Mica remembered seeing a woman who fit this description while en route to the scene but said the Armys Criminal Investigation Division (CID) omitted this during their subsequent inquest. The cost to Melbourne's north-west is huge. MacDonald, it appeared, had been endlessly, unfaithful having at least 15 girlfriends, Vanity Fair reports. Some criminal networks were recently identified as having more than 1000 members, of various ages and ethnic backgrounds; unlike the five families, they were not simply the first generation of children born in Australia to parents hailing from northern Lebanon. But there was no evidence that had ever taken place. 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. Did Jeffrey MacDonald Brutally Slay His Pregnant Wife And Daughters Or Did The Cops Get The Wrong Guy? On Sept. 17, 2012, in Wilmington, N.C., a crowd of familiar faces assembled for a new hearing. WebIn 1971, his father-in-law, Freddy Kassab, became progressively suspicious of MacDonald and sought formal reopening of the case. The chanting blonde, meanwhile, had not been found. He wanted his son-in-law to stay on the east coast and pursue the killers. But, soon after MacDonald moved to Long Beach, California to continue his career at St. Mary Medical Center, and the tide turned once more. He remained haunted by the horrific way his stepdaughter and grandchildren had lost their lives. And so there are going to be cases where there is a reasonable doubt as to what actually happened. Unfortunately for MacDonald, she would never admit any memory of her involvement in the killings in court. Some of the facts I thought I knew began to look more like ideas conjured by eager prosecutors and a journalist who had dealt so disingenuously with Jeffrey MacDonald in writing Fatal Vision that he was sued after publication. WebThe Kassab family name was found in the USA in 1920. We decided we needed Freddie and Mildred Kassab on our sides, lead investigator Peter Kearns said in a December 1986 lecture on the case, according to the docuseries. 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. There is no finality in injustice. LP: Then why did MacDonald, the emblem of law-and-order, the Green Beret, become a suspect? He survived. 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. But of the evidence that Morris presents, perhaps most convincing is the piece cited in MacDonalds 2017 federal appeal. Soldiers corpses arrived at Fort Bragg stuffed with heroin. 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. 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. Eventually, after pressure from Colettes family, MacDonald was indicted and found guilty of the three murders on August 29, 1979. WebIn 1971, his father-in-law, Freddy Kassab, became progressively suspicious of MacDonald and sought formal reopening of the case. One is titled Memoirs by Wadea Kassab; it is 210 pages and was written in 1954. And the physical evidence, the circumstantial evidence, just kept mounting against him and contradicting his story for events from that evening.. All rights reserved. A portrait photograph of Wadea (left) and Aelyas (right) Kassab. Official trailer for FX documentary series. 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. View all records. The ONeills befriended him and altered the course of his life. I held out to the last ditch. The crime scene was so messed up that you couldnt depend on it. Freddy was not going to quit. 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. Moise A. Khayrallah Center for Lebanese Diaspora Studies, Collection description written by Linda Jacobs. @2022 - AlterNet Media Inc. All Rights Reserved. In Fayetteville, an army town, strong tensions existed between army types like Jeffrey MacDonald on one side of the war, and hippies and protesters on the other. 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. 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. They were hardly as connected as the mob in Manhattan, but they had serious clout. And a victim falls on the concrete. 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. 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. WS: For me to say that he is innocent would require magic. Thank you. Four military police (MP) officers arrived at 4 a.m. to find an unspeakable crime scene. Despite the young familys financial burdens, the important things seemed secure. 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. Link your TV provider to stream full episodes and live TV. Some of the shootings are retribution for the severe prison bashing of Bassam Tiba, underworld sources say. In 1920 there were 5 Kassab families living in Pennsylvania. Anybody could. 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. It didnt make sense. 6,889 Family Trees. At one stage last year, there was only one of the six Chaouks, father and sons, that were alive and free. 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. Were working to restore it. He awoke to the sound of screaming and found three male intruders being overseen by a blonde woman. 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. In 1984 I was glued to the TV, like millions of other Americans, watching the popular miniseries based on McGinniss book. He claimed they chanted, Kill the pigs!Acid is groovy! and scrawled the word PIG on the wall in his wifes blood. Appearances didnt help MacDonald, either. 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. 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. 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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. He made fun of them. I began to see that Joe McGinniss creation of Picture #1 might be just that: a creation. Then, meet Christopher Scarver the man who killed cannibal Jeffrey Dahmer. The one thing that sticks in my craw above anything else is this: There were lab results. I even laughed at the idea of hippie murderers in North Carolina. She allegedly told one person that she recalled holding a candle that dripped with blood. 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. 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. MacDonald was ultimately convicted in 1979 for killing his pregnant wife Colette MacDonald and their two young daughters, Kimberley and Kristen. A grandson, also called Abdul, was considered such a threat he was subject to a National Anti-Gang Squad investigation last year the Australian Federal Police led team that represents an even greater escalation in the police response than the formation of Santiago. 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. 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. 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. 741 Immigration & Travel. MacDonald was tried in a civilian court in 1979. The prosecution, led by James Blackburn and Brian Murtagh, argued that MacDonald staged the crime scene to blame hippies. 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. The new war involves men with names many Victorians could barely pronounce shooting each other in downtrodden suburbs they have almost certainly never visited. This collection is a part of a larger collection that has been divided into more specific collections. Psychiatric professionals on both sides pronounced him incapable of having committed the crimes. Or maybe theres something else at work: Picture #2 is even more awful to see than Picture #1. Create a free profile to get unlimited access to exclusive videos, breaking news, sweepstakes, and more! Jeffrey MacDonald behind bars in Terminal Island federal penitentiary. 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. 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. Should Trump be allowed to hold office again? The crimes committed by the families were left to locally-based detectives to investigate, rather than specialist squads, until the Santiago Taskforce was formed in 2008. 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. WebWe found 33,440 records for Kassab last name. 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. 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. Jeffrey MacDonald was arraigned in May 1975 and pleaded not guilty. Use census records and voter lists to see where families with the Kassab surname lived. He looked angry on the stand. When Victor Worheide, who was a federal prosecutor, later became interested in the case at the urging of the parents of Colette MacDonald, the case was gone. He moved to California to become the director of emergency medicine at St. Mary's Medical Center in Long Beach. It is hard not to be shocked by the footage of Oueida's shooting. Young woman; old woman. Friends since grade school, he and Colette Stevens began dating as teenagers, and grew serious during college. 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. Even after the conviction, the Kassabs remained haunted by the heinous crime. 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. 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. Moise A. 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