This episode continues covering the case of the MacDonald Family Murders. We explore more of the evidence and the formal Army Criminal Investigation Division (CID) interview with Dr. Jeffrey MacDonald held on April 6, 1970. His article 32 hearing would determine whether or not he would face a court-martial.
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TuneInHospital Interview
Investigator Connolly was directed to go to the hospital and collect Colette, Kimberley, and Kristen’s clothing. He also discussed with the pathologist about collecting fingernail scrapings and hair samples.
Next, he went to interview Dr. Jeffrey MacDonald in the hopes of gathering more information about the home intruders. He noted that MacDonald was sitting up with a chest tube taped in place with no shirt on and he was awake and alert. He saw there was a slight discoloration of the left side of his forehead and a scratch mark starting on his left shoulder and traveling down towards the center of his chest. It looked like fingernail scratches. No other marks were noted.
Dr. Jeffrey MacDonald told Connolly the following. After working at his job on base and playing basketball with friends, he returned home between 5 pm to 5:30 pm. After eating supper with his family, Colette left for her night class. She was taking a Children’s Psychology course through North Carolina State University’s extension site at Fort Bragg.
After she returned home around 9:15 pm, they had a drink together and watched some tv until 11:30 pm when Colette went to bed. He wasn’t tired yet, so he stayed up and watched more tv, read about 50 pages of a Mickey Spillane novel, and then did the dishes.
He went to bed sometime after 2:00 am. When he went to bed, he found his younger daughter Kristen had wet the bed. So as not to disturb Colette, he took Kristen back to her bed and slept on the couch.
Dr. Jeffrey MacDonald is Awoken by Screams
These events occurred around 2:30 am. At some point, he was awoken from his sleep by screams coming from Colette and Kimberley. Three men immediately attacked him. A white female was holding what he thought was a candle. Colette was screaming, “Jeff, Jeff, help me!” and “Jeff, why are they doing this to me?” Kimberley was screaming “daddy, daddy, daddy” over and over.
There were one black male and two caucasian males. He was then struck on the head by the black male with what he thought was a bat. In fighting back, he thought he struck the black male and even scratched him. All the male assailants were between 5’8’’ to 5’9’’. One of the white males had a mustache and wore a red jacket with a hood on. The black male whole a fatigue jacket with E-6 stripes on it.
The female assailant was between 5’6’’ to 5’7’’ and she carried a lighted candle. He also stated that when he was knocked to the floor in the area of the living room and hallway, he noticed she had on boots that were so wet they appeared black. He indicated that she wore a floppy hat.
Aftermath
When he awoke he was lying near the stairs. He was cold, and his teeth were chattering. Everything was quiet. Dr. Jeffrey MacDonald could see down the hallway into the master bedroom. He saw Colette’s body lying on the floor. He quickly made his way to the master bedroom to check on Colette. MacDonald pulled the knife that was in her chest and threw it.
He couldn’t find a pulse and attempted mouth-to-mouth resuscitation. Dr. Jeffrey MacDonald heard gurgling sounds coming from Kristen’s room and rushed to her room. He claims he picked her up to render aid, but then laid her back down. MacDonald then went into Kimberley’s room to check on her and found her dead.
He made his way back to the master bedroom and called for help.
The MacDonalds
Jeffrey and Colette MacDonald were both from Patchogue, New York, and had met in middle school. They dated off and on throughout high school but had broken up before graduation. They reconnected in their freshman year of college.
Colette attended Skidmore College, and Jeff attended Princeton. It was prior to the end of their sophomore year that Colette became pregnant, and the two decided to marry on September 14, 1963. Kimberley was born in Princeton Hospital on April 18, 1964, and Kristen in Chicago on May 8, 1967.
Jeff was attending Northwestern University for medical school. Upon completion of medical school, Jeff interned at Columbia Presbyterian Medical Center in New York City. Jeffrey MacDonald joined the Army on July 1, 1969, at the rank of Captain. The family settled in Fort Bragg.
Colette’s Autopsy
Dr. Major George Gammel, a pathologist at Womack Army Hospital, conducted the autopsies on February 17th. Colette died as a result of multiple stab wounds to her thorax and neck area. She had a wound to her right temple where the skin was missing, and the surrounding area was black and blue covering her right eye area. Colette had two additional lacerations to her left temple area and a midline fracture of her forehead.
She also had extensive bruising to her chin area. Her head showed six blunt force trauma blows done by a blunt instrument. The most significant one was to her nose that caused a small fracture. Dr. Gammel found nine deep incisional wounds to the front of her neck and 7 more to her chest area. She also had 21 small puncture wounds over the area of her left breast. Her right wrist had been fractured, as was her left arm in two places. She also had extensive bruising all over her upper body and face. Both of her arms were bruised and broken, most likely due to holding her arms in a defensive position.
Colette was 4 to 5 months pregnant with a male fetus. She was due to give birth near the end of June 1970. She also had a small amount of alcohol and Benadryl in her system, but no illegal drugs in her system. Dr. Gammel gave an approximate time of death around 3 am
Kimberley’s and Kristen’s Autopsies
Dr. William Hancock conducted Kimberley’s autopsy also on February 17th. He found the Kimberley had received multiple blunt blows (half dozen or more) to her head that were sufficient to cause a concussion and a comatose state that may have caused her immediate death. Her right eye was recessed, and she had a fractured nose. He also found that she had at least 8 to 10 penetrating incisional wounds to the center of her neck.
These wounds were received after the blunt force trauma. No puncture type wounds were found. Kimberley’s time of death was anywhere from the evening of February 16th to the early morning hours of the 17th.
Dr. Hancock also conducted Kristen’s autopsy. Kristen died from multiple stab wounds (33 with a knife and 15 with an ice pick) to her heart that caused her to bleed to death. She also had some wounds to her hands, indicating that they may have been defensive wounds. No broken bones or blunt force trauma was noted.
Time of death similar to that of Kimberley’s.
The Kassabs
Freddy and Mildred Kassab, along with Jeffrey’s mother arrived at Womack Hospital in the early afternoon hours on the 17th. They were still not quite sure what was going on. They were escorted to MacDonald’s room, and when they entered, he cried out “They’re all dead! Colette and Kimmy and Kristy are dead! They killed them all!” and he started to sob.
Freddy Kassab had married Mildred Stevenson when Colette was 12 years old. Colette’s father had committed suicide. Colette and Freddy had a close relationship. They would talk once a week using Freddy’s trunk line from his office.
Freddy’s first marriage was during WWII when he worked in intelligence for the Canadian military. During the British air raids, his wife and baby daughter were killed.
Further Interviews
The next day, February 18th, Dr. Jeffrey MacDonald was again interviewed at Womack Hospital. He relayed the same information from the day before but added some new details. He told the investigator that prior to retiring to bed he had turned on a light in the kitchen and hallway bathroom. This was done for the kids in case they got up at night. He also stated that he may have gone into the hallway bathroom to check on his wounds after he had checked on his wife and kids prior to calling for help.
Another detail added was that he thought one of the white males, the one with the ice pick, had “lightweight gloves on.” He clarified that they might have been surgical gloves. He also felt that he would be able to identify the black assailant and the female assailant, but not the white attackers.
On February 20th Dr. Jeffrey MacDonald had the third interview while he was at Womack. He shared additional information from the prior evening (February 16th). He said that when Colette left for her class, he was alone with the children and had no visitors to the residence or telephone calls. Kristen went to bed around 7 pm and Kimberley around 9 pm.
Most of the information was the same from the prior interviews, but he added that he may have looked out the utility room door after he made the calls for help. On February 28th, Dr. Jeffrey MacDonald was released from Womack Hospital.
Funeral Services
Funeral Services were held on Saturday, February 21st on base at the John F. Kennedy Memorial Chapel. MacDonald was allowed to leave the hospital for the services. The bodies of Colette, Kimberley, and Kristen were flown north on Sunday to be buried in a Long Island cemetery in New York. The burials occurred on Monday, February 23rd.
Dr. Jeffrey MacDonald was not in attendance.
Missteps in the Investigation – Missing Wallet
It was discovered after Dr. Jeffrey MacDonald had been moved to the ambulance and before the removal of the victims that Jeffrey’s wallet had gone missing. James Paulsen, a medical corpsman, admitted after the fact to stealing the wallet. He had arrived at 544 Castle Drive to transport the female victims to the morgue. While waiting in the living room, he noticed the wallet on the desk that was right inside the front door, so he took it.
CID discovered the wallet was missing before Paulsen left, but he had already hidden the wallet in his ambulance. A subsequent search of vehicles in the area did not turn up the wallet. Paulsen ended up throwing out the wallet near the hospital after removing $6 that was inside. He did not touch any other objects in the MacDonald residence that night.
At 1:30 pm on the 17th SP4, Leonard Maki found the wallet upon leaving the hospital where he had been for outpatient care. He turned it into his unit commander.
The Flower Pot
When MPs first arrived (Paulk, Mica, Trever) they observed the living room, specifically the overturned coffee table that was lying on its side. A potted plant that had been on the table was now on its side with its contents spilled out across the floor.
At one point, there were 12-13 people inside the MacDonald residence. There were lots of MPs and medics and it was one of those medics that decided to upright the flower pot and sit on the couch. When told to get up and move, he did.
Trash
MPs assigned to guard the outside of the apartment had allowed the trash to be emptied from the MacDonald garbage cans before they were gone through.
Destroyed Footprint
In attempting to remove the wood floor with the bloody footprint on it the boards separated destroying the print. Fortunately, photographs were taken of the footprint before removal.
Lost Fingernail Scrapings
A piece of skin found under Colette’s fingernail was lost along with a vial containing a blue fiber found under Kristen’s fingernail.
Evidence
By March some evidence analysis reports were completed at Fort Gordon in Georgia. Loose fibers found in all three bedrooms came from McDonald’s blue PJ top. Pieces of rubber gloves found in the master bedroom were identical in composition to the rubber gloves found under the MacDonald kitchen sink.
The blond hair found clutched in Colette’s hand was, in fact, her own. MacDonald’s fingerprints were not found on the handle of the Geneva Forge knife. Fingerprints could not be found on any of the knives. Paint found on the club used in the murders had paint on it that was identical to the paint on the bookshelves in Kimberley’s room.
Blood Analysis
One of the most interesting finds was that each member of the MacDonald family had a different blood type.
- Colette – Type A
- Jeffrey – Type B
- Kimberley – Type AB
- Kristen – Type O
A 6-inch circle of Kimberley’s blood was found at the entrance of the master bedroom. Her blood was also found on the rumbled sheet on the floor of the master bedroom and on the torn blue PJ top. Droplets of her blood were found between the master bedroom and her bedroom.
Colette’s blood was found in Kristen’s room on the walls in the form of splatter and on the top sheet of Kirsten’s bed. The bloody footprint leading out of Kristen’s room was also in Colette’s blood. Her blood was also found in the rolled up top sheet and bedspread located on the master bedroom floor.
Jeffrey’s blood was found on the kitchen floor and the right side of the bathroom sink. Those were the only two locations where it was found in large quantities. No blood was found in the living room or dining room.
April 6, 1970 Formal CID Interview
Jeffrey MacDonald’s formal CID interview was conducted at the CID office with investigators Ivory, Shaw, and Grebner. At this meeting, Dr. Jeffrey MacDonald was advised that he was a suspect in the murders of his wife and children and read his rights.
He made the following significant statements. MacDonald recalled checking the utility room door sometime after he gained consciousness and it was standing open. He washed in the main bathroom after seeing his wounds. MacDonald entered the kitchen only as far as the telephone which was right inside the doorway.
He could not identify the Geneva Forge or Old Hickory paring knives as coming from his residence. He also denied owning an ice pick. The opinion was that the wood used in the murders could have been around his house, but he didn’t think he had any that size.
If any of the intruders were injured he felt it would have been the black male. He could not identify any suspects or anyone who had any reason for wanting to harm him or his family.
Dr. Jeffrey MacDonald Continues to Provide Details
MacDonald maintained that his blue PJ top was torn in the living room attack before he laid it over Colette’s body. He admitted to using gloves to wash the dishes, but could not remember if they were rubber or surgical. MacDonald couldn’t recall moving Colette’s body after entering the master bedroom but may have adjusted her shoulders to lay her completely flat to render aid.
He wasn’t wearing his glasses when he checked his children and presumes the blood on the lenses got there during the attack. MacDonald explained his injuries in comparison to his murdered wife and children by giving the opinion that perhaps he was the first one to be attacked and Colette and the girls were brutally murdered after he was unconscious.
He described his wounds as a “couple of blows to the head and a lot of little puncture wounds, a little cut on the abdomen, a couple of stab marks in the arm and a puncture wound in the lung.”
Dr. Jeffrey MacDonald Declines to Take Polygraph
After initially agreeing to take a polygraph exam once he left CID Headquarters, he called an hour later to decline. MacDonald was not formally charged at this meeting as the CID investigators wanted to keep him talking, and not all of the evidence had been analyzed. That plan got thrown out the window when the Provost Marshall had a press conference naming Dr. Jeffrey MacDonald, the prime suspect in his family’s murders.
He was again not formally charged, but relieved of his duties and placed under armed guard.
Lawyers
On the advice of a family friend, Dr. Jeffrey MacDonald was given the name Bernie Segal. He was a lawyer from Philadelphia and represented Jeffrey’s self-interests. This was in addition to a military lawyer assigned to represent him.
By the end of April, Segal had MacDonald examined twice by two psychiatrists in Pennsylvania. Their determinations were basically that MacDonald showed no psychosis or psychopathic tendencies and that he was not directly involved in his family’s murders.
On May 1, 1970 the Army formally charged Captain Jeffrey R. MacDonald in the murders of Colette, Kimberley, and Kristen.
Newsday Interview
In July 1970 MacDonald gave an interview to John Cummings, a reporter for the Long Island daily newspaper. The interview was arranged by Bernie Segal. MacDonald was put off by Bernie and did not tell him anything about the financial arrangements for giving the interview. The interview was the first he had given publicly, and he gave details from the night of the murders. He had not shared these details with close family and friends to this point, as it was too painful for him to talk about.
Dr. Jeffrey MacDonald told Cummings that he had sustained 12 icepick wounds across his abdomen and 3 to his left arm. He said that along with the stab wound to his right chest, he was also stabbed in his left arm and twice in the abdomen. MacDonald also stated he had been treated for shock while at Womack Hospital.
He shared that he had thought of committing suicide the night of April 6, 1970, by hanging himself with his belt from the exposed pipe in his barracks. MacDonald claimed that his stab wounds were not as deep as his other family members since he had been defending himself.
Press Agent
It was after the Newsday interview that Dr. Jeffrey MacDonald took it upon himself to act as his public relations manager. He reached out to Esquire magazine Los Angeles Times, North Carolina Observer, Time Magazine. He was writing them letters stating that the Army had mishandled the investigation from the start. The Army’s belief that he was the guilty party to the murders was a cover-up; he was a scapegoat.
With Time Magazine, he wrote to them that he was placed in intensive care for his injuries.
Article 32 Hearing
The July 5, 1970 Article 32 hearing commences with Colonel Warren Rock assigned as the investigating officer. In the Uniform Code of Military Justice, an Article 32 hearing occurs prior to a formal court-martial to determine the merits of the charges.
Captain Jeffrey MacDonald denied killing his wife and kids
Testimony was given at the hearing as to the day leading up to the murders. At 6 am on Sunday, February 15, 1970, Dr. Jeffrey MacDonald began a 24-hour shift at Hamlet Hospital in Hamlet, N.C. He did not see many patients and was able to sleep for 6 hours overnight. Dr. Jeffrey MacDonald got off shift at 6 am on Monday, February 16th, and drove the 60 miles back to Fort Bragg.
He had breakfast with his family, then went to work at the 6th Special Forces Group Surgeon’s Office. MacDonald returned home for lunch, then went back to the office. He got off work at 4 pm and played basketball with friends. When he got home he took Kimberley and Kristen to visit the pony he had bought them for Christmas. They returned home and ate dinner prior to 6 pm due to Colette’s night class.
Colette left for class at 6:15 pm. After putting Kristen to bed with a bottle of milk at 7 pm he returned to the living room and fell asleep on the living room floor. Kimberley woke him up to watch the tv show Laugh-In. She then went to bed at 9 pm. Colette returned home between 9:30 pm and 9:45 pm. After putting the milk in the fridge she changed into her PJs and joined Dr. Jeffrey MacDonald in the living room to talk and watch tv.
MacDonald Sleeps on the Couch
After Colette went to bed around midnight, Kristen had woken up, so he got her a bottle of chocolate milk and he didn’t’ hear anything more from her. He finished watching Carson and then did the dishes using the rubber gloves he thinks. Afterward, he went into the living room to finish reading a Mickey Spillane novel while listening to an FM radio station on the stereo set.
He was wearing his glasses while reading. At some point, he turned off the stereo and probably went to the small bathroom off the utility room, but did not remember checking to see if the door was locked or not. He found Kristen on his side of the bed (right side), and she had wet the bed, and so as not to disturb Colette he picked Kristen up and put her back in her room.
He took an afghan blanket and went to sleep on the couch placing his head down on the south end of the couch shortly after 2 am.
Additional Details
Not wanting to repeat what MacDonald has said in previous interviews, I’m just going to add what hasn’t been shared at this point.
During the attack, he stated upon being awakened by Colette and Kimberley’s screams, the black male raised a club and swung it, hitting him in the left arm and left forehead knocking him back onto the couch. He sat up again and caught the next swing of the club, and that is when the two white assailants started punching him on the chest, neck, and shoulders. Suddenly he got a very sharp pain in his right chest.
Around this time, his PJ top had gotten pulled over his head and wrapped around his wrists. He says that he grabbed the hand of one of the white assailants, and that is when he noticed he was wearing “heavy rough grain gloves.” While attempting to free his hands from the PJ top he was hit in the shoulder by the club again. He was still somewhat on the couch during the attack but believes he got his left foot on the floor and pushed into his attackers and fell near the stairs.
It was there that the last thing he remembers seeing is a knee and what he thought were boots. He estimates that the attack took 15 to 30 seconds.
Dr. Jeffrey MacDonald Loses Consciousness
MacDonald claims he lost consciousness, and when he awoke, he was lying on this stomach with his hands underneath him with his wrists still wrapped in his PJ top. His teeth were chattering, and his head and chest hurt.
He walked to the master bedroom, turned on the light, and saw Colette leaning up against the green chair. MacDonald took off his PJ top and dropped it and then moved Colette to lay flat on the floor. He removed the knife from her chest and threw it. He gave her mouth-to-mouth resuscitation for a few seconds and stopped when he noticed air bubbling up from her chest. MacDonald then picked up his PJ top and laid it over Colette’s chest. He then “may have” put the white Hilton mat over her torso area, but doesn’t remember doing so.
Next, he went into his children’s rooms to check on them. First to Kimberley’s then to Kristen’s. He either checked their pulses or gave them mouth-to-mouth. Then noting his injuries he went into the hallway bathroom and washed his hands using a tissue to dry them.
MacDonald then went back to the master bedroom to re-check Colette’s injuries. He removed the PJ top to do this. He then dialed “O” using the phone in the bedroom.
The Phone Call
MacDonald testified that he told the initial operator his name, that there had been stabbings and he needed police, MPs, and doctors. He claims he was asked by the operator if his address was on or off post. He told her it was on post and she allegedly said to him that it was an MP matter. Thinking that the operator was not going to help him he dropped the phone and noticed the utility room door was open so he went to investigate. He saw nothing when he looked outside.
MacDonald states that he checked on both of his daughters again and then went into the kitchen and picked up the phone. He heard both male and female voices on the line and he restated his request for assistance. He dropped the phone and believes he went to the kitchen sink and washed his hands again. His next recollection is him struggling with the MP trying to help him
MacDonald’s Complaints
MacDonald claims that the doctor’s treating either didn’t notice or didn’t record his ice pick injuries. He also notes that he left several messages for investigators.
Dr. Jeffrey MacDonald was caught unaware that he was a suspect until the April 6th meeting where he was read his rights. He testified that he was never shown any pictures of his alleged attackers to identify. His attorney had commissioned an artist to draw up composite sketches of his attackers.
No one ever questioned him about the chronicle of events of the night before April 6th.
Affairs
During the article 32 hearing MacDonald testified that he loved his wife and kids.
“More than anything in the world.”
Upon cross-examination, he did admit to a sexual relationship in December 1969 while in Texas. He claimed he had very infrequent affairs during his marriage and that Colette never knew because he never told her.
Mr. Dillard Browning, Forensic Chemist
Dillard Browning was a Forensic Chemist at the US Army Criminal Investigation Laboratory in Fort Benning, Ga. He testified to various chemical analyses. He had analyzed fibers, hairs, paints, waxes, and wood chips found at the crime. An interesting note is that he testified to receiving six candles from the MacDonald house. One of them was multi-colored. The chemical analysis had not been completed at the time of the article 32 hearing.
Kalin Family
Donald Kalin, a neighbor of the McDonalds, testified that he never saw Jeffrey and Colette argue and felt that they had a good marriage. He never saw any abuse committed by the parents towards the children.
On the night of the murders, Mr. Kalin had gone to bed between 10 and 10:30 am. He heard no noises until he was awakened by the police. He was asked to identify the bodies which he did.
Pamela Kalin, Next Door Neighbor & Baby Sitter
Pamela Kalin testified that her bedroom was directly above the MacDonald living room. She also testified that on occasion she babysat for the MacDonald’s. Kalin felt that the children were normal, the marriage was a good one, and the MacDonald’s appeared to be happily married.
She testified that when it was quiet, she could hear conversations held in normal tones from her bedroom. On the night of the 16th, she went to bed around 10:30 pm. She testified that at some point she was awakened by Dr. Jeffrey MacDonald either laughing or sobbing. She heard no evidence of a scuffle, furniture being moved or screaming, and went back to sleep.
Franz Grebner, Commanding Officer of CID at Fort Bragg
Franz Grebner testified that he was in charge of coordinating all non-military investigative agencies. 20 FBI agents assisted in the investigation. There were 3,500 interviews that took place with a focus on the four alleged assailants. 150 to 200 individuals were interviewed, and each was verified that they were not on the Fort Bragg base the night of the murders. Each of their alibis checked out.
MacDonald was not shown any photos of possible suspects.
The Defense
Helena Stoeckley was mentioned as a suspect for the first time during the Article 32 hearing. Mr. William Posey, a resident of the Haymount Section of Fayetteville, N.C. was a neighbor of Helena’s. He witnessed her returning to her apartment between 3:45 am to 4:30 am on February 17th. She had gotten out of a blue Mustang with at least two other hippie type males inside. She told Posey she was “stoned” the night of the 16th & 17th and couldn’t remember what she had done that evening. On the day of the memorial service Helena dressed in all black, which was not her typical attire.
Posey would testify at the Article 32 hearing that on August 11th, he had another conversation with Helena about her involvement in the MacDonald murders. She told him she didn’t know as she has no memory of being there but didn’t think she could be involved with something like that.
Fifteen character witnesses testified for MacDonald.
Freddy Kassab, who was Colette’s step-father since the age of 12 testified that he knew of no issues in Colette and Jeff’s marriage. He told Colonel Rock that if he had another daughter, he would still want MacDonald to be his son-in-law. Freddy also wanted an official transcript of the proceedings and continually asked MacDonald for one as the proceeding were closed to the public.
Colonel Rock’s Determination
Colonel Rock conducted two visits to 544 Castle Drive. The last one was on August 19, 1970, between the hours of 9 pm and 10 pm. He made several observations.
There were no nicks on the ceiling in the living room or Kimberley’s bedroom. He simulated lighting conditions and was able to observe facial features in the living room. Colonel Rock kicked over the coffee table that got caught on the rocking chair and it came to rest on its side.
He recommended two things: (taken directly from his report).
(1) All charges and specifications against Captain Jeffrey R. MacDonald be dismissed because the matters set forth in all charges and specifications are not true. There are no lesser charges and/or specifications which are appropriate.
(2) That appropriate civilian authorities be requested to investigate the alibi of Helena Stoeckley, Fayetteville, North Carolina, reference her activities and whereabouts during the early morning hours of 17 February 1970, based on evidence presented during the hearing.
October 23, 1970
Major General Edward Flanagan reported that there was insufficient evidence available to justify a court-martial and dismissed all charges.
Resources
Resources are included in Part 4.