In 2016, 20-year old Rina Shimabukuro vanished after sending her boyfriend a text message that she was going for a walk. Japanese authorities scoured CCTV footage for any evidence that would lead them to Rina. And they found what they were looking for when they saw an American in a red SUV buying salt from a local convenience store and pouring some inside his car. When they tracked down the man in the red SUV back to Kadena AB, they discovered the man was Kenneth Gadson Shinzato – a U.S. Marine ...
Jan 11, 2021•38 min
Want to know the result of the Fort Hood Independent Review without reading the 152-page report? Dig in with Margot as she tells you all about it – focusing on the aspects of the report that dug into Fort Hood criminal investigations – but primarily focusing on the disappearance of Vanessa Guillen and the disappearance of Elder Fernandes. Margot highly recommends listening to Ep31 (Guillen), Ep37 (Guillen update), and Ep41 (Elder Fernandes) before listening to this episode. Check out this episod...
Jan 04, 2021•44 min
Presenting the Top 10 most horrifying military murder stories in the news in 2020. Dig in with Margot as she counts them down. ----- Check out our sponsor – HelloFresh! Visit hellofresh.com/militarymama10 and use code “militarymama10” for 10 FREE MEALS (including FREE shipping)! ---- Want to hear more information about cases covered in today’s countdown? Check these out: Vanessa Guillen/Gregory Morales: Ep31 & Ep37 Enrique Roman Martinez: Ep35 Malcolm Perry: Ep50 Elder Fernandes: Ep41 Steven...
Dec 28, 2020•49 min
Listen to Part 1 before listening to this episode. In this episode, we learn who was in on the murder of Ashley Biggs and why it took 8 years to finally bring that person to justice. Dig in with Margot as she takes you through the web of manipulation involved in getting away with murder for 8 years. ----- Check out our sponsor – Headspace! Visit headspace.com/militarymama for a FREE month trial! This trial gives you access to Headspace’s full library of meditations for every life situation! --- ...
Dec 21, 2020•43 min
In June 2012, while working at a Dominos Pizzeria, Ashley Biggs was sent to deliver a pizza. The delivery location was only 5 minutes from the Dominos, so when she hadn’t returned an hour later, her supervisor became concerned. Ashley Biggs was immediately reported missing. Within arriving to her last known location, police knew Ashley had been met with foul play, when a pool of blood was located in the vacant parking lot of the delivery location. A search quickly ensued, ending in the arrest of...
Dec 14, 2020•31 min
In January 2015, a 5-year old boy woke up and discovered his mother and father dead. The victims were 39-year old Renee Kuch and 43-year old Corey Croft. Renee’s ex-husband, Australian Army Sergeant Christopher Carter was quickly arrested and he had a tale to tell. Dig in with Margot as she tells her first Australian military case. ----- Check out our sponsor – Headspace! Visit headspace.com/militarymama for a FREE month trial! This trial gives you access to Headspace’s full library of meditatio...
Dec 07, 2020•34 min
High School sweethearts, Michelle and Douglas Terek endured a long 3-year separation, while Michelle finished high school and got a degree and while Douglas was off enlisting in the Air Force. By 1990, they tied the knot and everything seemed perfect. Until it wasn’t. In August 1993, after a night of partying, Douglas called the police to tell them he did an awful thing. And when the police arrived at their on-base residence – they discovered more than they bargained for… Dig in with Margot as s...
Nov 23, 2020•28 min
This is a BREAKING NEWS STORY and is still developing. On October 11, 2020, Captain Malcolm Perry died after his car flipped and rolled and caught fire. Police on scene originally thought the fiery crash and subsequent death were the result of a car accident gone terribly wrong. But during the next few days, they would uncover a story so far-fetched, it seemed like a scene out of the movie – Fast and Furious. Captain Clevy Nelson-Royster and Richard Sennessie were subsequently arrested and charg...
Nov 16, 2020•30 min
In 1994, Air Force Technical Sergeant Edward Zakrzewski seemed to be living the dream – he was taking college classes at night, had one more year before getting his degree – he was working at Eglin AFB, he had a beautiful wife, Sylvia, and two kids – a boy (Edward) and a girl (Anna). But like every picture-perfect family – there was turmoil, and talks about divorce made Edward uneasy. So much so, that when his son called him at work on June 9th, 1994, Edward came up with a plan. Execute the enti...
Nov 09, 2020•34 min
In 2015, Cati Boyter was living her life, going to school and working at a local South Carolina sub shop. Then she met a married Army recruiter by the name of John Blauvelt. They began seeing each other – and when his divorce was final – they finally moved in together and then got married. But married life was difficult and after one too many arguments, Cati moved out. Nine months later, Cati went missing after leaving work at 3pm. Her lifeless body was discovered within 2 days of her disappeara...
Nov 02, 2020•34 min
I am taking you back to the 90s to a moment when times seemed simpler. In 1993, Lorena Bobbitt (24), the wife of Marine Veteran, John Wayne Bobbitt (26), decided to take matters into her own hands. She was sick and tired of living under the thumb of her abusive husband. He had slapped her, hit her, verbally abused her, and raped her over and over again. She took a kitchen knife...and well, you'll have to listen to the episode to see how this story ends. Dig in with Margot as she takes you throug...
Oct 26, 2020•56 min
In 2014, 19-year old, Megan Hiatt created an online dating profile. She met a Navy man by the name of Gawain “Rush” Wilson. They were smitten and within 2 months, their whirlwind romance resulted in the pair moving in together and a month later, they were pregnant with twin girls. They were over the moon, but soon, Rush would show his true colors – easily agitated, extremely apologetic, and hypercritical of everything Megan did. But Megan, the product of a broken home, wanted to make things work...
Oct 19, 2020•49 min
In 1980, two Navy wives were murdered in Norfolk, Virginia, while their husbands were away on duty. One murder was quickly solved, but the other would grow cold and stay that way for 40 years! Until 2018, when detectives would send off some sheets for DNA testing. DNA and genealogy would combine to hunt down a monster that needed to be snagged off the streets. But detectives would soon learn, his 1980 murder, was not his only one. Dig in with Margot as she discusses the murder of Kathleen Doyle ...
Oct 12, 2020•45 min
In 1974, five people were held at a local HiFi shop at gun point, as a few men raided the store of all of its audio equipment. The five people were Carol Naisbitt, Cortney Naisbitt, Orren Walker, Stanley Walker, and Michelle Ansley. The captives plead for their lives – telling the perpetrators to take everything they wanted but to spare them their lives. However, what occurred in the HiFi basement was something out of a horror movie. Some of the victims were executed, some of the victims were to...
Oct 05, 2020•1 hr 6 min
If you have been considering joining the Military Murder Patreon Fan Club but want to know what you get - look no further. In this exclusive Fan Club Military Prime Time episode, you will get the dirt on 3 current military affairs cases that you may not have even heard about. 3 News Stories Covered Today: (1) Prostitution Rings in Fort Hood (2) The Murder of Army Green Beret Logan Melgar (3) Tragic Marine Amphibious Assault Vehicle Accident If you like what you hear, make sure you sign up for th...
Sep 28, 2020•34 min
On July 23, 1987, 23-year old Air Force wife, Cindy Ray, had a well-baby appointment. Her toddler was with the babysitter. Her husband, Sam Ray, was doing his normal security forces duty. Cindy was scheduled to pick up her husband from work due to the fact that they only had one family car. But Cindy called to say she was running late. When Sam went to look for Cindy at the clinic, Cindy had seemingly vanished. But how does an extremely pregnant woman go missing from the base clinic at Kirtland ...
Sep 21, 2020•1 hr 1 min
On August 17, 2020, Elder Fernandes was released from a hospital. He had spent 6 days hospitalized for unknown reasons. One of his military coworkers picked him up and dropped Elder off at his home on the 2700 block of Woodlands Drive in Killeen, Texas. Elder was then never seen again. On August 18, 2020, Elder failed to report to work, although his car was found in the parking lot of his work place on Fort Hood. By Wednesday, August 19, 2020, after not hearing from Elder since Sunday, Elder’s f...
Aug 24, 2020•26 min
Lavena Johnson was a smart, witty woman, born and raised in Missouri. Her senior year of high school she decided she would join the Army in an effort to not burden her parents with out of state tuition for college. Although Dr. Johnson (Lavena’s dad), begged her not to join the Army – she did so anyway. She thought the Army was a good deal – you serve your country a few years and then you get 4 years of college paid! Recruiters promised her she would likely not deploy, even though in 2004 there ...
Jul 27, 2020•44 min
In June 1993, 16-year old Christina Menzies was out and about like a typical teenager. Earlier in the day she attended a fair on Gutersloh RAF, Germany. Later in the evening, she ended the night at Club 47 – a club located on the base. But this was the last time she was seen alive. Christina’s remains were later found 10 km from the base. A British soldier was arrested and tried for her murder, but what happened at the Royal Armed Forces Court-Martial shocked the Menzies family. Dig in with Marg...
Jul 20, 2020•34 min
In August 2007, Specialist Kamisha Block’s family was told that their 20-year-old daughter had died in Iraq as a result of friendly fire – one shot to the chest. The family was floored. They didn’t quite understand what that meant and they wanted answers. But Kamisha would give them a sign. When Kamisha’s mom, Jane, arrived at the funeral home to see her daughter one last time, she noticed a bullet sized hole on Kamisha’s head that had been covered with makeup. Her knees buckled as she thought –...
Jul 13, 2020•51 min
This is an update to the previous coverage of these cases. Previously, Margot discusses the disappearance of Vanessa Guillen and Gregory Morales - two Fort Hood soldiers - whose disappearances do not appear to be related. In this episode - Margot provides a significant update on BOTH cases. The updates in this episode are discussed in chronological order. But just to recap – the remains of Gregory Morales were discovered in a shallow grave on Friday, June 19, 2020 in a park in Killeen, Texas. On...
Jul 04, 2020•1 hr 15 min
In the Spring of 2000, the Thackers, Holli & Tracy decided to call it quits on their marriage. Tracy Thacker, a Marine veteran filed for divorce. He noted irreconcilable differences and the fact that a paternity test revealed he was not Maylyn Thacker’s father. A few months later after weeks of fighting with his wife, Holli, Tracy did the unthinkable. After a fight with his wife over custody issues and school pickup, Tracy checked out the kids from school early. Under “reason” for early chec...
Jun 29, 2020•32 min
On Memorial Day Weekend 2020, Specialist Enrique Roman-Martinez and 7 other soldiers from Fort Bragg, North Carolina decided to take a break for the long weekend. They hopped on a ferry and headed towards Cape Lookout National Seashore as a group of 8, but only 7 returned. What happened to Specialist Roman-Martinez who seemingly walked away from the group at midnight, never to return to his tent? The group of soldiers noticed he was missing early on May 23, 2020, and reported him missing 17 hour...
Jun 22, 2020•25 min
On May 25, 2020, George Floyd walked into Cup Foods Store in Minneapolis, Minnesota, to buy cigarettes. He paid and walked out of the store. The store clerk believed the $20 bill Floyd used was counterfeit, so at 8pm he called the police. This is something Cup Foods employees had done a dozen times when they received what they believed to be counterfeit money. Officers Thomas Lane and J. Alexander Kueng were the first officers on scene. They handcuffed Floyd, who was sitting in his car outside o...
Jun 15, 2020•1 hr 16 min
This is Part 2 of a 2-part series on the murder of Barry Winchell. I highly recommend listening to Part 1 before continuing with this episode. In 1999, 21-year old Barry Winchell was a part of the 101st Airborne Division at Fort Campbell. In March, he began dating a transgender woman named Calpernia Addams. Although he met her at a gay club after Barry’s roommate, Justin Fisher, invited a group of friends to the club, Fisher began to taunt Barry about his sexuality. Fisher began a wicked rumor a...
Jun 04, 2020•39 min
In 1999, 21-year old Barry Winchell was part of the 101st Airborne Division at Fort Campbell, Kentucky. He planned to make the military a career. Specifically, he wanted to go to Warrant Officer school and eventually become a helicopter pilot. In March 1999, he began dating Calpernia Addams, a transgender woman who was preoperative. To many, this is not a big deal, but to the military during the “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” era – it was a big deal. Barry’s roommate, Justin Fisher, began a campaign to...
Jun 01, 2020•38 min
Significant UPDATES have occurred since the recording of this episode. Please listen here first, then go listen to Ep37 for the update. ----- On April 22, 2020, 20-year old Private First Class Vanessa Guillen was last seen on Fort Hood in a parking lot in front of the building where she worked. Vanessa left behind her car keys (and her car), her room key, and her ID card. Vanessa’s phone has not been found. On August 20, 2019, 23-year old Private Gregory Morales didn’t show up to work, so his Se...
May 23, 2020•40 min
Julie & Parker Schenecker appeared to be the perfect military couple. He was an Army Colonel, and Julie was an Army veteran turned stay at home mom to their two children. By 2011, the family was stationed at MacDill AFB, Florida and they lived in an upper middle-class neighborhood with their teenaged kids. Their daughter Calyx was 16-years old, and their son, Beau, was 13-years old. But behind the façade of a happy family was a truly mentally ill mother. And in January 2011, while Colonel Sc...
May 18, 2020•40 min
Julie & Parker Schenecker appeared to be the perfect military couple. He was an Army Colonel, and Julie was an Army veteran turned stay at home mom to their two children. By 2011, the family was stationed at MacDill AFB, Florida and they lived in an upper middle-class neighborhood with their teenage kids. Their daughter Calyx was 16-years old, and their son, Beau, was 13-years old. Behind the façade of a happy family was a truly mentally ill mother. And in January 2011, while Colonel Schenec...
May 11, 2020•43 min
Mark “Jimmy” Essex joined the Navy at the advice of his father because it was the least “racist.” But after joining, Jimmy realized racism was everywhere and he became disillusioned as a young black sailor. After he was discharged from the Navy, he got more and more angry at the perceived racism in the country (during the 70's), so he decided to take matters in his own hands and he began his own personal war with the NOLA police department. But this story isn’t only about the life and death of J...
May 04, 2020•34 min
