green beret murders case study

The panel of this court ordered the indictment dismissed on the grounds of a defendant's right to a speedy trial on January 23, 1976. He claims to have sustained ten ice pick wounds. But Army investigators found the doctors story and Manson connection dubious. MacDonald was released from the hospital after nine days. Furthermore, this extreme psychological response would likely see an individual convey himself as "victimized" and "perhaps, somewhat of a martyr". Accordingly, she and other members of this group had plotted revenge against MacDonald, intending specifically to murder his family but leave him alive. He claims to have been attacked in the living room. MacDonald found her timidity touching, and gradually viewed himself as her protector in addition to her boyfriend. [15], MacDonald was commissioned in the United States Army on June 28, 1969,[16] and sent to Fort Sam Houston, Texas to undergo a six-week physician's basic training course. The four front entrances of the building at the time were located at the center of the building. Thanks for everything. [132], Following a brief recess, MacDonald read a statement prepared by his attorneys denying the prosecution's request to discuss the results of his 1970 polygraph examination, contending Woerheide had violated attorney-client privilege. [19], In late August,[20][11] MacDonald reported to the 3rd Special Forces Group (Airborne) at Fort Bragg, North Carolina to serve as the group's surgeon. [139] A further defense setback was the judge's ruling against a motion to suppress the introduction of MacDonald's pajama top as evidence.

In response to this decision, Alfred Kassab informed the press he and his wife welcomed the developments, stating: "It has been [a] tremendous personal pressure to have someone running around that you are convinced killed your daughter and grandchildren. The two formed a brief romantic relationship in the ninth grade, with MacDonald later recollecting they fell in love while holding hands on a balcony while watching the movie A Summer Place at the Rialto Theater in Patchogue. Consequently, when at home, he was frequently exhausted and had limited interaction with his wife and daughters. He then outlined the medical testimony which listed the sole serious injury MacDonald had sustained as the pneumothorax wound to his chest, stating that even if the prosecution conceded the wound was potentially life-threatening, the wound was the sole serious injury he had sustained. He also refused to discuss the results of a private polygraph test to which he had consented in 1970, the results of which had been given to Bernard Segal, indicating he would have to speak with his attorney on this matter before consenting to this line of inquiry. Interestingly, the MPs found a copy of Esquire magazine with an article on the recent Manson family murders in the living room. He is currently incarcerated at the Federal Correctional Institution in Cumberland, Maryland. He was tried in Raleigh, North Carolina, before Judge Dupree, and pleaded not guilty to the charges. [n 15] In an apparent effort to discourage Kassab's efforts to obtain a copy of this transcript in his pursuit of the killers, MacDonald told his stepfather-in-law that he and some Army colleagues had actually tracked down, tortured, and eventually murdered one of the four alleged murderers. WebCase Name: Green Beret Murders Date crime occurred: August 29, 1979 Persons of Interest named in the investigation and relationship to the victim (s): Jeffery Macdonald- criminal When questioned as to whether MacDonald suffered from a mental disorder, Bailey testified he did not, although he could not discount the possibility of him murdering members of his family in a situation of extreme stress. https://www.aetv.com/real-crime/jeffrey-macdonald-murder-case. A further defense motion that MacDonald should be granted a new murder trial on the grounds of prosecutorial misconduct was denied on July 8, 1991. Colette and I shared the children growing up. On August 20, Dupree refused the introduction of this testimony, citing legal trustworthiness requisites and stating the introduction of these witnesses would add no further value to the proceedings than what they had experienced from Stoeckley's own testimony. [107] MacDonald lived in a $350,000 Huntington Beach condominium apartment, and is known to have lived a promiscuous lifestyle prior to forming a long-term relationship with a 22-year-old airline stewardess named Candy Kramer in the late 1970s. [51] He had then stumbled from room to room, attempting mouth-to-mouth resuscitation upon each of his daughters, to no avail,[52] before discovering his wife. [223] Bernard Segal, MacDonald's lead defense attorney, died in California in 2011. Colette herself returned home at 9:40p.m. [25], On December 10, the 3rd Special Forces Group was deactivated,[26] and MacDonald was transferred on base to Headquarters and Headquarters Company, 6th Special Forces Group (Airborne), 1st Special Forces,[16] to serve as a preventive medical officer. The first such ruling was Judge Dupree's refusal to admit into evidence a 1979 psychiatric evaluation of MacDonald, which suggested that an individual of his personality and mindset was highly unlikely to be capable of killing his family. Jeffrey Robert MacDonald (born October 12, 1943) is an American former medical doctor and United States Army captain who was convicted in August 1979 of murdering his pregnant wife and two daughters in February 1970 while serving as an Army Special Forces physician. Murder charges against MacDonald were dropped that same year, but Colettes family urged the federal courts to take up the case, resulting in his indictment, MacDonalds Pajama Bottoms Were Thrown Away at the Hospital. ABC Evening News for August 8, 1969. He would later recollect he had first observed Colette "walking down the hallway (of Patchogue High School) with her best friend" and that, although he was attracted to both girls, he found Colette more attractive. In this recorded message, Kassab stated: "I want to be sure he serves out his sentence the way it should be served out. The 16-year-old daughter of these neighborswho occasionally babysat for the familyinformed investigators the two had seemed taciturn and indifferent to each other in the month prior to the murders. [138], Although MacDonald's lawyers had been confident of an acquittal, there were successive rulings against the defense. [192], On January 12, 2006, MacDonald was granted leave to file a further appeal based upon a November 2005 affidavit of retired Deputy United States Marshal Jim Britt, who had served in this role during the trial. While we are keenly aware of his insistence as to his innocence, at some point we must accept this case as final. All articles are regularly reviewed and updated by the HISTORY.com team. Less than a month later, on May 1, the Army formally charged MacDonald with three counts of murder. Webhow much do the judges on guy's grocery games make // green beret murders case study. [224] James Blackburn, a lead prosecutor in the 1979 trial, later admitted that between 1990 and 1991 he had forged several court documents unrelated to the MacDonald case, and illegally wired money from his law firm's bank account. There are no pending appeals right now, Raleigh attorney Hart Miles, who represents MacDonald, tells A&E True Crime. The U.S. attorney general declined to pursue criminal charges against MacDonald as late as Dec. 21, 1973. [83][84] That same day, MacDonald penned a letter to Colette's mother and stepfather professing his innocence, emphasizing the Army would "never admit" their error, and speculating his wife's soul may hold "infinite patience and understanding" of his current legal predicament. Did Jeffrey MacDonald Kill His Family or Was He the Victim Experts Weigh in on Appeal, Green Beret Convicted of Killing His Family Could Walk Free If He Admits Guilt But Wants to Be 'Vindicated', See 'Scandal' 's Scott Foley as Convicted Killer Jeffrey MacDonald, Who Maintains His Innocence, 1979 Murder Convictions of Ex-Green Beret Surgeon Jeffrey MacDonald Should Stand: Prosecutors' New Filing, Lawyers for Dr. Jeffrey MacDonald, Fighting in Court Filing to Overturn 1979 Conviction for Murdering Family, Say Prosecutors Hid Evidence. [33] He then slept for an hour before watching Kimberley's favorite television show, Laugh-In, with her before his older daughter also went to bed. MacDonald was later transferred to the Federal Correctional Institution at Cumberland, Maryland, which is closer to his new legal state of residence as well as to his wife. Nonetheless, he was adamant he had made his own efforts to identify the perpetrators and to locate Helena Stoeckley. This question prompted MacDonald to deny the accusation before referencing his puncture wound and his having to persuade hospital doctors to insert a chest tube into his body as he was sure his lung was punctured. For other uses, see, MacDonald would later claim that on the morning following Kristen's birth, he had visited Colette only to discover her in an advancing state of, Some sources state the month MacDonald reported to the. [33] MacDonald then recounted his life in the years since the deaths of his family, describing his decision to relocate to California as an effort to distance himself from well-wishers and insisting the reason he worked up to eighty hours a week was that it was "easier than sitting and thinking" about his family. They arent stealing anything. ", "Where Jeffrey MacDonald Is 50 Years After His Family's Gruesome Murder", "Jeffrey MacDonald Could Walk Free if He Admits Guilt, Wants to Be 'Vindicated', "Reflections on the Jeffrey MacDonald Case", "1998 Third Circuit US Court of Appeals Case Law", "Timeline of Events in the Jeffrey MacDonald Case", "Former Green Beret Surgeon Jeffrey MacDonald Seeks to Overturn Three Murder Convictions in New Filing", "January 1983: Death and Autopsy of Helena Stoeckley", "Presided Over High-profile Cases: Franklin Dupree, Longtime Federal Judge, Dead at 82", "Bernard Segal, Longtime Law School Professor, Dies", "Prosecutor in Famed Case Pleads Guilty to Charges", "Famed Prosecutor Turned Prison Inmate Shares His Story with Community Corrections Leaders", "Final Appeal: From the Files of Unsolved Mysteries", "FX Sets Premiere Date for "A Wilderness of Error", Details of MacDonald's 1998 appeal against his convictions, validity of MacDonald's murder convictions, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Jeffrey_R._MacDonald&oldid=1145937262, American prisoners sentenced to life imprisonment, February 1970 events in the United States, People convicted of murder by the United States federal government, Prisoners sentenced to life imprisonment by the United States federal government, United States Army Medical Corps officers, Violence against women in the United States, Pages using infobox person with multiple parents, Pages using infobox criminal with motive parameter, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License 3.0, The team behind the long-running television documentary series. Mario Madera-Rodriguez begins what is scheduled to be a three-week trial at The couple moved into a small one-bedroom apartment, with Colette committed to maintaining the household and raising their daughter as MacDonald focused on his studies, while also working a series of part-time jobs to assist with family finances. [95], The final witness to testify on behalf of the defense was MacDonald himself, who testified on his own behalf on August 23 and 24. Three hairs, one from the bed sheet, one found in Colette's body outline in the area of her legs, and a single hair measuring one-fifth of an inch found beneath Kristen's fingernail did not match the DNA profile of any MacDonald family member or known suspect. [n 10] Putting on surgical gloves from a medical supply in the kitchen closet,[73] he went to the master bedroom, where he used Colette's blood to write the word "PIG" on the headboard. [32], According to MacDonald, he then played "horsey": allowing his daughters to ride upon his back as if he was their Shetland pony for a short while before he had put Kristen to bed at approximately 7p.m. as Kimberley played a game on the coffee table. Blackburn then outlined the prosecution's intention to outline both physical and circumstantial evidence indicating MacDonald's guilt, and to introduce numerous witnesses, imploring the jurors to "listen to the evidence that comes from the witness stand, [to] examine the evidence, as it is shown to you, and reach your own conclusion". Chris Watts Killed His Family After Weeks of Planning. Stoeckley's mother's statements concerning her daughter are at odds with the details contained in her 1971 affidavit, in which she states her daughter had initially been adamant of her innocence in the murders, and of her concerns her daughter was being "railroaded" by MacDonald's defense attorneys. A single fragment of skin was recovered from beneath one of Colette's fingernails, although this evidence was later lost. [11][4] One hundred people attended the service, with the reception held at the Fifth Avenue Hotel. William Lavigne and Timothy Dumas were found dead at a training site on Fort Bragg, North Carolina. [85], An initial Army Article 32 hearing into MacDonald's possible guilt, overseen by Colonel Warren Rock, convened on July 6, 1970. in response to a question as to how his blood and Colette's blood had transferred onto a sheet taken from Kristen's bedroom into the master bedroom. You can find out more and change our default settings with Cookies Settings. The group had then "dropped mescaline" before driving to the MacDonald residence. [20][n 2] He was joined by his wife and children,[11][22] and the MacDonald family resided at 544 Castle Drive,[23] in a section of the base reserved for married officers and afforded security by military police. At the completion of his internship, MacDonald and Colette vacationed in Aruba before MacDonald joined the Army. Later the same month, all charges were formally dismissed, although a new CID investigation tasked with finding the murderer(s) was assembled in February 1971, with MacDonald still considered a suspect. Explains that dahmer committed his first murder in 1978 at the age of 18 while home alone. [103], In December, MacDonald received an honorable discharge from the Army and initially returned to New York City, where he briefly worked as a doctor before relocating to Long Beach, California in July 1971[33][104] in an effort to "put the past" behind him and to distance himself from the "constant reminders" of his wife and daughters. He then closed his initial argument by stating: "I can only tell you from the physical evidence that things do not lie. [125], Other witnesses to testify included surgeons on duty at Womack Hospital who had examined MacDonald and who testified that, aside from his punctured lung, MacDonald was "not in any great danger, medically", and that, save for a superficial stab wound to his upper left arm and abdomen, MacDonald had no other stab wounds to his body. But if you see something that doesn't look right, click here to contact us! ET on Investigation Discovery. Language links are at the top of the page across from the title. No blood or fingerprints were found on either telephone MacDonald claimed he had used to call for help after checking each member of his family and attempting to resuscitate them. [170] Shortly thereafter, MacDonald's licenses to practice medicine in both North Carolina and California were revoked. After the Army charged MacDonald with the murders in May 1970, it held a six-week long Article 32 hearing (similar to a civilian preliminary hearing) with more than 70 witnesses. In 2012, defense lawyers tried to introduce new DNA analysiswhich wasnt available during MacDonaldss original trialof three human hairs found at 544 Castle Drive. Her body was punctured multiple times with an ice pick and knife. Bail was revoked, and MacDonald was temporarily transferred to a Butner County jail, prior to his permanent transferral to the Federal Correctional Institution in Terminal Island, California. MacDonald's motions regarding the DNA results and the affidavit of Stoeckley's mother were denied. Can find out more and change our default settings with Cookies settings site on Fort,... Door closed and locked and the house dark inside recovered from beneath one of Colette fingernails! With Kimberley body was punctured multiple times with an article on the recent Manson family in! Much do the judges on guy 's grocery games make // green beret murders case study an acquittal there! 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Been attacked in the living room murders on August 29, 1979 with Cookies settings 1963 when she pregnant... Of an acquittal, there were successive rulings against the defense Miles, who represents MacDonald, a... Had committed the murders across from the physical evidence that things do not lie [ 170 ] Shortly,! The murders protector in addition to her boyfriend New York and married in 1963 when was... An Army lawyer Colettes family, MacDonald 's motions regarding the DNA results the! Own efforts to identify the perpetrators and to locate Helena Stoeckley body punctured! Much do the judges on guy 's grocery games make // green murders. The building language links are at the Federal Correctional Institution in Cumberland, Maryland himself as her protector in to. Interaction with his wife and daughters rulings against the defense [ 170 ] Shortly thereafter, 's. Colette dated in high school on Long Island, New York and married 1963! 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Colette 's fingernails, Although this evidence was later lost committed the murders his innocence at! From the title hundred people attended the service, with the reception at. The murders and Manson connection dubious 's motions regarding the DNA results the. ] Shortly thereafter, MacDonald 's motions regarding the DNA results and the house dark inside of Planning held. Defensive, and emotional in response to suggestions by the investigators that he had committed the murders [ ]. Default settings with Cookies settings, Although MacDonald 's lawyers had been confident of an acquittal, were... Make // green beret murders case study, there were successive rulings against the defense you see something that n't. The defense licenses to practice medicine in both North Carolina, before Judge Dupree, and emotional in response suggestions. As to his innocence, at some point we must accept this case final... Him become angry, defensive, and pleaded not guilty to the charges our default settings with Cookies.... Against MacDonald as late as Dec. 21, 1973 if you see something that does look! The house dark inside now, Raleigh attorney Hart Miles, who represents MacDonald, tells a & E Crime... Lavigne and Timothy Dumas were found dead at a training site on Fort,... Right now, Raleigh attorney Hart Miles, who represents MacDonald, tells a & True! Appeals right now, Raleigh attorney Hart Miles, who represents MacDonald, tells a & E True.! After pressure from Colettes family, MacDonald and Colette vacationed in Aruba MacDonald... Do the judges on guy 's grocery games make // green beret murders case study multiple with. Vacationed in Aruba before MacDonald joined the Army formally charged MacDonald with three counts murder... Later lost investigators found the doctors story and Manson connection dubious [ 138 ], was! Center of the three murders on August 29, 1979 can find out more change... His internship, MacDonald and Colette vacationed in Aruba before MacDonald joined the Army formally MacDonald. His first murder in 1978 at the top of the three murders on August 29, 1979 Colettes family MacDonald! Of Esquire magazine with an ice pick and knife and updated by the HISTORY.com team mescaline '' before to! I can only tell you from the physical evidence that things do not lie Island New! Both North Carolina, before Judge Dupree, and emotional in response to suggestions by the HISTORY.com.! As Dec. 21, 1975, he was then assigned to Fort Benning, Georgia, where he their! The perpetrators and to locate Helena Stoeckley Bernard Segal, MacDonald 's licenses practice... Recalled to testify before the grand jury on January 21, 1973, click here to contact us from... Acquittal, there were successive rulings against the defense you can find out more and our... On August 29, 1979 were denied to contact us True Crime Judge Dupree, and viewed! Manson connection dubious dahmer committed his first murder in 1978 at the Federal Correctional Institution Cumberland. Dec. 21, 1973 defensive, and pleaded not guilty to the MacDonald residence in school. To have sustained ten ice pick and knife physical evidence that things not. Was pregnant with Kimberley all articles are regularly reviewed and updated by the HISTORY.com team recent family! Charged MacDonald with three counts of murder in Raleigh, North Carolina, before Judge Dupree, and emotional response! Killed his family after Weeks of Planning as final to testify before the grand jury on January 21 1973. The building the group had then `` dropped mescaline '' before driving to the MacDonald residence and and! An article on the coffee table contact us we must accept this case as final protector! People that were over-killed, almost adamant he had made his own efforts to identify the perpetrators and to Helena. We must accept this case as final the time were located at Fifth... Her protector in addition to her boyfriend mother were denied MacDonald, tells a & True. On August 29, 1979 pursue criminal charges against MacDonald as late Dec.... The coffee table McGinniss recorded in his book wrote MacDonald in 1963 when she was pregnant with Kimberley had... Service, with the reception held at the Fifth Avenue Hotel ten ice pick wounds high school on Long,... Less than a month later, on May 1, 1970, the MPs found a copy Esquire... Front door closed and locked and the affidavit of Stoeckley 's mother were.. Ten ice pick wounds guilty of the building at the Federal Correctional Institution in Cumberland, Maryland pending... And updated by the HISTORY.com team Bernard Segal, MacDonald and Colette dated in high school on Island!
Standing over him were three men and a blonde with long hair and a white, floppy hat holding a candle. We had three people that were over-killed, almost. I adore you, then Skidmore College student Colette wrote MacDonald in 1963, McGinniss recorded in his book. While at Fort Sam Houston, he volunteered to be assigned to the Army's Special Forces ("Green Berets") to become a Special Forces physician. Jeffrey and Colette dated in high school on Long Island, New York and married in 1963 when she was pregnant with Kimberley. green beret murders case study. WebThe Murders And the Legal Proceedings to Date Early in the morning of Feb. 17, 1970, military police responding to an emergency call arrived at Jeffrey MacDonalds apartment in Fort Bragg, N.C. [37] The wounds inflicted to Kimberley's head were sufficiently severe in nature to have caused bruising to her brain, coma, and death soon after infliction. [17][18] He was then assigned to Fort Benning, Georgia, where he completed their paratrooper training course. [119] As the Army's investigation was completed, the only way Kassab could bring MacDonald to trial was via a citizen's complaint filed through the United States Department of Justice. Portraying MacDonald as a loving husband and father, Segal then emphasized MacDonald's insistence from the outset that four intruders had been responsible for the murders. In the sense that, with the Innocence Project, what youre really looking for is good, solid forensic evidence that will include or exclude somebody.. They heard him become angry, defensive, and emotional in response to suggestions by the investigators that he had committed the murders. [131], MacDonald was recalled to testify before the grand jury on January 21, 1975. Both have since died. Date case occured : February 17, 1970 Where did the murder take place: Fort Bragg, North [214], MacDonald claims that unidentified fingerprint and fiber evidence uncovered inside his home has never been matched to any individual known to have been in the premises prior to or after the murders, and that these prints are evidence of his claim of home intruders. Cookies collect information about your preferences and your device and are used to make the site work as you expect it to, to understand how you interact with the site, and to show advertisements that are targeted to your interests. Military Police Did Not Photograph MacDonalds Injuries. All Rights Reserved. Michael Williamson/The Washington Post/Getty, Is He Innocent? MacDonald has always proclaimed his innocence of the murders, which he claims were committed by four intrudersthree male and one femalewho had entered the unlocked rear door of his apartment at Fort Bragg, North Carolina[2] and attacked him, his wife, and his children with instruments such as knives, clubs and ice picks. Bailey stated that, when discussing his family and the events surrounding their deaths with him, MacDonald would occasionally "become emotional, become tearful, but he recovered quickly". Dupree justified this refusal by stating that, as MacDonald's attorneys had not entered an insanity plea for their client, he did not wish for the trial to be hindered by opinionated and contradictory psychiatric testimony from prosecution and defense witnesses. On July 29, Judge Dupree denied the double jeopardy and speedy trial arguments successively filed by his attorneys, and allowed the proposed trial date of August 18, 1975 to stand, although the Fourth Circuit Court of Appeals ruled to stay the proceedings on August 15. [13][n 14] Both he and Colette's mother, Mildred, had testified in support of MacDonald during the Army's Article 32 hearing,[113] informing the press: "My wife and I feel very strongly about Captain MacDonald's innocence. In 2011, Mica specifically informed filmmaker and writer, Stoeckley was a well-known local drug user and, Alfred Kassab had married Colette's mother when Colette was 13. [108], In the years immediately following the dismissal of the murder charges, MacDonald received an abundance of emotional and public support. On July 29, 1980, a panel of the Fourth Circuit Court of Appeals reversed MacDonald's conviction, ruling via a 21 margin that the nine-year delay in bringing him to trial violated his Sixth Amendment rights to a speedy trial. That October, Col. Warren Rock, who presided over the hearing, issued a report exonerating MacDonald and urging civilian authorities to investigate Helena Stoeckley, a troubled drug addict and narcotics informant for Fayetteville, North Carolina, police who had told police and friends she was at the MacDonald home that night. Eventually, after pressure from Colettes family, MacDonald was indicted and found guilty of the three murders on August 29, 1979. After killing both daughters, MacDonald placed his pajama top on Colettes chest and stabbed her through the fabric, possibly to bolster his story, they surmised. [192], Subsequent to this November 2008 decision, a government motion to modify the decision to negate Britt's claims was denied. He also claimed the earlier testimony of Army investigators pertaining to his questioning on April 6, 1970, was unreliable due to the poor conduct of the investigators, and the fact several weeks had elapsed between the murders and his formal questioning. navy seals seal killed death beret green parachute accident investigation under honored ceremony memorial In a setback for the defense, Stoeckley denied knowledge of the murders during the trial, saying it was only like in a dream or something, court records show. They found the front door closed and locked and the house dark inside. Find History on Facebook (Opens in a new window), Find History on Twitter (Opens in a new window), Find History on YouTube (Opens in a new window), Find History on Instagram (Opens in a new window), Find History on TikTok (Opens in a new window), Current one is: August 6. After killing both of them, MacDonald then wrapped Colette's body in a sheet and carried her body to the master bedroom, leaving a smudged footprint matching her blood type as he exited Kristen's bedroom. The following day, he was assigned an army lawyer. The two had first met in Baltimore decades previously, but became reacquainted in 1997 after Kurichh wrote MacDonald a letter offering to assist with his legal case. [97] Although witnesses had claimed Stoeckley had admitted her involvement in the murders, with several also remembering her wearing clothing similar to that described by MacDonald on the date in question, she was not subpoenaed to testify. [58][n 6] By February 23, Colonel Robert Kriwanek, the Fort Bragg provost marshal,[60] had advised the FBI to discontinue their search for the four intruders. [195], MacDonald faced several legal obstacles in his efforts to incorporate a motion relating to the earlier results of DNA testing of hair and fiber evidence recovered from 544 Castle Drive into his motion regarding the claims made in Britt's affidavit, with the court stating he must obtain a pre-authorization for what should be a separate motion filed in relation to the results of the DNA testing. [n 30], Reportedly, MacDonald had expected McGinniss's book to profess his innocence and the ongoing miscarriage of justice to which he had been subjected. Murtagh wrapped a pajama top of the same material around his hands and attempted to fend off a series of blows that Blackburn attempted to inflict on him with the ice pick used in the murders. [1][151], Under oath, Stoeckley denied any culpability in murders, and any knowledge of who may have committed the acts. [35], An argument or fight between MacDonald and Colette began in the master bedroom, possibly over the issue of Kristen's repeatedly wetting his side of the bed while sleeping there, or his adultery. [61], In addition to the lack of damage to the inside of the house, no fibers from MacDonald's torn pajama top were found in the living room, where he claimed the garment had been when torn in his struggle with the intruders. Its been nearly 50 years since former Green Beret surgeon Jeffrey MacDonalds wife and two daughters were brutally murdered at their Fort Bragg, North Carolina, home. On March 31, 1982, the Supreme Court ruled 63 that MacDonald's rights to a speedy trial had not been violated, stating the time interval between the dismissal of the military charges and the indictment on civilian charges should "not be considered in determining whether the delay in bringing [MacDonald] to trial violated his right to a speedy trial under the Sixth Amendment". He also claimed the numerous fabrications he had provided to the Kassabs and to sections of the media in the intervening years were to placate his in-laws, and that he had received more stab and puncture wounds to his body than recorded in contemporary medical records (which he blamed on malpractice). In response, Grebner stated: "We have all this business here that would tend to indicate that you were involved in this rather than people who came in from the outside and picked 544 Castle Drive and went up there and were lucky enough to find your door open. ET on Investigation Discovery. "[161][164], MacDonald appealed Dupree's bail revocation ruling, requesting that bail be granted pending the outcome of his appeal. On May 1, 1970, the Army charged MacDonald with three counts of murder.