A few questions about military homocide investigations.

[studentofCJ]

Hi everyone...

I am a military wife on the Ft. Lewis Army Post. I also happen to be a Criminal Justice major with my emphasis in Forensice Psychology. I just also happen to be a person who knew a military wife and her husband here on this ARMY post, in which the husband brutally murdered, and vicously slaughtered his wife in their home here on post with premeditation on July 12, 2005. CID has told those that they have contacted and interviewed to "keep our mouths shut" until court martical.
LET ME JUST SAY THAT THIS IS VERY HARD TO DO. Especially since I know personally that this "investigation" is not being handled by CID, or Military Police correctly. I have always been my husband's strongest supporter in his military career. I have NEVER done anything that would even make him look ANYTHING BUT GOOD.
However, now I am facing a dilemma as a military wife, a major in my field of study. I got my associates in paralegal studies. So this just futheres my knowledge in what has transpired in the homocide on post IS JUST DEAD WRONG.. I can't describe what this solider did to his wife upon his return from IRAQ but I can tell you that I have studied and been presnet at more then a few homocide crime scenes. And I have NEVER witnessed anything as premeditated or grousome as this.
I know the civilian law VERY WELL. However, I am not at all to familiar with military law, especially in crime scene processes and homocide investigatiions. I also am not sure if court martical's that involve homocide is open to "the public". Meaning those with in the military community, such as an Army wife that knows both individual's involved, has been called to testify to what she knows.. Will I be able to stay to watch any of the proceedings after I testify? Will I be able to receive transpripts of the court martical??
With in two days of this horrific murder the regular media was SHUT OUT. And nothing has been reported on it since...The public isn't open to homocides that take place on a Federal installation as they are in the civilian community. I am left to wonder who this protects?

If anyone with in the military police community can answer any of these questions I woud really appreciate it.

THANKS,

studentofcj

[pkagel]

Are you worried he won't get convicted? I'm sure that you are not privy to everything that is going on in the case so how would you know if they are handleing it properly or not?

[Dog Off Leash]

...I also happen to be a Criminal Justice major with my emphasis in Forensice Psychology....So this just futheres my knowledge in what has transpired in the homocide on post IS JUST DEAD WRONG.. ..However, I am not at all to familiar with military law, especially in crime scene processes and homocide investigatiions

Forensic Psychology. I would think that if one is intelligent enough to persue a career in such a field that one would at least be able to spell key phrases, such as "homicide" and "forensic" properly.

...I know personally that this "investigation" is not being handled by CID, or Military Police correctly...

As you are a student, I'm sure you know more than the investigating agents. In fact, go drive down to CID, bang on their door, and demand to be allowed on the case. Relax, Nancy Drew. Let the folks who've been trained do their jobs.

With in two days of this horrific murder the regular media was SHUT OUT. And nothing has been reported on it since...The public isn't open to homocides that take place on a Federal installation as they are in the civilian community.

Uhhh...how long have you been married to a military man? You're on a military installation - not downtown Seattle. The military very rarely puts out information to the public regarding deaths on an installation - be it suicide, homicide, accident, whatnot. That's just the way it is.

...I am left to wonder who this protects?...

Oh boy, here we go with the conspiracies now. :rolleyes:

I'm sure that you are not privy to everything that is going on in the case

A big +1 here. Not even close.

[partlow11]

First of all, how do you know that the investigation isn't being handled correctly? Please give some examples.
Second, from the information given above and given your "background" you should know that these types of investigations are handled very sensitive (possible mental disorder).
And finally third, what good would come out of ANY murder investigation being plastered all over the media?
Calm down, think about what you are saying and don't act like a typical army wife. Please no offense, you should know what I am talking about.

[Bigd1970]

I am a CID Agent. I'm sure the investigation is being properly investigated. You are not priveleged to know all of the information pertinent to this investigation. You will only know what it is that pertains to you.

No, you will not be privileged to receive transcripts of the Court Martial Proceedings. It does not apply to you. If you feel inclined to request a copy you may through the Freedom of Information Act. At the U.S. Army Crime Records Center, U.S. Army Criminal Investigation Command, ATTN: CICR-FP, 6010 6th Street, Fort Belvior, VA 22060. Please submit your name, social security number, whether you are a subject or a victim in the case (Sorry, College Student who knows more than the investigating Special Agent does not qualify here), what the case is about, the location and time and date of the incident would also help.

I have many friends who are working in that office who I'm sure would be avaliable if you have anything pertinent to say about the investigation. If not, please limit your ramblings to the facts avaliable to you. As a witness in this investigation you should probably not be posting information about it on the internet. I'm sure the investigating agent will be interested in hearing about this.

Further, we are very good at what we do. Crime Scene Investigations is one area we pride ourselves in. If I had a choice of who I wanted working my Crime Scene, It would be a U.S. Army CID Agent. We may have other short comings but Crime Scenes and Homicide Investigations is not one of them.

Thank you for your concern in this matter, I'm sure the Special Agent form Ft Lewis will be interested to know you have concerns about his work.

[Jim1648]

All due respect to studentofcj because this is NOT directed at you specifically. In fact, you may be right on the mark in this case, but I don't know because I don't have enough information to make that determination in this instance.

Also, I have zero military experience. Which is probably a good thing because if I were in I would probably be like John Candy in the movie Stripes. You know, the one where he is walking near an Army Captain and says, "How ya doin' Eisenhower!" And then my military career would be all done.

Anyway, my personal opinion based on a little bit of civilian law enforcement experience is this. It seems like regardless of what assignment I have had in law enforcement, be it uniform patrol, criminal investigation, prisoner transport, court security, warrant detail, recreational safety, commercial vehicle enforcement, or civil process, someone KNOWS that they can do a better job than you can! For example, you make a routine traffic stop and many eyes are on you as they drive by. Many of them "know" that they could have positioned the squad car better, picked a better location for the stop, etc. That is a pretty mundane example, but I think that you guys get the idea. Step it up half a notch and the cop is doing a preliminary burglary investigation. The victim may comment later that the cops never lifted fingerprint impressions, took the right photographs, etc. Of course, that same victim will NOT have the serial numbers of the firearms stolen in the burglary. Even something as basic as traffic control after a trafffic accident, the local county fair, or other special event and many of the motorists know that they could do a better job of clearing out the traffic than you can.

Actually, a whole discussion could take place on why this is so. Could be influence of the local and national news media? Could it be television and movies? Who knows. Does anyone recall all of the second guessing when a cop uses his Taser on a student in school? Or more recently a Federal Air Marshal used deadly force. I here to tell you that many people heard that and KNEW in their hearts and/or minds that they could have handled it better than the FAM did. That is part of the reality of our business.

Anyway, those are just my random ramblings in my not so humble opinion. It might be very different in the U.S. military community, however.

[DepHC444]

psst, it's HOMICIDE...


psst, it's also court MARTIAL

[Polski201]

CID is not telling you to be quiet so they can "mismanage" anything, they are trying to solve a homicide. When people talk about things under investigation it hampers their ability to find the truth by biasing people that might have useful information. If you cared for these people, honor them by allowing a complete investigation to be conducted by impartial people and not allow emotional ties to prevent the truth from being found.

[squad51]

psst, it's also court MARTIAL
actually isn't it courts martial??? Must be that N hennepin edumacation again.............................LOL JK :0

[Bigd1970]

Jim 1648, I agree 100% with your analysis of the situation. It is no different in the Military. In fact from what I understand in talking with Law Enforcement on the Civilian side, we put up with alot more B.S. Everyone has a better way it should have been done.

It is Courts Martial. I do not like the way it looks. It is also Pleaded Guilty but I like Plead Guilty better. It's my post, so I figure I can spell it how I like.

[5letr]

studentofCJ----Please provide some justification as to why you think the military is not running this investigation correctly. How did you see the crime scene if you were not there? Instructing people to not talk about an ongoing investigation is the same reason why someone on a jury is instructed to not watch the news and talk to others about the case. Contamination of information!! It is just plain smart.

[FedCop]

Another Delta Whiskey MP graduate by proxy. Why is it that every MP unit has a guy with a spouse that knows more about everything then those who do it and wants to run her pie hole to tell all about how much she thinks she knows?

In the words of the late Ann Landers, MYOB!

[Shoot N Scoot]

Every time I re-read this post I chuckle. Two facts, 1. CID has never lost a cast based upon bad evidence procedures, its the stickiest part of our training (memories of crime scene hill). 2. The military has the ability to tell witness not to talk about what they saw, disobey it (as she did) and you can face prosecution (under Title 18, USC) and your husband severe short commings in his career.