Bettmann Archive/Getty ImagesGrieving mother Mildred Kassab weeps for her daughter while being escorted into JFK Memorial Chapel to see her buried. By now, many members of the original hearing and 1979 trial are dead, including Judge Dupree. And police officers knowing how to take care of a crime scene and preserve it. Often, the spouse turns out to have committed the murder, so its not surprising that the case turned to McDonald. Currently serving three life sentences for their murders, MacDonald continues to maintain his innocence even as a new documentary series digs into his case. 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. Not only did the living room show few signs of a struggle, but the murder weapons were found outside the back door. Two members of the Tiba family have been charged in relation to the shooting. That was my closing argument. This was about 31% of all the recorded Kassab's in USA. ", 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. This was about 31% of all the recorded Kassab's in USA. 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. I thought the world of Judge Dupree. 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. Inside The Assassination Of Detlev Rohwedder, The Politician Who Tried To Unify East And West German Businesses, Someone Just Paid Over $81,000 For A Blood-Stained Lock Of Abraham Lincoln's Hair, What Stephen Hawking Thinks Threatens Humankind The Most, 27 Raw Images Of When Punk Ruled New York, Join The All That's Interesting Weekly Dispatch, Steve Liss/The LIFE Images Collection/Getty Images. WebThe Kassab family name was found in the USA in 1920. But an unfortunate thing happened in the following years. Since last September, the Tibas are suspected of involvement in at least six non-fatal shootings, a bashing and multiple home invasions. This manuscript by Aelyas Kassab is a history of the Kassab family and a biography of Aelyas' own life. Who else is going to fight this thing if not me? Kassab said, who had moved to Florida from his Long Island home the year before. 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. Materials provided by the families of Wadea and Aelyas Kassab. No attempt was made to locate the woman that night. That same year, seven drug-linked executions were reported in 10 months. 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. 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. Get an all-access pass to never-before-seen content, free digital evidence kits, and much more! 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. 959 Census & Voter Lists. 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. Others would say that that was a healthy thing to do. Freddie Kassab and CID investigators returned to the crime scene in 1971 to contrast MacDonalds claims with the evidence and found his narrative implausible. 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. My wife and I can sit for hours and days and not talk to each other, but were both thinking, you know. Take a guy like MacDonald. 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. He had biblical levels of persistence, Bob Keeler, a reporter for Newsday, recalled in A Wilderness of Error.. 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. In 1920 there were 5 Kassab families living in Pennsylvania. Wherever you see the label psychopath," you could almost substitute monster or vampire youre talking about an unnatural person who does not behave according to normal human rules, and with that label, you can believe anything of them. That is the way our legal system is set up. He adamantly denied all charges but was at a loss for words during cross-examination by the prosecution. Bettmann/Getty ImagesThe bedroom of Kristen and Kimberly MacDonald, mere hours after they were murdered. Eventually, after pressure from Colettes family, MacDonald was indicted and found guilty of the three murders on August 29, 1979. The family claims his body has never been found. Pennsylvania had the highest population of Kassab families in 1920. 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. 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. He was found guilty and given three life sentences on Aug. 26, 1979. Friends since grade school, he and Colette Stevens began dating as teenagers, and grew serious during college. You trust him. You think you know what youre seeing, but then you arent so sure. Soldiers corpses arrived at Fort Bragg stuffed with heroin. Freddie Kassab and CID investigators returned to the crime scene in 1971 to contrast MacDonalds claims with the evidence and found his narrative implausible. The loving husband and father. At one stage last year, there was only one of the six Chaouks, father and sons, that were alive and free. But even though Jeffrey MacDonald has spent decades behind bars, his case doesnt seem to be closed just yet. During this time, he met and became friendly with a number of Americans, including the ONeill family of Chester, Pennsylvania. His memoir first describes the family history, especially the career of his uncle Salim Kassab. 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. When you accept Picture #1, youre deciding that Jeffrey MacDonald is the Person Who Must Pay. 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. He was a nice, presentable young man. It dawned on MacDonald after graduating in 1968 that the U.S. Army could help him advance his career, and he wasnt wrong. There were fibers from a blonde wig that matched the description of Helena Stoeckley. 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 1978, MacDonalds case went to the Fourth Circuit Court of Appeals, who rejected it. 1,169 Birth, Marriage & Death. Judge James Fox, a close friend of Dupree's and quite elderly himself, has taken over and has dismissed appeals. Since 1979, the MacDonald case has continued to trouble those who delve beneath the surface of the media narrative. 2015 NC State University. The past year has been the most arduous of our lives. "There was a young kid that was shot, and he's paralysed from the chest down for the rest of his life. Although Kassab didnt join the family until Colette was a teenager, he had always been close with his stepdaughter. Weve always understood the importance of calling out corruption, regardless of political affiliation. I held out to the last ditch. This collection is a part of a larger collection that has been divided into more specific collections. Grieving mother Mildred Kassab weeps for her daughter while being escorted into JFK Memorial Chapel to see her buried. 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. Not only had the word pig been scrawled on the bedroom headboard in his wifes blood but she and her unborn baby were dead. Its a scary, spooky story that sounds made up. 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. A crime scene was left open to bystander traffic. MacDonald claimed he'd broke his arm in the fatal scuffle, but Kearns would later say in an interview that authorities had MacDonald under surveillance at the time and did not observe any broken arm. Also last year, Osman, 32, one of the middle brothers, was released from prison. The couple got married when Colette was just 20 years old after discovering that she was pregnant. The now 76-year-old is serving three consecutive life sentences and is currently housed at the Federal Correctional Institution in Cumberland, Maryland . 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. 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. MacDonald sued McGinniss for fraud in 1987, with a mistrial leading them to settle out of court for $325,000. Mundane things that Jeffrey MacDonald has not been able to do for over 30 years. Although the family started out as his benefactors, he ultimately became their caregivers as their positions reversed. WS: For me to say that he is innocent would require magic. 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. Oueida amassed a fortune before he was imprisoned in 2011, and had done so through dealing drugs, and doing it more rapaciously than anyone in recent history: hence the $6 million in a Swiss bank account, light plane, Ferrari and $2.8 million mansion he had when he was arrested. Four military police (MP) officers arrived at 4 a.m. to find an unspeakable crime scene. But there was no evidence that had ever taken place. 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. Bob Riha Jr./Getty ImagesMacDonald at Los Angeles Terminal Island prison where Charles Manson had spent much of his youth. Were working to restore it. 741 Immigration & Travel. MacDonald at Los Angeles Terminal Island prison where Charles Manson had spent much of his youth. Silverglate predicts that even after examining the new evidence, Judge Fox will not grant Jeffrey MacDonald a new trial. Im giving you an extra copy for Bernie Segal [the defense counsel]. Colette MacDonald and her daughters suffered horrific violence as they were killed on February 17, 1970 at their Fort Bragg home. Official trailer for FX documentary series. The Tibas are the only clan in the five families that can boast three generations of serious offenders from murderers to drug traffickers. He didnt do that. Born Jeffrey Robert MacDonald on Oct. 12, 1943, in New York City, the fledgling doctor grew up in Patchogue, Long Island. Did Jeffrey MacDonald Brutally Slay His Pregnant Wife And Daughters Or Did The Cops Get The Wrong Guy? Since MacDonald was convicted of the murders in 1979, considerable evidence of his innocence has come to light. 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. In the early '80s, I whipped through a dog-eared copy of Fatal Vision, Joe McGinniss sensational true-crime novel about the killings. Eventually, after pressure from Colettes family, MacDonald was indicted and found guilty of the three murders on August 29, 1979. And as is believed to have been the case when a large drug shipment made its way to the region in the past five years, and the Kassab/Kheir family made temporary peace with the Tibas that can sometimes mean forming a truce to distribute the product, and ensure its security. We even came back at night so we would have the same lighting conditions as the night of the murders. 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. A portrait photograph of Wadea (left) and Aelyas (right) Kassab. The stakes are too high for it not to work, Detective Inspector Clark said. Even back then, if you polled Fayetteville folks, you might have found that a lot of people did not believe that he did it. Jeffrey MacDonald behind bars in Terminal Island federal penitentiary. 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. 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. 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. I even laughed at the idea of hippie murderers in North Carolina. It has Charles Manson written all over it. Aelyas (Elias) Kassab, Wadeas younger brother, was born in the Kassabs' summer residence in Bloudan, Syria in 1883. Most people who go through traumatic things like this, nowhere near as lengthy, almost always end up in divorce, but with us its drawn us closer.. 6,889 Family Trees. 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. It has witchcraft in it. This can drive a surge in shootings, and then be forgotten again just as quickly, said Detective Inspector Stephen Clark of the armed crime squad. When police showed their hand regarding the organised crime threat, back in 2011, the Tibas were at war with the Kassabs and Kheirs. 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. There were few major drug or weapon importations in the state that police could not, in some way, trace back to these families. He made fun of them. Link your TV provider to stream full episodes and live TV. 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. Eventually, after pressure from Colettes family, MacDonald was indicted and found guilty of the three murders on August 29, 1979. 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. 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. WS: Yes. 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. 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. 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. 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.. 741 Immigration & Travel. The chanting blonde, meanwhile, had not been found. Wadea left Syria in 1889 with two companions and arrived in the United States that same year. Jeffrey MacDonald had it all. MacDonald in late 1970 after the Army acquitted him of all charges. As the only survivor, MacDonald claimed that a mysterious blonde hippie oversaw three male intruders who slaughtered his family. 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