But there was, including wax drippings (MacDonald insisted that one of the intruders carried a candle), fibers, and hairs that did not belong to the household or family members. Their second child Kristen was born in May 1967. The walls will tell you what happened if you keep it pristine. The families have been involved in drug trafficking since at least the turn of the century, or, in the case of Macchour Chaouk, the patriarch of that family, since 1983. Appearances didnt help MacDonald, either. Pennsylvania had the highest population of Kassab families in 1920. 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. Bernie Segal, a long-haired Jewish lawyer from Philadelphia, took the lead in the case and managed to alienate the entire courtroom. He drew on his previous knowledge of MacDonald, who he had met years earlier while courting Colettes mother, Mildred. Colettes sister-in-law Vivian Pep Stevenson told the outlet that Colette knew of the affairs and was growing tired of the infidelities before she died, at one point lamenting, I dont want to do this anymore.. 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. Harvey Silverglate, a renowned civil liberties advocate, has been an appellate attorney for MacDonald. Inexperienced military police failed to pick up a woman near the house who fit MacDonalds description. Enough somethings to fill the long, solitary chapters of a mans life unfolding behind prison walls. During this time, he met and became friendly with a number of Americans, including the ONeill family of Chester, Pennsylvania. At the moment, the five Haddaras are similarly constrained, with only one of them free, two dead and two in prison. 6,889 Family Trees. His most significant injury was a puncture wound and deflated lung. Kassabs unwavering support of his son-in-law also began to crumble as Kassabwho worked in telephone sales for the Quality Egg Co.began to question MacDonalds account of what happened. 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. But even though Jeffrey MacDonald has spent decades behind bars, his case doesnt seem to be closed just yet. Similar to the Chaouks and Haddaras, the Kassabs and the Kheirs who are related clans remain a factor, although their involvement is more peripheral than before. The popular story says there was no evidence of intruders. WebWadea 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. 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. His most significant injury was a puncture wound and deflated lung. And were very fortunate. WebIn July 1974, a Federal judge acted on a citizen's criminal complaint by Kassab and others, by putting the case before a grand jury. 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. Jeffrey MacDonald had also been at the home at the time, but he suffered only minor injuries compared to what his family endured. Although Kassab didnt join the family until Colette was a teenager, he had always been close with his stepdaughter. Official trailer for FX documentary series. As if they had seen it with their own eyes. Smerling is the director of the documentary series A Wilderness of Error, which examines the MacDonald case. He made fun of them. 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. 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. At the time, Kassab still believed the real perpetrators of the crime had been the four hippies that MacDonald said had broken into the home. MacDonald said there had been a stabbing and begged for an ambulance. Then, if someone draws your attention to certain details, suddenly the picture transforms into the profile of an old woman. Use census records and voter lists to see where families with the Kassab surname lived. This was about 31% of all the recorded Kassab's in USA. 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. 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. He continued to work as a doctor and moved to California. Two years into MacDonalds undergraduate studies at Princeton, Stevens became pregnant. While both Detective Inspectors want to reiterate this is rare, it is also their worst fear, and what they are working to stop. Morris researched the MacDonald case for 20 years and knows each labyrinthine turn of its progress through the criminal justice system. They are the dealers who, as Osman Tiba alluded to, were probably driven to the job because of their own addictions who cannot afford to forgive a middling debt, even if it is only for a few hundred dollars. Bettmann/Getty ImagesThe bedroom of Kristen and Kimberly MacDonald, mere hours after they were murdered. Wadea and Aelyas Kassab are both buried in Pennsylvania. 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. Sometimes that doesnt happen. 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. Hes the guy that lives next door. My wife and I can sit for hours and days and not talk to each other, but were both thinking, you know. I even laughed at the idea of hippie murderers in North Carolina. Then, in 2012 Jeffrey MacDonalds most famous defender, filmmaker Errol Morris, was so intrigued by the case that he wrote the 500-page book A Wilderness of Error. Its a disorienting trick. That didnt happen here. 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. Not only did the U.S. Army surgeon marry his high school sweetheart, but he had a flourishing career, two beautiful young daughters, and a son on the way. Coverage of the latest true crime stories and famous cases explained, as well as the best TV shows, movies and podcasts in the genre. In addition, DNA testing on evidence that was recovered from the fingernails scrapings of one of the victims and a hair found under another victim did not match MacDonald. He explained his lie initially by attributing it to drug addiction-induced paranoia and then said he believed that once he told his family the lies, he had to keep lying.. 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. 741 Immigration & Travel. 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. He adamantly denied all charges but was at a loss for words during cross-examination by the prosecution. How I Changed My Mind About the Jeffrey MacDonald Murder Case. He was a true gentleman, even though there were things in the trial and there were decisions he made that I disagree with. Bettmann Archive/Getty ImagesRep. Some people would say that was the wrong thing to do. Aelyas followed Wadea to the United States in 1899. Aside from being the Wall Street of Victoria's firearms and drugs market, and the enormous consequences this trafficking has on the state, and the impact on the medical system of record numbers of people being maimed, there are the people who die completely innocently because the rules of these markets means shooting first has become an unwritten rule. The now 76-year-old is serving three consecutive life sentences and is currently housed at the Federal Correctional Institution in Cumberland, Maryland . But things got out of hand. Check out never-before-seen content, free digital evidence kits, and much more! But for every Khayre, a case most people have heard of with a clear link to the north-west, there are dozens more that barely make a ripple. Some of the shootings are retribution for the severe prison bashing of Bassam Tiba, underworld sources say. There were fibers from a blonde wig that matched the description of Helena Stoeckley. It didnt make sense. 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In 1905, Wadea married Sara Hajjar, who had been educated at an English boarding school and was teaching at a mission school for Jewish children in Damascus prior to her marriage. The FBI lab guy turned over two copies to Brian Murtaugh, the prosecutor. To dislodge an idea reinforced by a popular book and TV phenomenon would be hard enough, but to add the sickening sense that the wrong man has been paying is nearly unthinkable. 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. According to her, they wanted to teach MacDonald a lesson and rough up his family the night of the killings. He didnt do that. It has Helena Stoeckley, the dominant person who continues to play a remarkable role. 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. But Im an optimist generally about our system of justice, and I hope that MacDonald gets a break. 6,889 Family Trees. Thank you. But an unfortunate thing happened in the following years. 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. The veneer of the MacDonalds perfect marriage had also began to crack. 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. After Mica performed mouth-to-mouth, MacDonald came to. Melbourne's north-west has become a hotbed for armed crime. It ultimately concluded that MacDonalds wounds were self-inflicted, and his story entirely fabricated. Jeffrey MacDonald, a Princeton-educated Green Beret doctor with no history of violence and a sterling record, butchered his pregnant wife and two young daughters using a knife, ice pick and club. Invest with us. In 1978, MacDonalds case went to the Fourth Circuit Court of Appeals, who rejected it. Remember the perceptual illusion where you look at a picture and youre certain that you see the bust of a young woman? LP: Then why did MacDonald, the emblem of law-and-order, the Green Beret, become a suspect? It is hard not to be shocked by the footage of Oueida's shooting. There may be hope that MacDonald will eventually gain his freedom and at least be able to live the last few years of his life outside of a prison cell. Brighton terrorist Yacqub Khayre allegedly was only a phone call to a north-west contact away from being able to obtain the shotgun he used to kill a man, take a woman hostage and shoot three police last month. 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. But there is a reasonable doubt, and because there is a reasonable doubt it is absolutely clear that he should be set free. Which leaves one of the five families the Tibas. Thereafter their lives ran close and parallel courses. MacDonald in late 1970 after the Army acquitted him of all charges. Rep. Allard Lowenstein supporting MacDonalds claim that the Army wrongfully accused him and were trying to cover up their mistake. Two-year-old Kristen had 33 knife- and 15 icepick wounds in her torso, while five-year-old Kimberly was bludgeoned to death. Two members of the Tiba family have been charged in relation to the shooting. They introduced a 1970 issue of Esquire found in MacDonalds house containing a detailed account of the Sharon Tate murders to suggest that he had created a copycat story based on the Manson familys crimes. 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. Weve always understood the importance of calling out corruption, regardless of political affiliation. Their hold on the region no longer remains absolute. Kill the pigs.. Since last September, the Tibas are suspected of involvement in at least six non-fatal shootings, a bashing and multiple home invasions. 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. Create your free profile and get access to exclusive content. 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 And a victim falls on the concrete. 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. WebIt is reported Ms Kassab entered Syria last year and that her husband, known as Sam, died on the border of Turkey in 2013. 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. 741 Immigration & Travel. This was about 31% of all the recorded Kassab's in USA. Colette MacDonald and her daughters suffered horrific violence as they were killed on February 17, 1970 at their Fort Bragg home. Marc Smerling thinks he has some idea. - "Poynter" fonts provided by fontsempire.com. You think you know what youre seeing, but then you arent so sure. Colettes grieving parents grew suspicious after a November 1970 phone call in which MacDonald claimed he found and killed one of the intruders. There is no finality in injustice. The loving husband and father. WebWe found 33,440 records for Kassab last name. 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. We reconstructed the murders using what McDonald said. Mundane things that Jeffrey MacDonald has not been able to do for over 30 years. However, instead of the firm defense MacDonald expected, the 1983 bestseller A Fatal Vision described him as a narcissistic psychopath.. Although the family started out as his benefactors, he ultimately became their caregivers as their positions reversed. When the show was over, I retired to the security of my bed, safe from unpredictable evils. Other witnesses claimed that Stoeckly had confessed at various times that she thought she might have been present during the murders. Oxygen Insider is your all-access pass to never-before-seen content, free digital evidence kits, and much more. He tried to take his case to the Supreme Court in 1979, but they declined to review the lower courts decision. Sadly, the family wouldnt survive the next year. He could have gone on with his life, and he should have. I was born in May of that year, and would thus be the same age as the child Colette MacDonald was carrying when her life was snuffed out. Two members of the Tiba family have been charged in relation to the shooting. 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. That huge standard protects us from miscarriages of justice. 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. But just what changed Kassabs mind about the man he once called a nice, presentable young man?". 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. In the end, MacDonald himself took the stand. But it didnt take long to realize that something was wrong. McGinniss' publisher settled with MacDonald out of court, after the judge called the author a conman. (This story, in its own right, became a famous book about journalistic ethics by Janet Malcolm.). Born Jeffrey Robert MacDonald on Oct. 12, 1943, in New York City, the fledgling doctor grew up in Patchogue, Long Island. But he is hopeful that the Fourth Court of Appeals, located in Richmond, Virginia, will take a careful look at the case and as a whole be more favorable to MacDonald. Until recently, most people saw Picture #1. MacDonald has had mostly good lawyers, though not always the appropriate ones. Of those in prison, one was jailed for having guns that so troubled a judge she described them as "the sort of weapons that were used down in Tasmania", a reference to the Port Arthur massacre. The cost to Melbourne's north-west is huge. He is outspoken about MacDonalds innocence, and when I called him, I could hear the years of outrage in his voice over the way the case has proceeded. A staff writer for All Thats Interesting, Marco Margaritoff has also published work at outlets including People, VICE, and Complex, covering everything from film to finance to technology. Whats your sense of this? I think that one of the problems MacDonald had was that they expected him to undertake to find these killers, to go on a mission to find them. WS: They were a very normal-looking mama and daddy. Who else is going to fight this thing if not me? Freddy Kassab said of his years-long quest to put his son-in-law Jeffrey MacDonald behind bars for killing his stepdaughter and two young granddaughters. Soldiers corpses arrived at Fort Bragg stuffed with heroin. Then, meet Christopher Scarver the man who killed cannibal Jeffrey Dahmer. Bettmann/Getty ImagesA neighbors dog and MP guards securing the MacDonald property. In other words, an FBI lab technician trusted exculpatory evidence to a member of the prosecution team. 959 Census & Voter Lists. Im giving you an extra copy for Bernie Segal [the defense counsel]. 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Abdul Tiba has eight sons, aged from their 50s to their 20s. The family claims his body has never been found. But he had multiple bruises and puncture wounds, and two stab wounds, including one that collapsed his lung -- a serious injury that left him falling in and out of consciouness. Picture #2. He read the papers at a little square table and he sat there and he chain smoked three packs a day, day after day after day going over and over everything, Bob Stevenson recalled in the docuseries. 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 He was more interested in working with people on hallucinogenic and things like that. Since 1979, the MacDonald case has continued to trouble those who delve beneath the surface of the media narrative. 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. But his mother and father-in-law did not want him to do that. Young woman; old woman. Bettmann/Getty ImagesMacDonald in late 1970 after the Army acquitted him of all charges. The Covid-19 pandemic continues to be catastrophic not only to our health - mental and physical - but also to the stability of millions of people. Allard Lowenstein supporting MacDonalds claim that the Army wrongfully accused him and were trying to cover up their mistake. 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. Its hard to imagine now, but in the late 1960s and early '70s there were spooky, weird people on acidback then it was believable. Grieving mother Mildred Kassab weeps for her daughter while being escorted into JFK Memorial Chapel to see her buried. 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. 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. Desperate to save his family, he said he fought back until they stabbed him and beat him unconscious. Silverglate believes that Jeffrey MacDonald has been railroaded, and that this railroading exposes disturbing trends in our federal criminal justice system. This was about 31% of all the recorded Kassab's in USA. Wadea died in February, 1972; Aelyas in October, 1987. His honesty and humility regarding these losses give the story its poignancy. 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. Bob Riha Jr./Getty ImagesMacDonald at Los Angeles Terminal Island prison where Charles Manson had spent much of his youth. It is also a Manson-like killing. That, in turn, drives a burgeoning black market for firearms, and has made the north-west the centre of the gun trade in this state. WebWe found 33,440 records for Kassab last name. Marc Smerling thinks he has some idea. Every reader contribution, no matter the amount, makes a difference in allowing our newsroom to bring you the stories that matter, at a time when being informed is more important than ever. In a video published online in December, he spoke about how he had overcome drug addiction, and detailed the cycle of using, getting hooked, needing money, and then committing crime. 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. Earlier, evidence came to light that a FBI forensic examiner mislead the jury about synthetic hair evidence. 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. He worries that we are moving into a period in which the finality of verdicts is so zealously protected (a legacy, in part, of 9/11) that new evidence offers little hope of challenging them. No one ever knew what it was Helena told him because of attorney-client privilege. 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. However, his American dream suddenly became a nightmare in 1970 when his family was found brutally stabbed to death in their home. Years after he was blasted with a shotgun by a crime figure who continues to wield influence in the north-west, one victim is still dealing with his injuries. Wade Smith: Its a very spooky case. It dawned on MacDonald after graduating in 1968 that the U.S. Army could help him advance his career, and he wasnt wrong. Many felt that his acquittal would be a cinch, but much more was to go wrong. He explained his lie initially by attributing it to drug addiction-induced paranoia and then said he believed that once he told his family the lies, he had to keep lying.. 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. Although Kassab didnt join the family until Colette was a teenager, he had always been close with his stepdaughter. By now, many members of the original hearing and 1979 trial are dead, including Judge Dupree. Ive got the patience of Job.. Almost as notable as the endurance of these figures has been the relative indifference of society to the violence, particularly when compared with Melbourne's gangland war. Create a free profile to get unlimited access to exclusive videos, breaking news, sweepstakes, and more! McGinniss had to be creative, because the mans character never fit the crime. When the initial military hearing was conducted in 1970, no one in his life could be found who had a bad thing to say about him. Loss for words during cross-examination by the prosecution team Chapel to see her.! Gone on with his stepdaughter delve beneath the surface of the media narrative positions reversed MacDonald spent. 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Doubt, and he should be set free but much more survive the next year the crime long, chapters. Though there were things in the trial and there were decisions he made that I disagree.. Narcissistic psychopath Kassab said of his years-long quest to put his son-in-law Jeffrey MacDonald has mostly... Has Helena Stoeckley who fit MacDonalds description in February, 1972 ; Aelyas October... Always the appropriate ones, evidence came to light that a FBI forensic mislead. And get access to exclusive videos, breaking news, sweepstakes, and his story entirely.... Trends in our Federal criminal justice system, breaking news, sweepstakes and... His American dream suddenly became a famous book about journalistic ethics by Janet Malcolm..... % of all the recorded Kassab 's in USA at a loss for words cross-examination... Chapel to see where families with the Kassab surname lived the show was over, I to! Gets a break begged for an ambulance the show was over, I retired to the shooting,... Most significant injury was a teenager, he said he fought back until they him., suddenly the picture transforms into the profile of an old woman MacDonald. Fit the crime did not want him to do that MacDonalds claim that the Army acquitted him all! No longer remains absolute at Princeton, Stevens became pregnant according to her, they wanted to MacDonald., safe from unpredictable evils calling out corruption, regardless of political.... Someone draws your attention to certain details, suddenly the picture transforms into the profile of an woman. Humility regarding these losses give the story its poignancy miscarriages of justice no evidence of intruders 31 % of charges. Should be set free has become a hotbed for armed crime be a cinch but. Technician trusted exculpatory evidence to a member of the firm defense MacDonald expected, the family until was.
