Update: Husband of Army nurse charged with murder

[thedrifter]

Update: Husband of Army nurse charged with murder

Original posting at 9:20 a.m. ET: WRAL-TV reports that the estranged husband of an Army nurse who went missing last week is being held on arson charges in connection with a fire at her apartment.

The Fayetteville Observer says John Wimunc and Kyle Alden, both Marines, were charged with first-degree arson. They're being held at a county jail.

Both news organizations are reporting that firefighters found 2nd Lt. Holley Wimunc's charred body Sunday near Camp Lejeune, N.C. No one has been charged in connection with her death, they say.

"It is with profound sadness that our family just received the news from authorities that our beloved daughter Holley is dead," her father, Jesse James, writes in an e-mail to WRAL-TV. "Since last Thursday's shocking news about Holley's burned apartment and her missing person status, our family through the country has nonetheless been holding on to a thin thread of hope that she would be found alive. Today, that thread of hope broke as her body was discovered."

Officials have not publicly identified the body, which was found near the site of a brush fire.

Update at 3:05 p.m. ET: A police official just announced that Wimunc is being charged with first-degree murder. Alden faces a charge of conspiracy to commit murder, Fayetteville Police Chief Tom Bergamine says. Both men are being held without bond, he says.

A detective says they're waiting for a positive identification of the charred remains that were found in Onslow County, N.C.

Ellie

[thedrifter]

Marine charged with first-degree murder
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July 14, 2008 - 3:17PM
Staff reports

The husband of a missing Fort Bragg soldier has been charged with first-degree murder for her death.

Cpl. John Patrick Wimunc, 23, a Camp Lejeune Marine, was arrested Monday and charged with first-degree murder, first-degree arson and conspiracy to commit first-degree arson, according to a news release from the Fayetteville Police Department.

Kyle Ryan Alden, 22, also a Marine at Camp Lejuene, was charged with felony accessory after the fact to first-degree murder, first-degree arson and conspiracy to commit first-degree arson. The Marines are in Cumberland County Detention Center.

The arrests came after a charred body was found in the woods near Camp Lejeune on Sunday. Authorities believe is the body is that of Army 2nd Lt. Holley Lynn James Wimunc, but have not yet confirmed that information.

"We initially saw paraphernalia that indicated it could be the missing lieutenant from Fayetteville," Sheriff Ed Brown said Monday. "This appears to be Fayetteville's case, from the very onset yesterday."

Holley Wimunc was declared missing Thursday after she failed to show up for work and authorities discovered the remains of a fire at her Fayetteville apartment.

"The suspicion is that the murder possibly happened in Cumberland County" and the remains were brought to Onslow, Brown said. "The crime scene is in Onslow County, but it will be prosecuted in Fayetteville."

Wimunc and Alden had been under close supervision, which Brown likened to house arrest, for the past few days.

"Indications were that the fire was not set yesterday," he said.

The body will be sent to the North Carolina State Medical Examiners Office in Chapel Hill for an autopsy to conclusively determine the identity of the victim and cause of death, according to the Fayetteville police press release.

The body was found in a shallow grave that did not entirely cover the body, Brown said. A hand, not attached to an arm, was sticking up from the ground, which Brown said bore a "haunting similarity" to the discovery of the bodies of Marine Lance Cpl. Maria Lauterbach and her unborn child.

Lauterbach's burned remains were found in January, buried in the backyard of fellow Marine Cpl. Cesar Laurean. Brown said then that the image of the fetus' hand and tiny curled fingers would stick with him forever.

The scene Sunday "became a nightmare ... and stayed unfortunately familiar," Brown said.

Ellie

[thedrifter]

2 Marines charged in nurse's slaying due in court

2 hours, 33 minutes ago

Authorities in North Carolina say a Marine charged with murder in the death of his wife, an Army nurse, is scheduled to face a first-appearance hearing in court Tuesday along with a fellow serviceman.

In addition to murder, officials charged Marine Cpl. John Wimunc on Monday with first-degree arson and conspiracy to commit arson in the death of his wife, Army 2nd Lt. Holley Wimunc, of Dubuque, Iowa. Her body was found Sunday, three days after a suspicious fire at her Fayetteville apartment.

Authorities also charged Lance Cpl. Kyle Alden with first-degree arson, conspiracy to commit arson and accessory after the fact to first-degree murder. Both were assigned to Camp Lejeune.

The hearing is scheduled for 2 p.m. Tuesday in Cumberland County District Court.

Ellie

[thedrifter]

Military killings concern area
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Hits seen to Marine, local image
July 16, 2008 - 1:02AM
MOLLY DEWITT
DAILY NEWS STAFF

Some Onslow County residents are concerned and frustrated in the wake of the charges against Marine Cpl. John Wimunc, the second Camp Lejeune Marine charged with murder this year for the death of a female service member.

"The military are supposed to be our protectors, and they're the ones having things happen to them," said Erin Forsyth of Jacksonville. "It's weird that it happens here, because you don't think it's going to happen here."

A burned and dismembered body that authorities say is Fort Bragg soldier 2nd Lt. Holley Wimunc, who was reported missing last week, was discovered in a shallow grave off a dirt road in a wooded area of Sneads Ferry on Sunday. Wimunc's estranged husband, John Wimunc, of 2nd Combat Engineer Battalion, 2nd Marine Division, was charged Monday by the Fayetteville Police Department with first-degree murder.

In January, authorities found the charred remains of Camp Lejeune Marine Lance Cpl. Maria Lauterbach and her unborn child in the Half Moon community backyard of a fellow Marine she had previously accused of rape. Cpl. Cesar Laurean has been charged with first-degree murder in her death.

"It's just got a lot of people shaken up. Especially ones in the area - it's kind of like a repeat again," said Johnie Rhodes, patrolman with the Holly Ridge Police Department.

Several residents expressed concern about the negative light shining on the Marine Corps as a result of both incidents.

"I think it gives the Marine Corps a bad name that's not deserved," said Marine wife Shannan Wesley. "I think if it wasn't the military, it wouldn't receive as much focus as it has."

Jacksonville USO director and retired Marine 1st Sgt. Harold Rowland agreed. He said murders happen every day in larger cities across the country and those incidents don't receive the same kind of media attention or backlash.

"When this story first broke and I heard she was married to a Marine, I knew it was going downhill from there," he said.

The deaths are outshining all the positive things the Marine Corps does, Rowland said.

"For three uglies that's happened in Onslow County, we sure have put out a whole lot of good all these years defending our country," he said.

Wesley said that while she's heard people blame repeated deployments to war zones for violent acts Marines are accused of committing, she doesn't believe there is a correlation.

"These guys are trained to deal with that," she said.

Detective Sgt. Deron Jones with the Holly Ridge Police Department said the Marine Corps is asking a lot of Marines at the moment, especially with repeated deployments, but he hopes the homicides bring about something positive.

"I think it may open up more programs of support for people and try to minimize this as much as possible," he said.

Another concern is the public's increasingly negative perception of the state as a whole.

"I think it's tragic how it is giving a bad name to North Carolina," said Mary Beard of Jacksonville.

Rowland said he is offended by the question, "What's going on with North Carolina?"

"It's a totally warped and unfair opinion that's being cast on North Carolina and Jacksonville as a whole," he said.

People tend to forget that the Marines stationed in Jacksonville were "recruited from America's neighborhoods," Rowland said.

He's equally frustrated by people from around the country who have never been to the area, yet are quick to judge.

"It's a news story to them. To us - it's our community."

Contact Jacksonville/Onslow government reporter Molly DeWitt at 910-219-8457, or mdewitt@freedomenc.com. Visit www.jdnews.com to comment.

Ellie

[thedrifter]

Marines in court, charged in nurse slaying
By Kevin Maurer - The Associated Press
Posted : Wednesday Jul 16, 2008 6:53:01 EDT

FAYETTEVILLE, N.C. — It’s a scene that’s become all too familiar in North Carolina’s military communities.

For the third time in seven months, a young woman serving her nation has been slain at home, away from the dangers of combat.

“It is so close to home, and it is back to back,” said Takisha Word, 30, a combat veteran’s daughter from Fayetteville. “It kind of makes you leery.”

The latest is Army 2nd Lt. Holley Wimunc, 24, a maternity ward nurse at Fort Bragg’s Womack Army Medical Center whose body was found Sunday not far from Camp Lejeune.

That’s where her husband — Marine Cpl. John Wimunc — served as a combat engineer alongside Lance Cpl. Kyle Alden.

Wimunc and Alden made their first court appearance Tuesday, wearing a uniform of a different sort: orange coveralls and handcuffs.

Wimunc is charged with murder in his wife’s death, and both men are charged with setting fire to her Fayetteville apartment.

“I don’t want this tried in the media,” said Wimunc’s attorney, D.W. Bray. “Please remember he is innocent until proven guilty.”

At a brief hearing in Cumberland County District Court, Judge George Franks explained the charges and agreed to appoint an attorney for Alden. Their next court appearance is set for Aug. 5.

“Good luck to you, sir,” Franks told both men.

Investigators have stressed that Holley Wimunc’s death and the recent slayings of two other young military women are not related.

But the discovery of Wimunc’s body, which was burned during an apparent effort to hide it from authorities, stirred memories of Marine Lance. Cpl. Maria Lauterbach’s death.

The 20-year-old from Vandalia, Ohio, disappeared in December. Her remains — and those of her unborn child — were found a month later in the backyard fire pit of a fellow Marine personnel clerk.

Detectives said Cpl. Cesar Laurean, 21, of Las Vegas, admitted in a note to his wife that he buried Lauterbach’s body, but denied he had killed her. He fled to Mexico, where he was captured in April and is awaiting extradition to face charges of first-degree murder.

Onslow County District Attorney Dewey Hudson described the scene where state forestry officials responding to a brush fire found Wimunc’s body almost the same way he discovered Lauterbach’s a few months ago. Each was in a shallow grave, charred beyond recognition.

“It’s horrific,” Hudson said. “It’s hard to believe any human being could do that to another human being.”

Meanwhile, police in Fayetteville continue their investigation into the death of Army Spc. Megan Touma, whose decomposing body was found last month in a motel near Fort Bragg. Touma, a dental specialist from Cold Spring, Ky., had only recently arrived in North Carolina after transferring from a three-year tour at a clinic in Germany.

Authorities have made no arrests but stressed the case has no connection to Wimunc’s death. There is also no connection between their deaths and Lauterbach’s slaying, though there are some similarities.

All three were young women. Two were pregnant. Authorities believe two were killed by someone with whom they had a close, but troubled, relationship.

Lauterbach had accused Laurean of rape. Naval investigators were unable to find any evidence to corroborate her claims, but her superiors separated the pair on base and were pressing ahead toward a possible trial.

Holley Wimunc met her future husband before she was commissioned in 2007 into the Army Nurse Corps, allowing her to marry the enlisted Marine. She had recently secured a temporary restraining order against him and was in the process of getting a divorce.

Fort Bragg spokeswoman Maj. Angela Funaro said those details indicate there isn’t a larger trend at work or a rash of random acts of violence. Counseling programs and chaplains are available at Fort Bragg, she said, but noted there hasn’t been an increase in soldiers seeking such services.

———

Associated Press writer Estes Thompson contributed to this report from Raleigh.

Ellie

[thedrifter]

Suspect in slaying faces earlier charge
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Alden, held in death of fellow Marine’s wife, accused in Onslow of assaulting his own spouse
July 17, 2008 - 12:03AM
LINDELL KAY
DAILY NEWS STAF

A Camp Lejeune Marine charged in connection with the death of another Marine's wife was charged with assaulting his own wife in April.

Kyle Ryan Alden, 22, of 2nd Combat Engineer Battalion, was charged Monday by the Fayetteville Police Department with felony accessory after the fact to first-degree murder, first-degree arson and conspiracy to commit first-degree arson.

Authorities say he helped a colleague, John Wimunc, 23, also of 2nd Combat Engineer Battalion, 2nd Marine Division, in an attempt to cover up the killing of Wimunc's wife, Fort Bragg soldier 2nd Lt. Holley Wimunc.

In April, an investigative sergeant with the Onslow County Sheriff's Department was dispatched to the Camp Lejeune Naval Hospital because Alden's wife, Dawn Alden, 44, said her husband had assaulted her.

"I spoke to the victim who stated her husband does this all the time," Sgt. Shannon Albright wrote in his April 12 report. "He will grab her, push her but he never hits her."

Albright reported that the Aldens argued over a cell phone and that Kyle Alden wanted Dawn Alden to get in his truck. When she refused, Albright reported, "the suspect picked her up and threw her into the back of the truck."

Dawn Alden told Albright that she got away from her husband and got into her car, and Kyle Alden chased her in his truck.

Dawn Alden had no physical injuries at the time, according to the report.

Albright stated in his report that he advised Dawn Alden she could file a warrant for her husband's arrest at the magistrates office. Dawn Alden later left the hospital without being discharged, according to the report.

Dawn Alden filed a complaint with a magistrate, and Kyle Alden was arrested April 13 on a charge of misdemeanor assault on a female.

Kyle Alden is accused of "punching, pulling and twisting (Dawn Alden's) arm," according to the warrant.

A message left for Dawn Alden at her home was not returned by press time.

Kyle Alden has a July 28 court date in Onslow County for the assault charge. His next expected court date in Cumberland County for the accessory charge is set for Aug. 5.

Kyle Alden and John Wimunc are being held in the Cumberland County Detention Center with no bond for the charges related to Holley Wimunc's death.

John Wimunc was charged Monday by Fayetteville police with first-degree murder, first-degree arson and conspiracy to commit first-degree arson.

Their arrest came less than 24 hours after forestry service personnel found a dismembered body believed to be Holley Wimunc, knives and a hatchet in a wooded area off Old Folkstone Road in Sneads Ferry on Sunday.

The wooded area - down a dirt road less than a mile from Alden's house on Eagle's Nest Drive - is littered with bags of trash, beer cans, broken furniture, shell casings and shotguns shells.

"People go back there four-wheeling all the time, late at night sometimes," said Iola Brown, an Old Folkstone Road resident who lives across the road from the entrance to the dirt road.

John Wimunc was questioned by Fayetteville police after his wife was reported missing and her apartment was set on fire on July 10.

In May, Holley Wimunc secured a temporary restraining order against her husband. She told authorities he got drunk and held a loaded handgun to her head.

Marine officials would not comment on whether a military protective order - similar to a civilian restraining order - had been issued against John Wimunc or Kyle Alden.

"Military Protective Orders are an administrative tool and as such are protected under the privacy act. Therefore information related to MPOs will not be released to the public," Maj. Cliff W. Gilmore, spokesman for the 2nd Marine Division, told The Daily News in an e-mail Wednesday.

Agents with the Naval Criminal Investigative Service deferred all questions about the case to the Fayetteville Police Department.

When contacted about Alden's April arrest, Fayetteville police said they had not heard about the charge but would be looking into the past of both men now that they are in custody.

"We don't know a lot about them at this point, but we are now gathering that information," Fayetteville police Lt. David Sportsman said. "This case turned over so fast that we had to concentrate on what was hot at the time, but now we will follow up on every aspect of the suspects' lives."

Contact crime reporter Lindell Kay at lkay@freedomenc.com or 910-554-8534. Read Lindell's blog at http://onslowcrime.encblogs.com.

Ellie

[thedrifter]

Lawyer appointed to represent one of two Marines in Wimunc case

A staff report
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Marine Lance Cpl. Kyle Ryan Alden has a lawyer to defend him for his alleged role in the murder of Army 2nd Lt. Holley Lynn Wimunc.

Assistant Public Defender David Smith has been assigned to the case but has been unavailable to meet him, said Cumberland County Public Defender Ron McSwain. McSwain said he has met with Alden instead.

Alden, 22, is charged with first-degree arson, conspiracy to commit first-degree arson and accessory after the fact to first-degree murder.

Police say Marine Cpl. John Patrick Wimunc killed his wife, Holley Wimunc, on July 9, set fire to her apartment in Fayetteville, took her body to Onslow County, laid it in a pit in a wooded area and set it on fire.

Alden is charged with setting fire to Holley Wimunc’s apartment, destroying evidence of the murder, helping John Wimunc dispose of Holley’s body and giving him a false alibi.

Alden, of Pequot Lakes, Minn., is jailed under $500,000 bail at the Cumberland County Detention Center. John Wimunc is being held without bond. John Wimunc has hired lawyer D.W. Bray.

Ellie

[thedrifter]

Wimunc camp speaks out
Thursday, July 17, 2008 | 8:13 PM


FAYETTEVILLE (WTVD) -- Wimunc's attorney and his father held a news conference Thursday afternoon.

The body of 24-year-old Holley Wimunc was found burned and mutilated in a shallow grave in Onslow County.

Her husband, Marines Cpl. John Wymunc at Camp Lejeune, has been charged with murder.

John Wimunc's family made a brief statement; neither they nor their attorney talked about the specifics of the case or the charges.

Wimunc remains jailed under no bond. He is accused of murdering his Army wife Lt. Holley Wimunc, setting her apartment on fire and disposing of her body in Onslow County.

His parents' Florian and Lana Wimunc said the image of their son in a jail jumpsuit is not the true picture of who he really is.

"I like to say our sympathy goes out to the James family for their loss. I can't believe that in one moment, we have lost our daughter in-law and now physical contact with our son. This is the hardest thing we have ever had to go through," Florian Wimunc said. "Johnny maintains his innocence and we back him 100 per cent, with the help of GOD, he will help Johnny and us through this ordeal."

Wimunc's attorney Dee W. Bray says that the young marine was a great marine who saw heavy combat during two tours of duty.

He would not say if Wimunc suffered from or was treated for any combat post traumatic syndrome condition. He says Wimunc maintains his innocent and is looking forward to his day in court. Wimunc's next schedule court appearance is in August.

Ellie