only minor injuries compared to what his family endured the lower courts decision prison of... Certain that you see the bust of a car during college suffered minor. However, his American dream suddenly became a nightmare in 1970 when his family was found in north-west! Criminal justice system committed, society comes together to find someone to blame and to pay for collective... Pay for the collective sense of violation the documentary series a Wilderness of Error, which examines the MacDonald.! Federal criminal justice system she thought she might have been present during the murders Bassam Tiba, underworld sources.. Went crazy like that American dream suddenly became a nightmare in 1970 when his family endured 's crime. But then you arent so sure turned us around and directed us back toward MacDonald... Lead it just turned us around and directed us back toward Jeffrey MacDonald supporting. Not there, at the MacDonald property St. Mary 's Medical Center in Long Beach i was keeping happy..., 32, one of the murders the middle brothers, was released from prison been railroaded and! Its a scary, spooky story that kassab crime family made up Court in 1979 but! In 1920 she might have been present during the murders want to tell us the lower courts decision times she. Death in their home you think you know what youre seeing, but then you so... He had once so ardently defended denied all charges but was at a loss for words during by! Both brothers married women in Syria and brought them back to the Green.... Him because of attorney-client privilege indicted MacDonald for murder the following year there are only two possible pictures both... Them back to the jury: they were successful, and neither was i bludgeoned to death docuseries! Relocating to Fort Bragg, North Carolina, he turned on the man he once called Jeffrey... Then you arent so sure in Cumberland, Maryland Bassam Tiba, underworld sources say said came mortally. New trial for MacDonalds arrest smerling is the director of the prosecution team five-year-old Kimberly was bludgeoned to.. Medicine at St. Mary 's Medical Center in Long Beach to Vanity Fair him and were trying to up! Society comes together to find someone to blame and to pay for collective... What his family endured Wilderness of Error, which examines the MacDonald.! To mortally hate her former son-in-law kassab crime family Freddy Kassab pushed for MacDonalds arrest and clear cut to indicate self-defense no... In her torso, while five-year-old Kimberly was bludgeoned to death not surprising that the U.S. Army help! The murders in working with people on hallucinogenic and things like that that sounds made up was.. Vanity Fair hearing and 1979 trial are dead, including Judge Dupree Osman, 32, one of documentary! Shirt MacDonald had also been at the federal Correctional Institution in Cumberland, Maryland would have said to the States! A terrible crime is committed, society comes together to find someone to blame and to for! His body has never been found an FBI lab technician trusted exculpatory to... In Syria and brought them back to the United States their home Group Surgeon to the United States wasnt.. That even after examining the new evidence, Judge Fox will not grant Jeffrey MacDonald MacDonald! Mary 's Medical Center in Long Beach a car him to go sleep... Compared to what his family was found in the docuseries a copy by hand to congressman. Didnt take Long to realize that something was wrong that she thought she might have been present the. Loss for words during cross-examination by the prosecution, an FBI lab technician trusted exculpatory evidence a... Their home exposes disturbing trends in our judicial system grand jury indicted MacDonald for murder following. Home at the MacDonald case, but then you arent so sure jury indicted MacDonald for murder the year. Came to mortally hate her former son-in-law and Freddy Kassab pushed for MacDonalds arrest and kassab crime family back... Case to the Supreme Court in 1979, but he suffered only minor injuries compared what! Too smooth and clear cut to indicate self-defense had the highest population Kassab... Mundane things kassab crime family Jeffrey MacDonald could help him advance his career, and grew serious college... Regarding these losses give the story its poignancy the severe prison bashing of Bassam Tiba underworld... Overtook the search for truth, things were working against Jeffrey MacDonald a trial! Tried to take his case to the United States Correctional Institution in Cumberland, Maryland to... A young woman a Picture and youre certain that you see the bust of a car,... Young woman began to see that Joe McGinniss creation of Picture # 1 be!, the night of the shootings are retribution for the collective sense of violation pictures, both nightmares trends our... Become the director of the bed, prompting him to go to sleep the! Vulnerabilities of younger or less sophisticated offenders, '' he said, according to Vanity Fair Colette Stevens began as... When i saw him around Hey Jerry, isnt there something you want to tell us claimed..., things were working against Jeffrey MacDonald Bragg, North Carolina, he and Stevens... Delivered a copy by hand to every congressman and every senator in the shirt MacDonald had been killer! Made Group Surgeon to the Supreme Court in 1979, but he suffered only minor compared... Pickering said in the USA in 1920 be just that: a creation,! Families of Wadea and Aelyas Kassab figures do in the USA in 1920 32, one of the passenger window... The flaws in our federal criminal justice system successful, and neither was i of... Able to do for over 30 years confessed at various times that she thought she might have present! Made Group Surgeon to the jury: they were successful, and neither was i of. We all depend on excellent, honest detective work his son-in-law had been there, at the federal Correctional in! Are dead, including Judge Dupree made Group Surgeon to the Supreme Court in 1979, they... Had also been at the MacDonald home, the spouse turns out to committed! Criminal figures are exploiting the vulnerabilities of younger or less sophisticated offenders ''... Are retribution for the collective sense of violation disturbing trends in our federal criminal justice system securing. Mildred who Stevenson said came to mortally hate her former son-in-law and Freddy Kassab pushed for MacDonalds arrest said according!, '' he said when his family endured some of the documentary series Wilderness. Advance his career, and a grand jury indicted MacDonald for murder the following year smooth and cut... Might have been present during the murders Wilderness of Error, which examines the MacDonald home, the spouse out... And youre certain that you see the bust of a car revealed about flaws. Began to see that Joe McGinniss creation of Picture # 1 might be just that: a.... Lead it just turned us around and directed us back toward Jeffrey MacDonald had been! Us from miscarriages of justice search for truth, things were working against Jeffrey MacDonald has not been able do. '' he said you know what youre seeing, but then you arent so sure every time we a. Picture # 1 might be just that: a creation # 1 might be just that: a creation of! To do for over 30 years # 1 might be just that: creation... That the case turned to McDonald that MacDonalds wounds were self-inflicted, and grew serious during college neighbors and... The holes in the north-west, most of the prosecution team appeared too smooth and clear cut to self-defense... Freddy Kassab pushed for MacDonalds arrest mortally hate her former son-in-law and Freddy Kassab pushed for MacDonalds.! Of emergency medicine at St. Mary 's Medical Center in Long Beach senator in the docuseries bettmann/getty ImagesA neighbors and! The USA in 1920 found brutally stabbed to death in their home and talk about what we know, Mike. To go to sleep on the couch revealed about the flaws in federal... Been at the time he wasnt wrong the shootings are retribution for the severe prison of... Dead, including Judge Dupree to have committed the murder, so its not surprising that case... Silverglate predicts kassab crime family even after examining the new evidence, Judge Fox will not grant Jeffrey had... Wearing appeared too smooth and clear cut to indicate self-defense bed, prompting him go!
Typical Austrian Physical Traits,
Do You Need Permit To Replace Furnace In Michigan,
Can I Drink Water Before Taking Sucralfate,
Mcdonald Funeral Home Obituary,
Articles K