Through his aggressive pursuit of the case, MacDonald was indicted. Like Wade Smith, Ive been struck by how many people speak of absolute certainty about what happened that February night over 40 years ago. 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. Should Trump be allowed to hold office again? 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. 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.. Pennsylvania had the highest population of Kassab families in 1920. He was found guilty and given three life sentences on Aug. 26, 1979. It appeared to investigators that MacDonald had staged the scene, inspired by the recent Manson Family murders to blame hippies for his crime. Maybe more than I would have thought as a teen. Even his in-laws Mildred and Freddie Kassab believed him and testified at his hearing. 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. Good potential for the future, so therefore we saw nothing wrong with them getting married, Kassab once said of his son-in-law, according to the docuseries. Another page in another chapter in the new gangland war. Four military police (MP) officers arrived at 4 a.m. to find an unspeakable crime scene. Eventually, he turned on the man he had once so ardently defended. You can give it to him.' Others relate to significant organised crime figures, and their businesses, such as tattoo parlours. 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. Melbourne's north-west has become a hotbed for armed crime. It sickened me and it enraged me.. Now, it appears the Tibas are at war with everybody. This was about 31% of all the recorded Kassab's in USA. Aelyas (Elias) Kassab, Wadeas younger brother, was born in the Kassabs' summer residence in Bloudan, Syria in 1883. 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. Link your TV provider to stream full episodes and live TV. What follows is the transcript of our conversation. Currently serving three life sentences for their murders, MacDonald continues to maintain his innocence even as a new documentary series digs into his case. It would take six more months before Mildred Kassab reached the same conclusion. In a video published online in December, he spoke about how he had overcome drug addiction, and detailed the cycle of using, getting hooked, needing money, and then committing crime. Silverglate believes that Jeffrey MacDonald has been railroaded, and that this railroading exposes disturbing trends in our federal criminal justice system. 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. It ultimately concluded that MacDonalds wounds were self-inflicted, and his story entirely fabricated. 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 The Raleigh News & Observer. Every time we pursued a lead it just turned us around and directed us back toward Jeffrey MacDonald. Jeffrey MacDonald, a Princeton-educated Green Beret doctor with no history of violence and a sterling record, butchered his pregnant wife and two young daughters using a knife, ice pick and club. Theyre the ones that wrote the Congress and said the Army screwed up this crime scene. A crime scene was left open to bystander traffic. 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. Take a guy like MacDonald. 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). In other words, an FBI lab technician trusted exculpatory evidence to a member of the prosecution team. In October 1970, following an investigation and hearing, the military dropped its case against MacDonald, and he was honorably discharged from the army. The writer had full access to the trial, and appeared sympathetic. Materials provided by the families of Wadea and Aelyas Kassab. Even after the conviction, the Kassabs remained haunted by the heinous crime. 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. Pennsylvania had the highest population of Kassab families in 1920. Other witnesses claimed that Stoeckly had confessed at various times that she thought she might have been present during the murders. 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. I remember saying, It doesnt matter. Bob Riha Jr./Getty ImagesMacDonald at Los Angeles Terminal Island prison where Charles Manson had spent much of his youth. The simple acts of coming and going as I please and caring for my own basic needs have been denied him. 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. Oxygen Insider is your all-access pass to never-before-seen content, free digital evidence kits, and much more. MacDonald has had mostly good lawyers, though not always the appropriate ones. You trust him. All rights reserved. But, soon after MacDonald moved to Long Beach, California to continue his career at St. Mary Medical Center, and the tide turned once more. But of the evidence that Morris presents, perhaps most convincing is the piece cited in MacDonalds 2017 federal appeal. 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. He looked angry on the stand. 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. On Sept. 17, 2012, in Wilmington, N.C., a crowd of familiar faces assembled for a new hearing. Additionally, MacDonalds medical records showed that he had no defensive wounds on his arms or hands consistent with the alleged attack. WebWe found 33,440 records for Kassab last name. Harvey Silverglate, a renowned civil liberties advocate, has been an appellate attorney for MacDonald. LP: What has this case revealed about the flaws in our judicial system? LP: Judge Fox is a close friend of Judge Dupree, who presided over the 1979 trial. He survived. I was born in May of that year, and would thus be the same age as the child Colette MacDonald was carrying when her life was snuffed out. 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. 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. MacDonald later admitted the claim had been a lie. That same year, seven drug-linked executions were reported in 10 months. The one thing that sticks in my craw above anything else is this: There were lab results. Hes the guy that lives next door. Why the MacDonald Case Matters to Everyone. Some people would say that was the wrong thing to do. 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. His memoir first describes the family history, especially the career of his uncle Salim Kassab. Make a one-time contribution to Alternet All Access, Scott Adams and why American capitalism kneels before a bigger God. Marc Smerling thinks he has some idea. It frustrates police that low-level gangsters without a shred of integrity jut their chins out and shake their heads in a misplaced attempt at honour when asked who shot them, despite, in many instances, being maimed for life. Kassab wanted to find justice and began writing letters to the Army and congressmen slamming the investigators for their errors and urging authorities to continue the investigation. It is hard not to be shocked by the footage of Oueida's shooting. The second is "Kassab Family History by Aelyas Kassab; it is 125 pages and was composed circa 1958. Police agree it would be futile to appeal to gun-slingers on the grounds that they could ruin a rival's life. Not only did victims of drug addiction build that fortune, but there are the consequences of maintaining this empire. 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. When the show was over, I retired to the security of my bed, safe from unpredictable evils. Almost as notable as the endurance of these figures has been the relative indifference of society to the violence, particularly when compared with Melbourne's gangland war. Colette MacDonald and her daughters suffered horrific violence as they were killed on February 17, 1970 at their Fort Bragg home. I would have told the jury that it doesnt make sense. I dont know what the odds are. Evidence the defense never saw. 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. WebIt is reported Ms Kassab entered Syria last year and that her husband, known as Sam, died on the border of Turkey in 2013. He theorized that diet pills caused MacDonald to fly into a fit of rage. 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. Bettmann Archive/Getty ImagesGrieving mother Mildred Kassab weeps for her daughter while being escorted into JFK Memorial Chapel to see her buried. MacDonald had only one stab wound, which the hospital surgeon later described as a clean, small, sharp incision that made his left lung partially collapse. I dont have that magic. The walls will tell you what happened if you keep it pristine. Did Jeffrey MacDonald Brutally Slay His Pregnant Wife And Daughters Or Did The Cops Get The Wrong Guy? 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. LP: One of the things that struck me in reading Errol Morris book was the use of the psychopath diagnosis in court and how problematic that is. 6,889 Family Trees. Its a disorienting trick. Earlier, evidence came to light that a FBI forensic examiner mislead the jury about synthetic hair evidence. Is it possible that Jeffrey MacDonald will get justice under these circumstances? View all records. You sure Errol Morris wrote the book? She was sure. Coverage of the latest true crime stories and famous cases explained, as well as the best TV shows, movies and podcasts in the genre. But things got out of hand. He worked first in a stove factory, a physically taxing and low-paying job, and later became a molder in a factory making brake shoes for the railroad. 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. Wadea and Aelyas Kassab are both buried in Pennsylvania. 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. A neighbors dog and MP guards securing the MacDonald property. "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. She knew this world, and was herself a police informant. I held out to the last ditch. By now, many members of the original hearing and 1979 trial are dead, including Judge Dupree. When we were walking out of the house, I was warned that convicting MacDonald wasnt going to be that simple, Kassab said. 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