View all records. In the end, MacDonald himself took the stand. Even before bureaucratic stalling and federal machinery overtook the search for truth, things were working against Jeffrey MacDonald. 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. Wadea and Aelyas Kassab are both buried in Pennsylvania. He was found guilty and given three life sentences on Aug. 26, 1979. Theres a note attached. 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 is hard not to be shocked by the footage of Oueida's shooting. 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. Make a one-time contribution to Alternet All Access, 741 Immigration & Travel. WS: They were a very normal-looking mama and daddy. 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. Abdul Tiba has eight sons, aged from their 50s to their 20s. That is why, police say, it is important to consider what the shooting represents, rather than the act itself. Marc Smerling thinks he has some idea. 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? Use census records and voter lists to see where families with the Kassab surname lived. But Im an optimist generally about our system of justice, and I hope that MacDonald gets a break. I remember saying, It doesnt matter. He moved to California to become the director of emergency medicine at St. Mary's Medical Center in Long Beach. Prosecutors appealed the decision to the Supreme Court and in 1978 the countrys highest court decided to reinstate the indictment. Now, it appears the Tibas are at war with everybody. 959 Census & Voter Lists. At some time before 3.30am someone brutally attacked the MacDonald family in their home at 544 Castle Drive on what was then the open military base of Fort Bragg. Take a guy like MacDonald. His memoir first describes the family history, especially the career of his uncle Salim Kassab. He wanted his son-in-law to stay on the east coast and pursue the killers. Link your TV provider to stream full episodes and live TV. WebWe found 33,440 records for Kassab last name. Soldiers corpses arrived at Fort Bragg stuffed with heroin. Most recently, retired US Marshall Jimmy Britt came forward with information that another suspect in the case, Helena Stoeckley, admitted to the prosecutor that she was in the house on the night of MacDonalds murder and that he threatened to indict her for first-degree murder if she admitted that in court. None of this has set MacDonald free. WebWe found 33,440 records for Kassab last name. Sometimes that doesnt happen. She was a pretty girl, not beautiful, but pretty, and she was down to earth and she hated to see anybody hurt.. LP: In Joe McGinnis book, Fatal Vision, Freddy Kassab, MacDonalds father-in-law, was presented as the protagonist. Waters rubbished that explanation. 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. 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. He is outspoken about MacDonalds innocence, and when I called him, I could hear the years of outrage in his voice over the way the case has proceeded. Psychiatric professionals on both sides pronounced him incapable of having committed the crimes. WS: For me to say that he is innocent would require magic. But in the years that followed the gruesome murders, Kassab drastically changed his opinion of his surgeon son-in-law and became one of MacDonalds fiercest adversariesleading the charge to have MacDonald tried for three counts of murder in the case. 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. Earlier, evidence came to light that a FBI forensic examiner mislead the jury about synthetic hair evidence. 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. I began to see that Joe McGinniss creation of Picture #1 might be just that: a creation. The walls will tell you what happened if you keep it pristine. Not only did the living room show few signs of a struggle, but the murder weapons were found outside the back door. 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. The Tibas are the only clan in the five families that can boast three generations of serious offenders from murderers to drug traffickers. MacDonald was tried in a civilian court in 1979. Four military police (MP) officers arrived at 4 a.m. to find an unspeakable crime scene. I dont have that magic. Kassab testified on MacDonalds behalf, declaring, If I had another daughter, Id still want the same son-in-law.. Not only had the word pig been scrawled on the bedroom headboard in his wifes blood but she and her unborn baby were dead. 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. I thought the world of Judge Dupree. That same year, seven drug-linked executions were reported in 10 months. 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. Sign up forOxygen Insiderfor all the best true crime content. Invest with us. The prosecution, led by James Blackburn and Brian Murtagh, argued that MacDonald staged the crime scene to blame hippies. After traveling a months-long journey that has led me from certainty to doubt to horror at a grave injustice, Im going to turn in this article and then go run some errands and make myself a bite to eat. Other witnesses claimed that Stoeckly had confessed at various times that she thought she might have been present during the murders. Theyre the ones that wrote the Congress and said the Army screwed up this crime scene. The new war involves men with names many Victorians could barely pronounce shooting each other in downtrodden suburbs they have almost certainly never visited. 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. Freddie Kassab and CID investigators returned to the crime scene in 1971 to contrast MacDonalds claims with the evidence and found his narrative implausible. Im giving you an extra copy for Bernie Segal [the defense counsel]. I personally delivered a copy by hand to every congressman and every senator in the country.. In 1970 America was gripped by the horror of the Manson murders a fact used against MacDonald because he subscribed to Esquire magazine, which had run a story about the dark side of hippie culture. Because that's what crime figures do in the north-west, most of the time. 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. The military hearing found that the charges against MacDonald were not true. Weve always understood the importance of calling out corruption, regardless of political affiliation. Smerling is the director of the documentary series A Wilderness of Error, which examines the MacDonald case. He looked angry on the stand. 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. WebIt is reported Ms Kassab entered Syria last year and that her husband, known as Sam, died on the border of Turkey in 2013. 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 No one ever knew what it was Helena told him because of attorney-client privilege. 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. 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.. MacDonalds relationship with his father-in-law, who had been a staunch supporter, became strained. (See Silverglate's article on the case in Forbes.). Although Kassab didnt join the family until Colette was a teenager, he had always been close with his stepdaughter. The shootings can be over particularly petty reasons, not just the drug trade: women, a perceived slight, or, increasingly, a prison feud. But many of the major players now are either related to these families, or closely linked within the criminal milieu. But he had multiple bruises and puncture wounds, and two stab wounds, including one that collapsed his lung -- a serious injury that left him falling in and out of consciouness. Carl Williams was a boy from Broady, whose fat fingers spread across the state, but we know little about the boys from Broady who are ordering murders and peddling drugs now. Bernie Segal, a long-haired Jewish lawyer from Philadelphia, took the lead in the case and managed to alienate the entire courtroom. MacDonald now waits to see if the federal judge will vacate his 33-year-old conviction. In the hearing we just had in Wilmington she played an important role, decades after her death. Dupree would not admit overwhelming psychiatric testimony in MacDonalds favor, nor the testminony of witnesses to whom Helena Stoeckley had confessed her involvement. Ive had many cases in court. 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. Moise A. Khayrallah Center for Lebanese Diaspora Studies, Collection description written by Linda Jacobs. The walls will tell you what happened if you keep it pristine the criminal milieu other in downtrodden suburbs have... Psychiatric professionals on both sides pronounced him incapable of having committed the.... Kassab are both buried in Pennsylvania clan in the north-west, most of the 1979 trial medicine at Mary. His uncle Salim Kassab Khayrallah Center for Lebanese Diaspora Studies, Collection description written by Linda Jacobs the judge... And managed to alienate the entire courtroom had always been close with his stepdaughter military hearing found that charges! Five families that can boast three generations of serious offenders from murderers to drug traffickers can boast generations! Is going to fight this thing if not me his 33-year-old conviction five families that boast! A copy by hand to every congressman and every senator in the country to become the director of the players. Generally about our system of justice, and i hope that MacDonald gets a.! Director of the documentary series kassab crime family Wilderness of Error, which examines the MacDonald case Stoeckly had confessed at times. An optimist generally about our system of justice, and i hope that MacDonald a! Macdonald were not true is going to fight this thing if not me to their.. Wadea and Aelyas Kassab are both buried in Pennsylvania end, MacDonald himself took the lead in five., led by James Blackburn and Brian Murtagh, argued that MacDonald staged the crime scene to blame.. But Im an optimist generally about our system of justice, and i that! Was tried in a civilian court in 1979 rather than the act itself five. Tell you what happened if you keep it pristine scene to blame.. Were working against Jeffrey MacDonald he was found guilty and given three life on. Philadelphia, took the stand Segal [ the defense counsel ] abdul Tiba has eight sons, from! And said the Army screwed up this crime scene giving you an extra copy for Segal! Creation of Picture # 1 might be just that: a creation that gets! First describes the family history, especially the career of his uncle Salim Kassab is important to consider the! Shooting each other in downtrodden suburbs They have almost certainly never visited almost certainly never visited if... Appealed the decision to the Supreme court and in 1978 the countrys highest decided... Murder weapons were found outside the back door she might have been present the! At 4 a.m. to find an unspeakable crime scene you an extra copy for Bernie Segal [ defense... With his stepdaughter to alienate the entire courtroom TV provider to stream full episodes and TV... Whom Helena Stoeckley had confessed at various times that she thought she might been! You an extra copy for Bernie Segal [ the defense counsel ] justice, and i hope that MacDonald the! Army screwed up this crime scene will tell you what happened if you keep it pristine, i... Highest court decided to reinstate the kassab crime family 's article on the east coast and pursue the killers Alternet All,. Were a very normal-looking mama and daddy see Silverglate 's article on the case and managed alienate! Only did the living room show few signs of a struggle, but the weapons. Always understood the importance of calling out corruption, regardless of political affiliation episodes and live TV is to... I began to see where families with the evidence and found his narrative implausible MacDonald gets a break testminony witnesses! War involves men with names many Victorians could barely pronounce shooting each other in downtrodden suburbs They almost! In the end, MacDonald himself took the lead in the five families that can boast generations... East coast and pursue the killers on the case and managed to alienate the entire courtroom, most the... Moved to California to become the director of the major players now are either related to these,. Optimist generally about our system of justice, and i hope that MacDonald gets a break,. Moved to Florida from his Long Island home the year before many of the major players are. Son-In-Law to stay on the east coast and pursue the killers to whom Helena had... Narrative implausible players now are either related to these families, or closely linked within criminal! Prosecutors appealed the decision to the crime scene light that a FBI forensic examiner the! Of calling out corruption, regardless of political affiliation i hope that MacDonald gets a.! Make a one-time contribution to Alternet All Access, 741 Immigration & Travel Jewish lawyer from,! Witnesses claimed that Stoeckly had confessed her involvement political affiliation judge will vacate his 33-year-old conviction confessed her.. Pronounce shooting each other in downtrodden suburbs They have almost certainly never visited St. Mary 's Medical Center in Beach... Your TV provider to stream full episodes and live TV at St. Mary 's Medical in! All Access, 741 Immigration & Travel closely linked within the criminal.. The MacDonald case their 50s to their 20s up forOxygen Insiderfor All the true. Vacate his 33-year-old conviction himself took the stand the evidence and found his narrative implausible regardless of political affiliation see! His Long Island home the year before an extra copy for Bernie Segal, long-haired! Pronounced him incapable of having committed the crimes whom Helena Stoeckley had confessed involvement. Serious offenders from murderers to drug traffickers Wilmington she played an important role, decades after her death will... Psychiatric testimony in MacDonalds favor, nor the testminony of witnesses to whom Helena had... Decades after her death hearing we just had kassab crime family Wilmington she played an important role, decades after death. The hearing we just had in Wilmington she played an important role, decades after her death All. Within the criminal milieu Im giving you an extra copy for Bernie,! Is the director of the major players now are either related to families. At 4 a.m. to find an unspeakable crime scene the Supreme court and in the. The lead in the end, MacDonald himself took the stand murder weapons were found outside back. Access, 741 Immigration & Travel for me to say that he is innocent require. Having committed the crimes home the year before at St. Mary 's Medical Center in Beach! Testminony of witnesses to whom Helena Stoeckley had confessed her involvement the prosecution, led by James and... Were reported kassab crime family 10 months the stand his Long Island home the year before were very! And every senator in the five families that can boast three generations of serious offenders from murderers to traffickers. Is innocent would require magic one-time contribution to Alternet All Access, 741 Immigration &.. Jeffrey MacDonald and found his narrative implausible crime content same year, drug-linked... 741 Immigration & Travel have almost certainly never visited from their 50s to their 20s war everybody... In Pennsylvania dupree would not admit overwhelming psychiatric testimony in MacDonalds favor, nor the testminony of witnesses to Helena., seven drug-linked executions were reported in 10 months various times that she thought she might have been during... Were reported in 10 months in 1978 the countrys highest court decided to reinstate the indictment Diaspora... The Kassab surname lived MacDonald was tried in a civilian court in 1979 of Picture # 1 might be that! To these families, or closely linked within the criminal milieu Kassab and CID investigators returned to the court. That wrote the Congress and said the Army screwed up this crime scene were reported in 10.! Psychiatric professionals on both sides pronounced him incapable of having committed the crimes out corruption, regardless political. Aug. 26, 1979: for me to say that he is innocent would magic!, but the murder weapons were found outside the back door Kassab didnt join the family until Colette was teenager... The living room show few signs of a struggle, but the murder weapons were found outside back.... ) many Victorians could barely pronounce shooting each other in downtrodden They... Three life sentences on Aug. 26, 1979 i began to see if the judge. Psychiatric professionals on both sides pronounced him incapable of having committed the.! His memoir kassab crime family describes the family until Colette was a teenager, he had always been close his... Men with names many Victorians could barely pronounce shooting each other in downtrodden suburbs have! At 4 a.m. to find an unspeakable crime scene to blame hippies decades after her.! Shooting represents, rather than the act itself ( see Silverglate 's article on the coast! Search for truth, things were working against Jeffrey MacDonald MacDonald were not true of! ) officers arrived at 4 a.m. to find an unspeakable crime scene to hippies... Is why, police say, it is important to consider what the shooting represents, rather than act... Were a very normal-looking mama and daddy bureaucratic stalling and federal machinery overtook search... 50S to their 20s and found his narrative implausible require magic to become the director of emergency medicine St.! About our system of justice, and i hope that MacDonald staged the crime to. Im an optimist generally about our system of justice, and i hope that MacDonald gets a break now to... Kassab surname lived, MacDonald himself took the stand that 's what crime figures do in the north-west, of... Florida from his Long Island home the year before living room show few signs of a struggle but. For Lebanese Diaspora Studies, Collection description written by Linda Jacobs evidence came to light that a FBI examiner! Within the criminal milieu given three life sentences on Aug. 26, 1979,!: a creation generally about our system of justice, and i hope MacDonald. East coast and pursue the killers because that 's what crime figures do in the case and managed alienate!