Military Murder

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 was an uptick in deployed troops. 

Lavina kicked butt as a woman in the military – especially in bootcamp, serving as an example to men and women. She made her family so proud. She went on to her first duty assignment and within a few months she was notified she’d be deploying to Iraq. As a communications troop – it didn’t seem like a bad deal – she’d be staying inside the wire. 

But within 6 weeks of being in Iraq, her parents received the dreaded knock on the door – their daughter Lavena L. Johnson was dead from a self-inflicted gunshot wound. Say what now? Not Lavena! She would never kill herself! She had just spoken to her parents and was excited to be home for the holidays! She was a week shy of her 20th birthday – it just didn’t make sense. 

Lavena’s family would soon find out that things aren’t always what they seem, but once the Army said Lavena committed suicide, it would take an act of Congress to get any concrete evidence that might show Lavena was actually murdered. 

A review of the facts make you wonder, was Lavena’s death really a suicide or a military cover up? 

Dig in with Margot as she discusses the most requested Military Murder case to date. 

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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 Margot as she discusses the unsolved murder case of Christina Menzies, in an attempt that someone may be able to come forward with information and bring closure to the Menzies family. 

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Crime Stoppers UK is on the case. Crime Stoppers is offering a 20,000 British Pounds reward. If you have any information about Christina’s murder – including what happened at Club 47 on the night of June 12, 1993, or any information about the years since the murder, however, small, please contact Crime Stoppers UK at 0800-555111 or use the website, crimestoppers-uk.org. Anyone who contacts Crime Stoppers will remain anonymous. 

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Podcast Promo:

 -Invisible Choir 

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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 – what have they done to my baby girl? And the answer she would get would never quench the Block’s family desire for real answers. 

Dig in with Margot as she discusses the life and death of Kamisha Block.   

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CASE UPDATE:

In this episode - Margot provides a significant update on BOTH cases - Vanessa Guillen and Gregory Morales. 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 Tuesday, June 30, 2020, authorities discovered partial human remains and a firepit near the Leon River, 26 miles from Fort Hood. The partial remains have not yet been positively identified. However, it is believed to be the remains of Vanessa Guillen. 

One suspect (Specialist Aaron Robinson) killed himself during the early morning hours of July 1st, when authorities closed in on him. Another suspect (Cecily Aguilar) was arrested and is pending charges in federal court on conspiracy to assist in destroying evidence. 

This episode contains a public outreach cry by the Fort Hood Deputy Commander, as well as a portions of the July 2nd press conference held by Army CID. 

Dig in with Margot as she discusses the new information that has come to light in the last 6 weeks since she covered the original disappearances.  

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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 check-out he write, “Pay Back.” The school never bothered to check the reason until it was far too late. 

Join Margot as she discusses this Father’s Day case that will make you cringe.

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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 hours later.

Specialist Roman-Martinez’s remains were found less than a week later, washed ashore. His body only identified with dental records. The autopsy report was still pending when this episode was released, but the Army CID is investigating the case as a homicide. 

There is a $15k reward for any information that leads to an arrest in the case. You can contact 910-396-8777 with information, or if you would like to remain anonymous, you can submit a tip here.  

Join Margot as she discusses the limited amount of facts made available to the public and asks for your help in solving this murder. 

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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 of the Cup Foods with two other people. Soon thereafter, Officer Derek Chauvin (Army Reserve Veteran) and Officer Tou Thao arrived on scene. 

After a struggle, Floyd found himself face down in the pavement parallel to the squad car, with Officer Chauvin’s knee in his neck. 

Bystanders quickly began filming on their phones and they filmed a horrific act. Three police officers (Thomas Lane, J. Alexander Kueng, and Tou Thao) watched as 19-year police veteran Derek Chauvin placed his knee on Floyd’s neck for 8 minutes and 46 seconds.

Screams of “check his pulse” erupt from the bystanders after Floyd stopped talking and moving, but the bystanders’ cries go unanswered. 

Floyd was pronounced dead at 9:25pm. 

Join Margot as she discusses the facts of the case and the charges against the four officers. 

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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 around the barracks that Barry was gay. This was a big deal, since someone discovered to be gay could be forced out of the military with a less than honorable service characterization. Barry tried to lay low, but the taunts continued. 

During the 4th of July weekend, the guys were BBQing in the barracks, when the youngest member of the unit, Calvin Glover, came outside and began slinging absurd tales about the crimes he committed back home. Barry told the young soldier to shut up and go to bed and this ignited a feud that would lead to Barry’s murder just 30 hours later at the hands of 18-year old Glover, but instigated by Barry’s roommate, 26-year old Fisher. 

Dig in with Margot as she discusses the conclusion of the murder of Barry Winchell, the ensuring trials, and the DADT policy. 

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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 get Barry kicked out of the military. 

But Barry was so evil, that he used a younger soldier as his weapon to destroy Barry. 

Dig in with Margot as she discusses the murder of Barry Winchell, the ensuring trials, and the DADT policy. 

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Significant UPDATES have occurred since the recording of this episode. Please listen here first, then go listen to Episode 037 for the update.

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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 Sergeant went looking for him. According to Greg’s wife, he hadn’t returned home the night before. He has not been seen or heard from since August 19, 2019. 

Vanessa Guillen:

 DOB: 9/30/1999 (20 years old when she disappeared)

 Height: 5’2”

 Weight: 126 lbs 

 Description: Hispanic, Black Hair, Brown Eyes

 Distinguishing features: Mole on left side of her chin and 3 tattoos on her left arm – 

 (1) flower, 

 (2) cross with a flower, 

 (3) mountain on upper arm. 

Gregory Scott Wedel-Morales:

 DOB: 1/19/1996 (23 years old when he disappeared)

 Height: 5’11”

 Weight: 140 lbs

 Description: White, Brown Hair, Brown Eyes

 Distinguishing features: Tattoo on his left arm (unsure where/what)

Army CID is offering a $15,000 reward to anyone with information that leads to either Vanessa or Greg. If you have information about these cases, contact CID at 254-287-2722. 

Dig in with Margot as she discusses the little information that has been made publicly available about these two missing Fort Hood soldiers. 

Additional Content: Brief discussion on the May 18, 2020 murder of a Fort Hood Soldier - Private First Class Brandon Scott Rosecrans. He was found murdered on May 18, 2020. If you have any information about this murder, you can contact the Harker Heights police at 254-953-5400 or contact Crime Stoppers at 254-526-8477. There is a $1,000 reward for information leading to an arrest in this case.   

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