kassab crime family

Even his in-laws Mildred and Freddie Kassab believed him and testified at his hearing. Freddie Kassab and CID investigators returned to the crime scene in 1971 to contrast MacDonalds claims with the evidence and found his narrative implausible. Jeffrey MacDonald behind bars in Terminal Island federal penitentiary. 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. A finger squeezes a trigger until the chamber empties. The second is "Kassab Family History by Aelyas Kassab; it is 125 pages and was composed circa 1958. Thinking that he could never reveal it? Not only had the word pig been scrawled on the bedroom headboard in his wifes blood but she and her unborn baby were dead. At least six have faced significant criminal charges. But an unfortunate thing happened in the following years. 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. As I read Morris meticulous examination the evidence, the picture in my mind became less clear. When police showed their hand regarding the organised crime threat, back in 2011, the Tibas were at war with the Kassabs and Kheirs. And the physical evidence, the circumstantial evidence, just kept mounting against him and contradicting his story for events from that evening.. 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. Waters rubbished that explanation. However, his American dream suddenly became a nightmare in 1970 when his family was found brutally stabbed to death in their home. It has Charles Manson written all over it. Melbourne's north-west has become a hotbed for armed crime. Use census records and voter lists to see where families with the Kassab surname lived. WebIn 1971, his father-in-law, Freddy Kassab, became progressively suspicious of MacDonald and sought formal reopening of the case. Or maybe theres something else at work: Picture #2 is even more awful to see than Picture #1. Theres a note attached. 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. Ive got the patience of Job.. But things got out of hand. 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. Released and honorably discharged by the Army, MacDonald seemed to be in the clear. Colette MacDonald and her daughters suffered horrific violence as they were killed on February 17, 1970 at their Fort Bragg home. 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. 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). "There was a young kid that was shot, and he's paralysed from the chest down for the rest of his life. We even came back at night so we would have the same lighting conditions as the night of the murders. 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. Wadea and Aelyas Kassab are both buried in Pennsylvania. It dawned on MacDonald after graduating in 1968 that the U.S. Army could help him advance his career, and he wasnt wrong. Others relate to significant organised crime figures, and their businesses, such as tattoo parlours. Oxygen Insider is your all-access pass to never-before-seen content, free digital evidence kits, and much more. I contacted his office, and to my surprise, he was willing to talk to me. 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. 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. He was more interested in working with people on hallucinogenic and things like that. Although the family started out as his benefactors, he ultimately became their caregivers as their positions reversed. The walls will tell you what happened if you keep it pristine. Get all your true crime news from Oxygen. Weve covered everything thrown at us this past year and will continue to do so with your support. That is why, police say, it is important to consider what the shooting represents, rather than the act itself. The couple got married when Colette was just 20 years old after discovering that she was pregnant. Despite the young familys financial burdens, the important things seemed secure. 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. 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. Their second child Kristen was born in May 1967. 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. But of the evidence that Morris presents, perhaps most convincing is the piece cited in MacDonalds 2017 federal appeal. Hes the guy that lives next door. 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.. The past year has been the most arduous of our lives. 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. Two-year-old Kristen had 33 knife- and 15 icepick wounds in her torso, while five-year-old Kimberly was bludgeoned to death. Brian Murtaugh says, Sure, Ill give it to him. Morris researched the MacDonald case for 20 years and knows each labyrinthine turn of its progress through the criminal justice system. Many felt that his acquittal would be a cinch, but much more was to go wrong. 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. Soldiers corpses arrived at Fort Bragg stuffed with heroin. 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.. 959 Census & Voter Lists. Waters rubbished that explanation. 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. When you accept Picture #1, youre deciding that Jeffrey MacDonald is the Person Who Must Pay. For all of us independent news organizations, its no exception. But did hippie intruders make sense? Eventually, after pressure from Colettes family, MacDonald was indicted and found guilty of the three murders on August 29, 1979. The Jeffrey MacDonald murder case is one of the most disturbing in living memory. He drew on his previous knowledge of MacDonald, who he had met years earlier while courting Colettes mother, Mildred. Shes haunting this case. 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. 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. We need your support in this difficult time. A neighbors dog and MP guards securing the MacDonald property. 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. Although Kassab didnt join the family until Colette was a teenager, he had always been close with his stepdaughter. Marc Smerling thinks he has some idea. That got my attention: the Oscar-winning Morris, whose film The Thin Blue Line exonerated a Texas man wrongfully convicted for murder, is one of the worlds great documentary filmmakers. But there is a reasonable doubt, and because there is a reasonable doubt it is absolutely clear that he should be set free. Often, the spouse turns out to have committed the murder, so its not surprising that the case turned to McDonald. View all records. 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. 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. Judge Fox is also a good man. MacDonald claimed that his daughter Kimberly wet his side of the bed, prompting him to go to sleep on the couch. 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 Colette was relieved to find out her husband would not be stationed in Vietnam and the whole family was overjoyed to learn she was pregnant for a third time. 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. Aelyas followed Wadea to the United States in 1899. But it didnt take long to realize that something was wrong. Weve always understood the importance of calling out corruption, regardless of political affiliation. Materials provided by the families of Wadea and Aelyas Kassab. But just what changed Kassabs mind about the man he once called a nice, presentable young man?". Sadly, the family wouldnt survive the next year. He was found guilty and given three life sentences on Aug. 26, 1979. The ONeills befriended him and altered the course of his life. Some of the shootings are retribution for the severe prison bashing of Bassam Tiba, underworld sources say. That was my closing argument. First responder Kenneth Mica discovered the bodies, with MacDonald laying wounded but alive next to his battered and lifeless wife. Why the MacDonald Case Matters to Everyone. In addition, DNA testing on evidence that was recovered from the fingernails scrapings of one of the victims and a hair found under another victim did not match MacDonald. Their hold on the region no longer remains absolute. A military hearing found charges against him untrue, but he was convicted nine years later in a civilian trial. 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. 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. 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. "The message is, if you get shot, even if you don't tell us who did it, we are still going to investigate it, and we're still highly likely to get a result," Detective Inspector Clark said. Friends since grade school, he and Colette Stevens began dating as teenagers, and grew serious during college. 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. He said the so-called Fagin Laws, which were introduced last year and allow police to charge adults who coerce children to offend, would be useful in dismantling these networks. Harvey Silverglate, a renowned civil liberties advocate, has been an appellate attorney for MacDonald. It implicates us all. You trust him. Pennsylvania had the highest population of Kassab families in 1920. Make a one-time contribution to Alternet All Access, Smerling is the director of the documentary series A Wilderness of Error, which examines the MacDonald case. 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. Some criminal networks were recently identified as having more than 1000 members, of various ages and ethnic backgrounds; unlike the five families, they were not simply the first generation of children born in Australia to parents hailing from northern Lebanon. And yet there are thousands of people in North Carolina who do not believe he did it. McGinniss made the murders sound like the work of a diabolical genius, a man who could transform in a moment from a loving father to a homicidal maniac, and again, in the blink of an eye, to a calculating conman. View all records. McGinniss' publisher settled with MacDonald out of court, after the judge called the author a conman. (This story, in its own right, became a famous book about journalistic ethics by Janet Malcolm.). Thank you. He didnt do that. Kassabs suspicions deepened after he received a copy of a transcript of the Article 32 hearing and began to pore through the evidence himself. Oh, yes. Young woman; old woman. 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. 959 Census & Voter Lists. Is it possible that Jeffrey MacDonald will get justice under these circumstances? The Covid-19 pandemic continues to be catastrophic not only to our health - mental and physical - but also to the stability of millions of people. Then, in 2012 Jeffrey MacDonalds most famous defender, filmmaker Errol Morris, was so intrigued by the case that he wrote the 500-page book A Wilderness of Error. Maybe more than I would have thought as a teen. 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. Tragically, the comparisons to the Sharon Tate killing were striking. 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. Colettes grieving parents grew suspicious after a November 1970 phone call in which MacDonald claimed he found and killed one of the intruders. Shortly after relocating to Fort Bragg, North Carolina, he was made Group Surgeon to the Green Berets. 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. 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 Although Kassab didnt join the family until Colette was a teenager, he had always been close with his stepdaughter. Link your TV provider to stream full episodes and live TV. LP: What has this case revealed about the flaws in our judicial system? He claimed there was insufficient evidence, while civilian defense attorney Bernard Segal argued the CID had improperly handled the scene and that alternative suspects like local drug addict Helena Stoeckley, believed to be the blonde woman at the scene, continued to roam free. 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. 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. He remained haunted by the horrific way his stepdaughter and grandchildren had lost their lives. Jeffrey MacDonald, a bright young man with everything in life to look forward to, lost his wife and children to senseless, horrific violence. He looked angry on the stand. "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. 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. I dont know what the odds are. The persistence paid off and in 1974, a grand jury indicted Jeffrey MacDonald on three counts of murder after seven months of testimony and evidence, according to Vanity Fair. Rep. Allard Lowenstein supporting MacDonalds claim that the Army wrongfully accused him and were trying to cover up their mistake. He theorized that diet pills caused MacDonald to fly into a fit of rage. 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. He could have gone on with his life, and he should have. He made fun of them. Freddy was not going to quit. Additionally, MacDonalds medical records showed that he had no defensive wounds on his arms or hands consistent with the alleged attack. 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. Were sorry, this feature is currently unavailable. 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. LP: She said that to her lawyer at the time of the 1979 trial? 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