I see you are back. You FReepmailed me instead of reviving the thread. I just revived it, have a good day.
Former soldier to testify against comradesBurgoyne makes plea deal in 2003 slaying of soldierBY PAT GILLESPIEStaff WriterThree days before he would have faced trial along with three former soldiers, Jacob Burgoyne pleaded guilty Friday to manslaughter in the 2003 slaying of a fellow soldier the day after all returned from a year in Iraq.
Burgoyne, 26, a former private in the 1st Battalion, 15th Infantry Regiment, of the 3rd Brigade, will not be seated beside his former comrades in arms when jury selection begins Monday in Muscogee County Superior Court.
The plea bargain that brought reduced charges for Burgoyne requires him to be a prosecution witness. He'll testify against Alberto Martinez, Mario Navarrete and Douglas Woodcoff -- all former privates first class in the same unit -- during the murder trial in the death of Spc. Richard Davis on July 12, 2003.
Originally charged with malice murder, felony murder, aggravated assault and armed robbery, Burgoyne pleaded guilty to reduced charges of voluntary manslaughter and robbery by force, in addition to possession of a knife during a crime and concealing the death of another.
"He's going to be sentenced to substantial time in the penitentiary," District Attorney Gray Conger said after the hearing.
Voluntary manslaughter and robbery are each punishable by up to 20 years in prison, with concealing a death punishable by up to 10 years and the weapons charge up to five years.
Burgoyne, of Middleburg, Fla., didn't speak during Friday's plea session, other than to respond to Senior Judge E. Mullins Whisnant's questions concerning his rights, and to reply, "Guilty," when asked how he would plead to the charges.
Conger said Burgoyne made no further statements at the hearing because he will testify next week on the state's behalf. The prosecutor also presented no recitation of facts about Burgoyne's participation in the murder during the session.
As he left the courtroom, Burgoyne nodded to his mother, who was using a tissue to wipe her tears.
Night goes wrong
One day after returning from Iraq, Burgoyne, Martinez, Navarrete, Woodcoff and Davis went out drinking and partying, stopping at the Platinum Club the night of July 12, 2003. But because Davis yelled obscenities at the dancers, the soldiers told police, they got kicked out.
The soldiers began arguing in the nightclub's parking lot, but moved a short time later to a wooded area on Milgen Road, where they stopped their car and began fighting on the roadside, police said. During the fight, Martinez drew a knife and repeatedly stabbed Davis, a St. Charles, Mo. native, police said.
Investigators have said the soldiers moved Davis' body off the road shoulder, went to a gas station and got some lighter fluid, then burned his body before burying it and leaving.
Detective Andrew Tyner testified in a Nov. 10, 2003, Columbus Recorder's Court hearing that Burgoyne and Navarrete were trading blows with Davis when Martinez, armed with a knife, stabbed Davis in the side.
For about 15-20 minutes, the soldiers tried to persuade Martinez not to harm Davis further, Tyner said.
Navarrete told police he tried to intervene when Martinez was stabbing Davis, but he was blocked by Burgoyne, who said of Martinez, "He's gotta do what he's gotta do," Tyner testified.
The trial for the remaining defendants is scheduled to begin Monday in front of Senior Judge William Smith.
Martinez and Navarrete are charged with murder, felony murder, armed robbery, possession of a firearm during the commission of a crime, aggravated assault and concealing the death of another. Woodcoff is charged with concealing the death of another.
Tyner said Woodcoff was at the scene of the murder and didn't harm Davis, but he also didn't do anything to stop the attacks. Muscogee County Coroner James Dunnavant said the autopsy results showed that Davis was stabbed multiple times.
Days after Davis was stabbed to death, Martinez, Burgoyne and Navarrete -- motivated by fear that the stench of the body would reach Milgen Road -- returned to the site and moved the body deeper into the woods, police testified.
Drawing attention
The case has received national and international attention, including an article in Newsweek in March 2004 and a lengthy article in Playboy Magazine in May 2004.
In an article last week in the St. Louis Post-Dispatch, Davis' father, Lanny Davis, said screenwriter Paul Haggis, who wrote "Million Dollar Baby," is working with him on a Warner Brothers proposal that could include Clint Eastwood playing the role of Lanny Davis.
During a 2004 court hearing here, a producer from television's "Dateline NBC" sat in the audience, gathering
Hi, yes I'm back and you can see I don't how to use this forums to post. Don't even know if this ones right.I did post the news from the trial yesterday. Todays isn't out yet but it was gut wrenching. So much that noboby knew and is now coming out. This will all be on 48 hours in April and there will be a movie.
I'm still looking for anyone that knew Burgoyne?? Thanks