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

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

[honeygrl]

COLUMBUS - Three Fort Benning soldiers have been arrested in the death of a man whose skeletal remains were discovered in a wooded area.

Douglas Woodcoff, 24; Mario Navarrette, 24; and Jacob Burgoyne, 24 were arrested late Friday and charged in the death.

The man, whose identity, which is being withheld until authorities can reach family members, is believed to be a soldier in his 20s.

[honeygrl]

Searched for this and didn't find it. Hope it's not a repeat thread.

[honeygrl]

More info:
http://www.accessnorthga.com/news/ap_newfullstory.asp?ID=23872
Three Fort Benning soldiers have been arrested in the death of a 25-year-old fellow service member from Missouri, whose skeletal remains were discovered in a wooded area.

Douglas Woodcoff, 24; Mario Navarrette, 24; and Jacob Burgoyne, 24 were arrested late Friday and charged in the death of Richard Thomas Davis, 25, of St. Charles, Mo.

The Columbus Ledger-Enquirer, citing military sources, identified the victim as Davis in a story for Mondays papers.

Muscogee County Coroner James Dunnavant said the cause of death was still being determined.

Fort Bennings Criminal Investigations Division on Friday discovered the bones beneath a clutter of wooden boards and leaves along Milgen Road.

Authorities say the victim appeared to have been killed near the wooded area and had been dead for at least a month.

[eyespysomething]

Was he listed as AWOL? Did anyone miss him?

Did I miss that in the story?

[honeygrl]

So far I haven't seen anything about that part yet.

[connectthedots]

Was he listed as AWOL? Did anyone miss him? Did I miss that in the story?

AWOLs are not major news stories and in this case it would appear rather obvious that they knew the deceased was missing. Also, I would think under the circumstances that being dead should not be considered AWOL.

[stlnative]

Posted on Mon, Nov. 10, 2003

Dead soldier was from Missouri, officials say
Coroner says man stabbed several times
BY MURIEL TAN
Staff Writer

A Fort Benning-based soldier whose remains were found Friday afternoon in a wooded area off Milgen Road was identified Sunday as a 25-year-old specialist from St. Charles, Mo.

Richard Thomas Davis of the 3rd Brigade 3rd Infantry Division had arrived for basic training at Fort Benning in January 2002, said a spokesperson for the post Sunday night. He graduated in April 2002 and had been assigned to the 3rd Brigade since.

On Friday, investigators with Fort Benning's Criminal Investigation Division discovered Davis' remains in a wooded area along the 4400 block of Milgen Road, lying beneath a cluster of wood planks and some leaves. Police have released no details on the case, other than to say that Davis had been dead for at least a month and appeared to have been killed near the wooded area. Autopsy results returned over the weekend indicated that he died of multiple stab wounds, Muscogee County Coroner James Dunnavant said.

A few hours after the early afternoon discovery, three soldiers linked to Davis' death were transported to the Muscogee County Jail after being held at military police headquarters. Columbus police have charged each with one count of murder. They are identified as: Douglas Woodcoff, 24, of B Company, 1st Battalion, 15th Infantry Regiment; Mario Navarrette, 24, of Watkins Avenue; and Jacob Burgoyne, 24, address unavailable. The soldiers' ranks and the units for Navarette and Burgoyne were also not available.

Police have not said if they are looking for any other suspects in the death. The three suspects are scheduled to appear at an 8 a.m. hearing today in Recorder's Court.

[cgk]

Weird... why does it seem that more of these things happen at Ft. Benning than other bases? They also had the ".22 caliber killer" and the "Forces of Evil" killer.

[jjm2111]

bump for later

[m1-lightning]

This story having 3 killers leads me to believe only one motive. Don't ask, Don't tell.

[honeygrl]

or maybe they just didn't like him.

[eyespysomething]

Um I meant was he considered AWOL before he was found dead, not after. It may be obvious to you, but as the wife of a journalist, a line stating "He had been missing for a month/He was considered AWOL after not reporting for duty over a month ago/Officials suspected foul play when he was reported missing/Family has been heartbroken since soldier disappeared over 1 month ago/" or something along those lines would have filled in a detail missing from the story.

[Mr. Jeeves]

Sounds like somebody stumbled across a weapons/ammo selling operation. Wonder if Homeland Security has any idea who the buyers were?

[Future Snake Eater]

Holy cow...I went to Basic Training at Benning with a Jacob Burgoyne and we were be about the same age...I wonder if I know this guy...anybody know where pictures of the suspects could be found?

[honeygrl]

No photos of them out so far that I see.

[Palladin]

Maybe drug dealers?

[Michael.SF.]

I think your all correct. This was a killing over:

a Drug and gun running homosexual, that nobody liked.

[longtermmemmory]

talked to a british naval officer. He said that seamen who were found to be homosexuals tended to "fall" overboard.

[archy]

***Um I meant was he considered AWOL before he was found dead, not after. It may be obvious to you, but as the wife of a journalist, a line stating "He had been missing for a month/He was considered AWOL after not reporting for duty over a month ago/Officials suspected foul play when he was reported missing/Family has been heartbroken since soldier disappeared over 1 month ago/" or something along those lines would have filled in a detail missing from the story.***

After 30 days, the charge he should have been facing would have been desertion.

[Fledermaus]

Bummer. I was born at Ft. Benning.

[anglian]

COLUMBUS, Ga. (AP) - Four soldiers at Fort Benning have been arrested and accused of stabbing to death a member of their infantry unit, setting the body on fire and leaving it in the woods just days after their return from Iraq.

Police said the soldiers had gotten mad at Spc. Richard R. Davis for insulting a dancer at a strip club and getting them kicked out of the place.

Davis, 24, of St. Charles, Mo., was stabbed repeatedly in July. His skeletal remains were found Friday, nearly four months after he was reported missing. Fort Benning investigators had received a tip to search the woods near the Army post.

Three of the soldiers - Jacob Burgoyne, Mario Naverrete and Douglas Woodcoff - were arrested Friday and charged with murder. A judge on Monday reduced the charges against them to concealing a body, though prosecutors said they will press for murder charges.


The fourth suspect, Alberto Martinez, is awaiting extradition from California on murder charges. Police said it was Martinez who stabbed Davis while he fought with Burgoyne and Naverrete. All of the suspects are 24.


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.


Fort Benning could not immediately provide the suspects' ranks, but Woodcoff's lawyer said he is a private.


``They were upset with Mr. Davis for getting them thrown out of the club,'' Columbus Detective Andrew Tyner testified at a hearing Monday.


Tynder said the soldiers began arguing after leaving the strip club, and a fistfight broke out in the woods. After Davis was killed, the soldiers drove to a convenience store and bought lighter fluid, and at least two of the men set the body on fire, police said.


The three soldiers under arrest in Georgia remained jailed Wednesday on $25,000 bail.


Mark Shelnutt, Woodcoff's lawyer, succeeded Monday in getting a judge to reduce the charges against the three. Police testified that Woodcuff did not take part in the fight with Davis, but did nothing to stop it.


Lanny Davis, the victim's father, said the military listed his son as AWOL for months after he was reported missing July 14.


``He survived Iraq, and then he goes out to party with people he probably trusted,'' he said. ``The very next day, he came up missing.''


Davis served in Bosnia and Kuwait and then re-enlisted. The last time his parents saw him was last November, when he headed back to the Middle East and eventually to Iraq.