MacDonald had no history of violence or temper. It doesnt make sense that this man, with no history of violence, went crazy like that. 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. But, soon after MacDonald moved to Long Beach, California to continue his career at St. Mary Medical Center, and the tide turned once more. MacDonald settled into bachelor life, buying a yacht and marina-front condominium in Long Beach, California, Vanity Fair reports. McGinniss had to be creative, because the mans character never fit the crime. He holds dual bachelor's degrees from Pace University and a master's degree from New York University. Back in the 1979 trial, a lawyer named Jerry Leonard represented Helena Stoeckley. WS: For me to say that he is innocent would require magic. One is titled Memoirs by Wadea Kassab; it is 210 pages and was written in 1954. Marc Smerling thinks he has some idea. And the physical evidence, the circumstantial evidence, just kept mounting against him and contradicting his story for events from that evening.. 959 Census & Voter Lists. One thing about this case is never in doubt no matter whos talking: If Wade Smith had been able to lead and give his closing remarks, MacDonald would be a free man today. In other words, an FBI lab technician trusted exculpatory evidence to a member of the prosecution team. He survived. Now deceased, she remains a pivotal figure in the case. 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. Bob Riha Jr./Getty ImagesMacDonald at Los Angeles Terminal Island prison where Charles Manson had spent much of his youth. Another page in another chapter in the new gangland war. It is hard not to be shocked by the footage of Oueida's 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. Four men walking to a car, a silver four-wheel drive pulling alongside and obscuring them from view, and then Oueida writhing on the ground, before he hobbles for his life, back towards the Coburg Mosque, where he had just finished afternoon prayer. Judge Fox is also a good man. 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). Colettes grieving parents grew suspicious after a November 1970 phone call in which MacDonald claimed he found and killed one of the intruders. Two members of the Tiba family have been charged in relation to the shooting. He did interviews. When you accept Picture #1, youre deciding that Jeffrey MacDonald is the Person Who Must Pay. Wadea left Syria in 1889 with two companions and arrived in the United States that same year. Though the U.S. Army formally charged MacDonald with the murders, presiding officer Colonel Warren Rock recommended the charges be dropped. MacDonald invited author Joe McGinniss to write a book about the case before it had reached a verdict. 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. 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. 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. Walk through the house, walk through the rooms and talk about what we know,investigator Mike Pickering said in the docuseries. 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. My friend and I sat around in her backyard, tossing up what facts about the case we could recall. Smerling is the director of the documentary series A Wilderness of Error, which examines the MacDonald case. 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. Most recently, retired US Marshall Jimmy Britt came forward with information that another suspect in the case, Helena Stoeckley, admitted to the prosecutor that she was in the house on the night of MacDonalds murder and that he threatened to indict her for first-degree murder if she admitted that in court. It didnt make sense. Republicans furious after Democrat questions 'God-given' rights at House hearing, 'Beyond parody': Critics torch Marjorie Taylor Greene for her latest appeal to Republicans, Watch: Anti-drag GOP governor bolts from reporters who unearthed photos of him in drag, Probe finds far-right Tennessee Republican 'economist' major got a 'C' in his one college econ class. Use census records and voter lists to see where families with the Kassab surname lived. 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. He could get an answer by the end of this year. Tonight when I retire to my bed, I will not feel as safe from unpredictable evils as I did when I was a teenager reading scary stories. Jeffrey MacDonald was arraigned in May 1975 and pleaded not guilty. The military hearing found that the charges against MacDonald were not true. Like Wade Smith, Ive been struck by how many people speak of absolute certainty about what happened that February night over 40 years ago. 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. MacDonald claimed that his daughter Kimberly wet his side of the bed, prompting him to go to sleep on the couch. Freddie Kassab and CID investigators returned to the crime scene in 1971 to contrast MacDonalds claims with the evidence and found his narrative implausible. 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. Often, the spouse turns out to have committed the murder, so its not surprising that the case turned to McDonald. MacDonald said there had been a stabbing and begged for an ambulance. I even laughed at the idea of hippie murderers in North Carolina. My wife and I can sit for hours and days and not talk to each other, but were both thinking, you know. Were sorry, this feature is currently unavailable. Waters rubbished that explanation. Theres a note attached. She knew this world, and was herself a police informant. His memoir first describes the family history, especially the career of his uncle Salim Kassab. View all records. The chanting blonde, meanwhile, had not been found. MacDonald now waits to see if the federal judge will vacate his 33-year-old conviction. In 1920 there were 5 Kassab families living in Pennsylvania. A lengthy trial heard Moustafa and Kassab had gone to the Brunswick panel beating shop to confront Moustafa over $50,000 in cash and $10,000 in aftershave they believe he had stolen. Oh, yes. There is no finality in injustice. It has Charles Manson written all over it. It is a misconception that the battles are over territory. 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. By now, many members of the original hearing and 1979 trial are dead, including Judge Dupree. Even after the conviction, the Kassabs remained haunted by the heinous crime. Eventually, after pressure from Colettes family, MacDonald was indicted and found guilty of the three murders on August 29, 1979. He said the so-called Fagin Laws, which were introduced last year and allow police to charge adults who coerce children to offend, would be useful in dismantling these networks. In a 2011 press release, the Innocence Project stated:. 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. Maybe more than I would have thought as a teen. 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. 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. Some said he should never have taken the case because his former son-in-law was the prosecutor in the original army hearing. The irony not lost on police, community members and other underworld figures is that while Osman may be a victim of that cycle, his family have survived from perpetuating it. Weve always understood the importance of calling out corruption, regardless of political affiliation. 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. 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. None of this has set MacDonald free. Two years into MacDonalds undergraduate studies at Princeton, Stevens became pregnant. Smerling is the director of the documentary series A Wilderness of Error, which examines the MacDonald case. But, they believe, the deterrent effect of jailing them, even if their victim remains tight-lipped, will have an impact. WebIt is reported Ms Kassab entered Syria last year and that her husband, known as Sam, died on the border of Turkey in 2013. The idea that people that were so certain who dont know any more than I do -- I dont believe Ill ever understand how they could be so sure. The Kassab brothers both raised their families in Chester, where they also practiced dentistry. Pennsylvania had the highest population of Kassab families in 1920. The loving husband and father. The lead prosecutor for the case, Jim Blackburn began to analyze every piece of evidence from the trial, including MacDonald's pajama shirt, which was draped over Colette's body, and the bedsheet she was wrapped in. The stakes are too high for it not to work, Detective Inspector Clark said. I dont know what the odds are. He was more interested in working with people on hallucinogenic and things like that. A neighbors dog and MP guards securing the MacDonald property. Check out never-before-seen content, free digital evidence kits, and much more! The past year has been the most arduous of our lives. 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. Oxygen Insider is your all-access pass to never-before-seen content, free digital evidence kits, and much more. Jeffrey MacDonald behind bars in Terminal Island federal penitentiary. What do you recall of the in-laws in the trial? 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. 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. 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. I held out to the last ditch. He has been imprisoned for three decades for a crime he did not commit. Hes the guy that lives next door. It has Helena Stoeckley, the dominant person who continues to play a remarkable role. Use census records and voter lists to see where families with the Kassab surname lived. 741 Immigration & Travel. Almost all the of shootings in the north-west, one underworld source said, relate to those at the bottom of the criminal food chain. 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. Born Jeffrey Robert MacDonald on Oct. 12, 1943, in New York City, the fledgling doctor grew up in Patchogue, Long Island. After Mica performed mouth-to-mouth, MacDonald came to. 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. Which leaves one of the five families the Tibas. "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. The veneer of the MacDonalds perfect marriage had also began to crack. The shootings can be over particularly petty reasons, not just the drug trade: women, a perceived slight, or, increasingly, a prison feud. Although Kassab didnt join the family until Colette was a teenager, he had always been close with his stepdaughter. 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. WebThe Kassab family name was found in the USA in 1920. In 1978, MacDonalds case went to the Fourth Circuit Court of Appeals, who rejected it. Link your TV provider to stream full episodes and live TV. Others would say that that was a healthy thing to do. I wouldnt allow myself to believe it, because it made it so much worse that it was he instead of strangers, she later said in an interview, according to the docuseries. 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. 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. A lengthy trial heard Moustafa and Kassab had gone to the Brunswick panel beating shop to confront Moustafa over $50,000 in cash and $10,000 in aftershave they believe he had stolen. He continued to work as a doctor and moved to California. Two-year-old Kristen had 33 knife- and 15 icepick wounds in her torso, while five-year-old Kimberly was bludgeoned to death. The family lost its large house in Wallingford, Pennsylvania, and was forced to live in small quarters in a building they still owned. 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. 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. He looked angry on the stand. 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. We would frequently meet at the crime scene and brainstorm the whole scenario. He didnt do that. 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. 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. Official trailer for FX documentary series. Freddie Kassab and CID investigators returned to the crime scene in 1971 to contrast MacDonalds claims with the evidence and found his narrative implausible. "There's a lot of luck good and bad in a non-fatal shooting, You can be shot once and die, or you can be shot five times and live. 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. All rights reserved. The story many of us think we know tells that MacDonald's wounds were superficial. 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. A crime scene was left open to bystander traffic. WebIt is reported Ms Kassab entered Syria last year and that her husband, known as Sam, died on the border of Turkey in 2013. Rep. Allard Lowenstein supporting MacDonalds claim that the Army wrongfully accused him and were trying to cover up their mistake. She allegedly told one person that she recalled holding a candle that dripped with blood. We reconstructed the murders using what McDonald said. Thereafter their lives ran close and parallel courses. Bettmann/Getty ImagesMacDonald in late 1970 after the Army acquitted him of all charges. Dupree would not admit overwhelming psychiatric testimony in MacDonalds favor, nor the testminony of witnesses to whom Helena Stoeckley had confessed her involvement. 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