NC - MacDonald family murders at Fort Bragg, 1970 - Jeffrey MacDonald innocent?

Did McDonald ever admit that he was on meth that night?
 
@ NOVA:

I always thought McDonald was guilty, especially after reading Fatal Vision and watching the film.

One thing that bothers me now, though, with Erroll Morris' argument. Much of it echoes the Amanda Knox is innocent argument (shoddy police work, a totally botched crime scene investigation, corrupt prosecutors, repressed evidence, a narrative which takes precedent over all evidence, third parties who seem guiltier than the defendant).

In fact, it seems to mirror the Knox case in many areas (they claimed they had Knox's footprint, she said no; same with MacDonald. Mignini et al claimed Amanda went into a drug-fueled rage: MacDonald prosecutors said the same. )

I was wondering if you saw any of this, Nova?


ETA: Also, the insistence - as with Amanda Knox - that MacDonald's affect and behavior were all wrong.
 
Did McDonald ever admit that he was on meth that night?
He admitted to taking in the weeks prior to the murders - but not to abusing - Eskatrol, which is a diet pill and amphetamine.
 
I just listened to his old interview with Larry King. McDonald said that one of the attackers was swinging a baseball bat at him. I thought, in actuality, LE found some kind of wooden plank outside the back door- not a baseball bat. Maybe I'm remembering McDonald's story incorrectly. If it was a baseball bat, where did the attackers supposedly get that from? Did McDonald have one in the apartment?
MacDonald claimed to have mistaken the plank for a baseball bat.
 
Never thought I'd hear about this one again.... I just read the the article 'The Girl Who Rode the Rocking Horse' in the September 1st issue of The Wall Street Journal...

Though this happened 3 years before I was born, I slightly remember hearing about the civilian trial when I was a kid. It always intriqued me for some reason. I also remenber seeing a documentry or news show that I think really hooked me on these crime and mystery stories.

Like everyone else I just assumed he was guilty, but now I'm not so sure. I'm mostly upset about what the prosucution did. Withholding crucial evidence is serious and it makes me wonder in how many other other cases this has happened.

Not saying he's is innocent(may be maybe not) but if I were MacDonald I would be looking to get a new trial right now with all of this new evidence.

I'm gonna get this book for sure.
 
Just read and watched this...

Actual video of confession from the scraped '60 Minutes' episode.
Very interesting.....

Confession of Helena Stoeckley-Witness to Murders of Dr. Jeffrey MacDonald’s Family.
from the blog, They Don't Fool Me,
Don't Let Them Fool You.

In this video, (which was not shown in the TV program)- former FBI Chief Ted Gunderson interviews Helena Stoeckley, now deceased, who was tripped out on acid but saw members of her Satanic Cult murder the young family of Dr. Jeffrey MacDonald during the night of February 17, 1970.....

http://theydontfoolme.com/1819/conf...s-to-murders-of-dr-jeffrey-macdonalds-family/


Some crazy stuff.
 
Though this paticular article is informative and worth a read. I just wanted to say after further looking into the blog that posted the interesting video and article about this case (in my last post), I don't agree with some of it's other contents that supports hatered.

I just wanted to put that little disclaimer out there. :)
 
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/art...tor-killing-pregnant-wife-daughters-1970.html

Snippet:

U.S. District Court James Fox will consider two types of evidence: three hairs that don't match the family's DNA and a statement from Jimmy Britt, a deputy U.S. marshal when the case was tried. Britt, who has since died, gave a statement to defense attorneys in 2005 that he heard prosecutor Jim Blackburn threaten Helena Stoeckley, a troubled local woman whom MacDonald had identified as one of the attackers.

A previous MacDonald attorney has said Stoeckley was prepared to testify she was in the MacDonald home the night of the murders until Blackburn threatened to charge her with the slayings. She later testified she couldn't remember where she was that night.

The 4th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals granted MacDonald's request for the hearing. It's expected to last up to two weeks, and Fox will determine whether to order a new trial.
 
Wow serendipity. I'd never heard of this case, came here to see what I could find and now I want to know EVERYTHING. Thing is I was in Costco yesterday and had this book in my hand and before I could even finish reading the sleeve blurb I was 'reminded' by my husband we were not there for book browsing, Christmas decoration browsing, clothes browsing or any other kind of browsing we were there for stuff for dinner with guests coming and we needed to HURRY UP. Going back to Costco today - without Mr HURRY UP - and I'm gonna get this book and then I'm gonna browse anything I like for as long as I like before going home to curl up with the book on the sofa while he watches NAzzzzzzzz-CAR.
 
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/art...tor-killing-pregnant-wife-daughters-1970.html

Snippet:

U.S. District Court James Fox will consider two types of evidence: three hairs that don't match the family's DNA and a statement from Jimmy Britt, a deputy U.S. marshal when the case was tried. Britt, who has since died, gave a statement to defense attorneys in 2005 that he heard prosecutor Jim Blackburn threaten Helena Stoeckley, a troubled local woman whom MacDonald had identified as one of the attackers.

A previous MacDonald attorney has said Stoeckley was prepared to testify she was in the MacDonald home the night of the murders until Blackburn threatened to charge her with the slayings. She later testified she couldn't remember where she was that night.

The 4th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals granted MacDonald's request for the hearing. It's expected to last up to two weeks, and Fox will determine whether to order a new trial.

It's all probably good publicity for the book and the documentary. I am constantly astonished that money continues to be spent on this monster.

Here is the deal-he wasnt injured. He had a shallow self induced stab wound that was just deep enough to puncture his lung. A woman and two babies were slaughtered in that house and the one man who was a threat to any intruder had a single wound that was pretty precise and was likely done with a scalpel. (Oh, yeah and a very slight bump on the head later attributed to Colette.)

His life dramatically improved upon the death of his family. He went to LA, bought a boat and a house on the beach, slept with beautiful women. He thrived. He gets off on all of the people taken in by him. He slaughtered 3 females, two of whom couldnt fight back. Colette was the hero of this story. Eventually, her father was too.

Scott Peterson is the modern day Jeffrey MacDonald. We will see the same from him. He will never go away-he loves the attention just as much as MacDonald does.

The fastest way to make make MacDonald disappear is to stop shining a light on him. :banghead:
 
Wasn't there another author who worked with McDonald?

McDonald agreed to work with this author with the premise that McDonald was innocent.

After much time, money and investigation the author concluded McDonald was guilty.

Anyone else remember this being the case?
 
The same turn that it took years ago when he was convicted. He just does not give up.
 
If I remember correctly, the day before the murders they had a barbecue or some other sort of get together. If the DNA comes up as just not belonging to anyone in the family, it wouldn't mean anything. If, tho, they match it with a known criminal in the databases, that would make a world of difference.

But, it's not just DNA that they're going to present, apparently.
 
Wasn't there another author who worked with McDonald?

McDonald agreed to work with this author with the premise that McDonald was innocent.

After much time, money and investigation the author concluded McDonald was guilty.

Anyone else remember this being the case?

Yes, that's Joe McGinniss' book Fatal Vision. This was the first true crime murder that I became fascinated with. I could understand someone killing their spouse in a fit of rage, but not murdering their two young sleeping daughters. I still have the paperback from when it was first published.
 
Jeffrey MacDonald....The murderer who just.won't.go.away.

As the poster above said, this dude needs the spotlight. He will seek it until the day he dies.
 
Ooh, I searched all over for a thread about this case (one I'd never heard of) after a visit to Costco where I picked up and read the sleeve blurb for a new book - A Wilderness of Error - by Errol Morris. All I could find was [ame="http://www.websleuths.com/forums/showthread.php?t=183356"]this thread[/ame] in the Archived Cases forum where I posted.

I did go back and get the book and managed to devour 200 pages or so yesterday afternoon before getting dragged away by husband out to dinner with friends. Obviously it's coming from the POV that JM is innocent and, I have to say, EM's account is very compelling thus far and leads me to a presumption of at least reasonable doubt and an unsafe conviction. Trying not to jump to any hasty conclusions though, I'm going to find and buy the other book - Fatal Vision - referenced in the Archived thread and read that too before forming an opinion.
 
I read Fatal Vision & came away thinking he could still be innocent (granted i was about 12), then years later another book came out, Fatal Justice, which was supposed to prove his innocence once & for all. It & some of the tv interviews MacDonald gave are what convinced me he is the only person to have committed this crime.

The urine theory was very interesting. I'd never heard that.
 
Yes, that's Joe McGinniss' book Fatal Vision. This was the first true crime murder that I became fascinated with. I could understand someone killing their spouse in a fit of rage, but not murdering their two young sleeping daughters. I still have the paperback from when it was first published.

Yes, that was it. Between this book and Helter Skelter (before this IIRC) I had nightmares but never game up true crime.....and look where I find myself...here with all of you!!!!:woohoo:
 

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