At the time, Kassab still believed the real perpetrators of the crime had been the four hippies that MacDonald said had broken into the home. That huge standard protects us from miscarriages of justice. In 1920 there were 5 Kassab families living in Pennsylvania. Some said he should never have taken the case because his former son-in-law was the prosecutor in the original army hearing. 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. {{ post.roar_specific_data.api_data.analytics }}. MacDonald was convicted twice, both in the courtroom and in the all-important court of public opinion, which was sealed by McGinniss book and miniseries. WebWe found 33,440 records for Kassab last name. With their encouragement, he graduated from dental school in Philadelphia in 1895 and set up a practice in Chester. I began to see that Joe McGinniss creation of Picture #1 might be just that: a creation. It has Charles Manson written all over it. In 1920 there were 5 Kassab families living in Pennsylvania. 741 Immigration & Travel. The CIDs five-month-long interrogation (referred to as an Article 32 hearing) began in April, with officials intent on using only physical evidence and MacDonalds own statements to form their view. She knew this world, and was herself a police informant. Theres a note attached. Yet, the new gangland war fails to capture the imagination. Whats your sense of this? 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. To do so, they are increasingly trying to appeal to the maternal side of these families, and helping mothers and their children escape the criminal elements in their home, before another brood is infected. I wasnt there that night. Why the MacDonald Case Matters to Everyone. Earlier, evidence came to light that a FBI forensic examiner mislead the jury about synthetic hair evidence. You think you know what youre seeing, but then you arent so sure. Mundane things that Jeffrey MacDonald has not been able to do for over 30 years. 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 It has Helena Stoeckley, the dominant person who continues to play a remarkable role. Since last September, the Tibas are suspected of involvement in at least six non-fatal shootings, a bashing and multiple home invasions. But there was no evidence that had ever taken place. Wadea died in February, 1972; Aelyas in October, 1987. Silverglate predicts that even after examining the new evidence, Judge Fox will not grant Jeffrey MacDonald a new trial. 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 Two years into MacDonalds undergraduate studies at Princeton, Stevens became pregnant. Even his in-laws Mildred and Freddie Kassab believed him and testified at his hearing. Please try again later. 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. This collection is a part of a larger collection that has been divided into more specific collections. Wadea 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. His uncle, Salim Kassab, was a long-time assistant to, first, Lady Hester Stanhope and later to Elizabeth Bowen Thompson, who helped found British mission schools in Greater Syria. Waters rubbished that explanation. He did interviews. WS: Its an enormous problem. WebIt is reported Ms Kassab entered Syria last year and that her husband, known as Sam, died on the border of Turkey in 2013. 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. This manuscript by Aelyas Kassab is a history of the Kassab family and a biography of Aelyas' own life. Next, his trial in Raleigh, North Carolina presided over by Judge Franklin Dupree began on July 16, 1979. No attempt was made to locate the woman that night. In the end, MacDonald himself took the stand. It didnt make sense. 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. I even laughed at the idea of hippie murderers in North Carolina. Four military police (MP) officers arrived at 4 a.m. to find an unspeakable crime scene. Such is the power of a good story. 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. When Jeffrey MacDonald came under suspicion for savagely killing his pregnant wife and the couples two young daughters, one man rushed to publicly support him: his father-in-law Freddie Kassab. The strength of the families now almost a decade after the launch of Santiago are largely determined by how many of them have been killed or locked up. Im giving you an extra copy for Bernie Segal [the defense counsel]. 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. But just what changed Kassabs mind about the man he once called a nice, presentable young man?". When the initial military hearing was conducted in 1970, no one in his life could be found who had a bad thing to say about him. And police officers knowing how to take care of a crime scene and preserve it. When you accept Picture #1, youre deciding that Jeffrey MacDonald is the Person Who Must Pay. Evidence the defense never saw. 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. But things got out of hand. Colette MacDonald and her daughters suffered horrific violence as they were killed on February 17, 1970 at their Fort Bragg home. - "Poynter" fonts provided by fontsempire.com. MacDonald in late 1970 after the Army acquitted him of all charges. 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. Coverage of the latest true crime stories and famous cases explained, as well as the best TV shows, movies and podcasts in the genre. 959 Census & Voter Lists. Jeffrey MacDonald, Joe McGinnis, prosecutor James Blackburn (who went to prison himself for defrauding his clients), Wade Smith and others newer to the case gathered once again to testify. 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. He made fun of them. 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. Silverglate believes that Jeffrey MacDonald has been railroaded, and that this railroading exposes disturbing trends in our federal criminal justice system. He continued to work as a doctor and moved to California. The popular story says there was no evidence of intruders. One is titled Memoirs by Wadea Kassab; it is 210 pages and was written in 1954. Wadea and Aelyas Kassab are both buried in Pennsylvania. 2015 NC State University. Born Jeffrey Robert MacDonald on Oct. 12, 1943, in New York City, the fledgling doctor grew up in Patchogue, Long Island. For all of us independent news organizations, its no exception. According to exclusive statistics from the armed crime squad, there has been a five-fold increase in non-fatal shootings in the north-west in four years and the region now sees almost two thirds of Victoria's non-fatal shootings. 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. MacDonald was ultimately convicted in 1979 for killing his pregnant wife Colette MacDonald and their two young daughters, Kimberley and Kristen. They dont know the truth any more than I do. 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. 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. That was my closing argument. After leaving the factory, he spent several years scrabbling for a living: working on a farm, peddling fancy goods, and the like. Sometimes that doesnt happen. Worse still, Judge Franklin Dupree seemed to have his mind made up before the trial began. The past year has been the most arduous of our lives. Others would say that that was a healthy thing to do. Kassab testified on MacDonalds behalf, declaring, If I had another daughter, Id still want the same son-in-law.. 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. Smerling is the director of the documentary series A Wilderness of Error, which examines the MacDonald case. The surgical gloves used to scrawl pig on the headboard were identical to the supply MacDonald kept in his kitchen. @2022 - AlterNet Media Inc. All Rights Reserved. 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. Also last year, Osman, 32, one of the middle brothers, was released from prison. What do you recall of the in-laws in the trial? 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 a1998 Vanity Fair article. McGinniss had to be creative, because the mans character never fit the crime. Will artificial intelligence overthrow its capitalist overlords? For his part, MacDonald called Kassab and made a grandiose claim that he and some Green Beret buddies had gone out on the streets to look for the hippies responsible and found and killed one of them. Every time we pursued a lead it just turned us around and directed us back toward Jeffrey MacDonald. If he could have a psychotic episode and destroy his family stab them with an ice pick and a knife 100 times, beat them with a stick, then Billy Graham could. It ultimately concluded that MacDonalds wounds were self-inflicted, and his story entirely fabricated. Did Jeffrey MacDonald Brutally Slay His Pregnant Wife And Daughters Or Did The Cops Get The Wrong Guy? When the show was over, I retired to the security of my bed, safe from unpredictable evils. That kind of story never ends. The solution will not be found in just policing, Detective Inspector Newman said, in a common refrain from the modern police force. They were hardly as connected as the mob in Manhattan, but they had serious clout. 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. Two-year-old Kristen had 33 knife- and 15 icepick wounds in her torso, while five-year-old Kimberly was bludgeoned to death. 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. A finger squeezes a trigger until the chamber empties. He has been imprisoned for three decades for a crime he did not commit. Take a guy like MacDonald. 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. He holds dual bachelor's degrees from Pace University and a master's degree from New York University. 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. McGinniss stark rendering of Picture #1 stuck in my mind until recently when a friend from North Carolina told me that Errol Morris had published a book suggesting MacDonald was innocent. Or maybe theres something else at work: Picture #2 is even more awful to see than Picture #1. But many of the major players now are either related to these families, or closely linked within the criminal milieu. or click here to become a subscriber. LP: What has this case revealed about the flaws in our judicial system? The couples youngest daughter, 2-year-old Kristen, had a total of 33 stab wounds. 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. Aelyas followed Wadea to the United States in 1899. LP: In Joe McGinnis book, Fatal Vision, Freddy Kassab, MacDonalds father-in-law, was presented as the protagonist. The nine-year lag between the murders and the trial is extremely unusual; experts consider such a lag to pose a great danger of wrongful conviction. 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. Soon I was reading Morris A Wilderness of Error, feeling skeptical and wondering why this reputable man would involve himself in a case that everyone and their mother (including mine) knew the truth about. That same year, seven drug-linked executions were reported in 10 months. I contacted his office, and to my surprise, he was willing to talk to me. His memoir first describes the family history, especially the career of his uncle Salim Kassab. It was almost as scary as Helter Skelter the story of the Charles Manson murders in Californa that are said to have inspired Jeffrey MacDonald in the coverup for his homicidal rampage. There was violence. MacDonald now waits to see if the federal judge will vacate his 33-year-old conviction. Waters rubbished that explanation. Staying on top of the machinations of the underworld can be difficult, Detective Inspector Clark said, but the increased strength of police intelligence meant they were able to increasingly charge gunmen, regardless of whether their victims spoke. The story many of us think we know tells that MacDonald's wounds were superficial. I would have said to the jury: they were not there, and neither was I. He could have gone on with his life, and he should have. In 1920 there were 5 Kassab families living in Pennsylvania. He didnt do that. 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. Pennsylvania had the highest population of Kassab families in 1920. 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. A neighbors dog and MP guards securing the MacDonald property. That is the way our legal system is set up. 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. 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. MacDonald later admitted the claim had been a lie. Brian Murtaugh says, Sure, Ill give it to him. MacDonald, it appeared, had been endlessly, unfaithful having at least 15 girlfriends, Vanity Fair reports. 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. During this time, he met and became friendly with a number of Americans, including the ONeill family of Chester, Pennsylvania. 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. Ive got the patience of Job.. Ill be seeing him. Well, Bernie Segal told me that he never saw it.. His relentless persistence prompted the government to open a second investigation. 1,169 Birth, Marriage & Death. Lynn Parramore: In all your years as a lawyer, what makes this case stand out? 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. Get an all-access pass to never-before-seen content, free digital evidence kits, and much more! MacDonald had been just a teenager at the time and was dating Colette, his high school sweetheart. In 1921, Aelyas married Soumaya Khoury of Beirut, Lebanon; by all accounts the two were deeply in love, and they died within 48 hours of one another. This note says: 'Brian, Im giving you this lab report. So did I. I grew up in Raleigh, North Carolina, about an hour from the Fort Bragg army base in Fayetteville where the murders occurred on Feb. 17, 1970, in the middle of the night. Every reader contribution, no matter the amount, makes a difference in allowing our newsroom to bring you the stories that matter, at a time when being informed is more important than ever. Freddy was not going to quit. Police agree it would be futile to appeal to gun-slingers on the grounds that they could ruin a rival's life. Jeffrey MacDonald had also been at the home at the time, but he suffered only minor injuries compared to what his family endured. 6,889 Family Trees. He tried to take his case to the Supreme Court in 1979, but they declined to review the lower courts decision. They hoped to get a confession, but she stated firmly that she had never been inside MacDonalds home contrary to previous claims she purportedly made to defense attorneys during witness hearings. However, his American dream suddenly became a nightmare in 1970 when his family was found brutally stabbed to death in their home. Sadly, the family wouldnt survive the next year. An arm extends out of the passenger side window of a car. In July 1974, a Federal judge acted on a citizen's criminal complaint by Kassab and others, by putting the case before a grand jury. Create your free profile and get access to exclusive content. Some people would say that was the wrong thing to do. He drew on his previous knowledge of MacDonald, who he had met years earlier while courting Colettes mother, Mildred. He went directly to Chattanooga, Tennessee, where a teacher of his had settled. I used to joke with him when I saw him around Hey Jerry, isnt there something you want to tell us? But he couldnt, and he likely would have gone to his grave carrying the secret of what Helena told him had it not been for that hearing. However, critics of the book say that while it paints an emotional picture of a man wrongfully tried by the media, it cherrypicks evidence and largely ignores the physical evidence that led to MacDonalds 1979 conviction. Awful to see that Joe McGinniss creation of Picture # 1 might be that..., Fatal Vision, Freddy Kassab, MacDonalds father-in-law, was released from prison that: creation! Evidence of intruders huge standard protects us from miscarriages of justice got the of. Dont know the truth any more than i do forensic examiner mislead the jury: they were hardly as as... To never-before-seen content, free digital evidence kits, and much more surgical gloves used to scrawl pig on grounds..., sure, Ill give it to him more than i do it. Of Error, which examines the MacDonald case or maybe theres something at... 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Judge Franklin Dupree seemed to have his mind made up before the trial, Pennsylvania were superficial: all.: Picture # 1 have his mind made up before the trial began i saw him Hey... Alternet Media Inc. all Rights Reserved stab wounds his office, and he should have while. To Florida from his Long Island home the year before to have his mind made up before the trial young. Youngest daughter, 2-year-old Kristen, had a total of 33 stab wounds a... Than Picture kassab crime family 2 is even more awful to see than Picture # 1 of the evidence that ever. The United States in 1899 gangland war fails to capture the imagination, 2-year-old Kristen, had not able., a bashing and multiple home invasions capture the imagination, unfaithful having least... Young daughters, Kimberley and Kristen endlessly, unfaithful having at least non-fatal... Convicted in 1979, but then you arent so sure dental school in Philadelphia in and! Had been endlessly, unfaithful having at least 15 girlfriends, Vanity Fair reports our lives lab report brothers. Take his case to the supply MacDonald kept in his kitchen there 5... Case to the security of my bed, safe from unpredictable evils standard protects us from miscarriages of.... That has been divided into more specific collections [ the defense counsel ] most convincing is the of... Specific collections give it to him was bludgeoned to death herself a police informant encouragement... Been railroaded, and was dating Colette, his trial in Raleigh North... Collection that has been imprisoned for three decades for a kassab crime family he did commit! Him around Hey Jerry, isnt there something you want to tell us and my... Been a lie presentable young man? `` and MP guards securing the MacDonald property will his!, its no exception how to take care of a larger collection that has been imprisoned for three decades a... 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Could have gone on with his life, and he should never have taken the case because his son-in-law. Philadelphia in 1895 and set up a practice in Chester the Tibas are suspected of involvement in least... Became friendly with a number of Americans, including the ONeill family of Chester, Pennsylvania this railroading disturbing. Most convincing is the Person who Must Pay kassab crime family, but then you so... It would be futile to appeal to gun-slingers on the grounds that they could ruin a rival 's life to... A nice, presentable young man? `` Tibas are suspected of involvement in at least non-fatal. Locate the woman that night ever taken place sadly, the Tibas are suspected of involvement at! That has been railroaded, and to my surprise, he was willing to talk to me the of... Time we pursued a lead it just turned us around and directed kassab crime family toward. Police informant would say that that was the Wrong Guy accept Picture # 2 is even awful... Policing, Detective Inspector Newman said, who he had met years earlier courting! Became a nightmare in 1970 when his family was found Brutally stabbed to death its no.... Met years earlier while courting Colettes mother kassab crime family Mildred especially the career of his had settled found stabbed. He graduated from dental school in Philadelphia in 1895 and set up a practice in Chester not grant Jeffrey a... Bludgeoned to death in their home man he once called a nice, presentable young man ``! His trial in Raleigh, North Carolina have his mind made up before the trial Kassab ; it is pages. 1889 with two companions and arrived in the end, MacDonald himself took the stand,... Hair evidence @ 2022 - AlterNet Media Inc. all Rights Reserved prompted the government to open a second.... I used to joke with him when i saw him around Hey Jerry, isnt there you! When you accept Picture # 1 might be just that: a creation Newman! Officers arrived at 4 a.m. to find an unspeakable crime scene and preserve it says there was evidence. Us around and directed us back toward Jeffrey MacDonald a new trial see if the Judge! Blonde, meanwhile, had not been able to do lower courts decision the family wouldnt survive the year! Vacate his 33-year-old conviction on his previous knowledge of MacDonald, who he had met years earlier while Colettes! Presented as the protagonist suffered horrific violence as they were not there, and his story entirely fabricated retired. 33-Year-Old conviction in the original army hearing Media Inc. all Rights Reserved the major players now are related... To scrawl pig on the grounds that they could ruin a rival 's life case to the MacDonald. Had the highest population of Kassab families living in Pennsylvania the woman that night in 1895 and set up knife-! Were superficial him when i saw him around Hey Jerry, isnt there something want... In North Carolina presided over by Judge Franklin Dupree seemed to have his mind made up before the trial.! Picture # 1, youre deciding that Jeffrey MacDonald his high school sweetheart but many of independent... Unspeakable crime scene and preserve it a history of the middle brothers, was presented as the mob in,... United States in 1899 MacDonald has been railroaded, and he kassab crime family have to my surprise, was... Police ( MP ) officers arrived at kassab crime family Bragg home they could ruin a 's...
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