(2003) Fort Benning soldiers arrested (3 soldiers arrested for murder of another soldier)

Athens Banner Herald ^ | 11/10/03 | Athens Banner Herald

[honeygrl]

geez how horrible! I feel bad for the guy's parents.

(how do you get kicked out of a strip club anyway?)

[cousinrose]

I want everyone who reads this to know that Richard was my cousin. Regardless of what he did, he definitely did not deserve to be killed by the same men that were defending our country. How could they kill my cousin over something so stupid? They stabbed him, burned him, and left him. My cousin has been laying in the woods for over four months. Who ever did this to him are sick and have caused tremendous pain for our family. To reduce any of their sentences is just ridiculous. I didn't even get to hear his war stories. He didn't even get to tell anyone he was home and all right. I am just glad that our family has peace of mind knowing where Rich is.

[Ben Bolt]

God bless Richard and may God hold him tenderly .

[leadpenny]

Sad. I hope your family finds peace in the wake of this senseless murder.

[Ben Bolt]

Sad read hon ..

[metesky]

Sincere condolences to you and your family on this senseless loss.

It's extremely upsetting that these guys could be defending our country one day and killing one of their own the next.

Maximum punishment for them will not bring your cousin back.

God bless you.

[kalmt]

They did have all pictures of these guys on CNN news about a week or so ago.

[eastforker]

Can I be the devils advocate here for a moment?You ask why this happens at Ft. Benning.What do you think they teach there,diplomcy? No,They teach how to kill,and kill proficiantly.They teach how to kill without remource,by the way, that is what makes a great soldier.Killing can also make one dishonorable.Ft. Benning is a killing school,cuz some people just need killin.Not this kid though,that is, I think not,unless he betrayed someone.Think about what we train our sodiers to do,we train them to kill,don't be surprised when they do!

[Future Snake Eater]

For your viewing pleasure, here are the perps. The thug in the far left picture, Jacob Burgoyne, is indeed one of my old "buddies" in my Basic Training platoon. Absolutely amazing...

[Fred Mertz]

I'm very sorry about your loss.

[Fred Mertz]

They all look like Satan.

[eastforker]

So who do you want on the front lines,Beaver and Wally?These guys are killers,true,unfortunate they used their skills on an american instead of a muslim terrorist.

[Future Snake Eater]

Don't hand me that crap. Burgoyne was a piece of $hit in Basic and it finally got him into the serious trouble a lot of us expected for him. I've known plenty of combat vets with a whole lot of notches in their M16s who were decent, hard-working soldiers, not murderers of their own buddies.

[eastforker]

You just echoed exactly what I said.If you agree or not does not matter.We train these guys to kill and we train them well.Sometimes there are some that fall through the cracks who are not of the best moral character,like this guy for example.My response was to why this happens at Fort Benning,well duh,that just happens to be where these guys are trained and every now and then one gets through that shouldn't be there.Now what's so hard to understand about that.

[Future Snake Eater]

No, I did not echo what you said. You seemed to be making an excuse b/c these guys are "trained to kill." Well, I've received the exact same training as those people, and I cannot fathom what led them to do what they did. And as far as "falling through the cracks," that assumes there's a method of checking on the moral status of these infantry soldiers, which I can tell you from personal experience, does not exist.

[eastforker]

Read what it says in the article,"All five soldiers belonged to same company and had returned to Fort Benning from Iraq just days before the slaying. Their unit is part of the Army's 3rd Infantry Division, which led the assault on Baghdad".Now say what you will but these guys just came back from combat where killing and carnage was an everyday thing.Some can handle it and some can't,thats a fact.The act of taking a life becomes easier with each act.I am not making excuses for these guys actions but the army does not do enough to rehabilitate combat veterans when they are brought back home.

[cousinrose]

Just imagine this. Think of your son, brother, cousin, uncle or nephew. Imagine finding out that he was stabbed and burned and left for dead for four months in the woods. Imagine his killers going home to their families and telling their vivid stories of how they had survived the war. Think about how he no longer has a future. Think about how we will never see him again. Please understand how much it hurts to have a loved one MURDERED. I know that infantry means to kill. They are supposed to go through evaluations of their mental health once they come back from combat, or so the army claims. Say what you want about the motive to kill, just remember that there is no reason to kill.

[cousinrose]

Just imagine this. Think of your son, brother, cousin, uncle or nephew. Imagine finding out that he was stabbed and burned and left for dead for four months in the woods. Imagine his killers going home to their families and telling their vivid stories of how they had survived the war. Think about how he no longer has a future. Think about how we will never see him again. Please understand how much it hurts to have a loved one MURDERED. I know that infantry means to kill. They are supposed to go through evaluations of their mental health once they come back from combat, or so the army claims. Say what you want about the motive to kill, just remember that there is no reason to kill.

[epluribus unum1]

Posted on Tue, Nov. 11, 2003



Murder charges against three soldiers reduced
Fourth soldier held in California; hearing set for Wednesday
BY MURIEL TAN
Staff Writer

Murder charges against three Fort Benning-based soldiers were reduced Monday during
a Recorder's Court hearing.

Hours later, the District Attorney's office filed a motion in Muscogee Superior Court
seeking to revoke their bonds and order all three held without bond until further
proceedings.

The three soldiers -- Jacob Burgoyne, Mario Naverrete and Douglas Woodcoff, all 24 --
had each been charged with murdering fellow Iraq War veteran Richard R. Davis, also 24,
days after their return from Iraq to Fort Benning in July.

During the 8 a.m. hearing, Recorder's Court Judge Michael Cielinski reduced the murder
charges, but found probable cause to bind them over on charges of concealing the death
of another. A hearing on the bond revocation motion is now set for Wednesday.

A fourth suspect in the murder, Alberto Martinez, 24, is being held in California
pending extradition to Georgia on a murder charge.

All five soldiers were members of B Company, 1st Battalion, 15th Infantry Regiment,
part of the 3rd Brigade, 3rd Infantry Division at Fort Benning, court records show.

On Friday, acting on a tip from an informant, investigators with Fort Benning's Criminal
Investigation Division went to a wooded area off the 4400 block of Milgen Road, police
said. There they discovered skeletal remains later identified as belonging to Davis.

He had been stabbed multiple times, according to autopsy results. Testimony given by
police Monday indicated that he was later set on fire.

A private in the U.S. Army originally from Missouri, Davis was reported missing July
16, three days after his return from Iraq, authorities said.

"He returned on July 13, was last seen on July 14 at barracks and on the 16th he was
reported AWOL after not reporting for duty," Police Detective Andrew Tyner testified.
"The defendants were the last persons he was seen with."

Tyner, along with Police Detective Tony Culberson, went on to testify to each of the
men's roles before, during and after Davis' murder.

The five soldiers had gone to a Columbus strip club on Manchester Expressway and
were ordered to leave after Davis apparently insulted one of the dancers.

Burgoyne and Naverrete told police that once outside the club, an argument erupted.

"They were upset with Mr. Davis for getting them thrown out of the club," Tyner
stated. The argument continued and the men got into Martinez's car and drove off,
eventually stopping the car near the wooded area.

While Burgoyne and Naverrete continued to trade blows with Davis, "a fourth
individual" whom police have identified as Martinez, allegedly stabbed Davis in his side,
Tyner testified.

For some 15 to 20 minutes the group tried to get Martinez not to do any more harm to
the victim, Tyner testified.

Naverrete told police he tried to intervene but was apparently blocked at one point by
Burgoyne.

"Burgoyne stood between (Martinez) and the victim saying, 'He's gotta do what he's
gotta do,' " Tyner testified.

In an interview, Woodcoff told police he knew Davis but denied knowledge of the
murder.

"The information we received was that Woodcoff was present, didn't do anything to
harm Mr. Davis and didn't do anything to try to stop the fight," Tyner testified.

After the first strike with the knife, Martinez eventually delivered more blows to Davis,
police were told.

Within 30 minutes, the men then drove to a convenience store, purchased lighter fluid
and returned to the scene. Police testified that Burgoyne and at least one of the other
men then ignited the fluid, setting the body on fire.

"Some three to four days" later, the group allegedly returned to the body, this time
without Woodcoff.

"They were afraid of the aroma -- the body was moved further into the woodline,"
Culberson testified.

Arguing that there was "no evidence" that his client Woodcoff had an altercation with
the victim, attorney Mark Shelnutt argued for a dismissal of the murder charge.