Jeffrey Robert MacDonald American criminal Date of Birth: 12.10.1943 Country: USA

Biography of Jeffrey Robert MacDonald

Jeffrey Robert MacDonald was born on October 12, 1943, in Jamaica, Queens, New York City. He attended Patchogue High School, where he gained popularity and was considered a student with great potential. MacDonald went on to receive a scholarship to Princeton University, where he rekindled a relationship with his high school sweetheart, Colette Stevenson. They got married on September 14, 1963, after learning that Colette was pregnant. They welcomed their daughter Kimberley on April 18, 1964.

After spending three years at Princeton, MacDonald and his family moved to Chicago in 1964. He was accepted into the Northwestern University Medical School and graduated as a practicing physician. In 1967, his second child, Kristen, was born. MacDonald then completed his residency at Columbia Presbyterian Medical Center in New York City.

In 1969, MacDonald decided to join the armed forces, and his family relocated to Fort Bragg, North Carolina. He was appointed as a surgeon for the "Green Berets" of the 3rd Special Forces Group in September of that year.

On February 17, 1970, MacDonald made an emergency call to the Fort Bragg dispatchers, reporting an attack. When military police arrived at his house, they discovered Colette, Kimberley, and Kristen dead in their bedrooms. Colette, who was pregnant with their third child, was found on the floor with broken arms and 37 stab wounds. The word "pig" was written in blood on the headboard of the bed. Five-year-old Kimberley had head injuries and knife wounds in her neck, while two-year-old Kristen had multiple stab wounds and slash marks. MacDonald was found injured but alive near his wife. He was rushed to Womack Hospital, where he recovered from cuts, bruises, and a mild concussion.

MacDonald claimed that he had fallen asleep on the couch in the living room and was awakened by screams from Colette and Kimberley. He stated that three armed men attacked him, while a white woman with long blonde hair, wearing a hat, sang "Acid is groovy, kill the pigs" and stood nearby with a lit candle. MacDonald alleged that he was knocked unconscious during the struggle in the corridor leading to the bedroom.

The Army's Criminal Investigation Division (C.I.D.) did not believe MacDonald's version of events. They found no signs of struggle in the living room, except for an overturned flowerpot and coffee table. Fibers from his pajama shirt, which he claimed to have used in self-defense against the ice pick, were not found. Instead, fibers were discovered under Colette's body and in Kimberley and Kristen's bedroom. The murder weapons, a kitchen knife, ice pick, and wooden club, appeared to have come from inside MacDonald's home.

Investigators theorized that MacDonald attacked his wife in the bedroom after an argument erupted when their youngest daughter wet his side of the bed. Colette threw a hairbrush at him, hitting him in the forehead. In a fit of rage, MacDonald struck her on the head with the club. It is possible that he also unintentionally struck Kimberley, who ran into the bedroom at the sound of the commotion. Believing his wife to be dead, MacDonald then stabbed and beat Kimberley to death before turning his attention to Kristen, realizing she was the only witness. By this time, Colette, whose blood was found on Kristen's bedsheet and one of the walls, regained consciousness and tried to save her daughter. MacDonald killed both of them, wrapped Colette's body in a sheet, and carried it back to their bedroom, leaving a bloody trail in Kristen's room. To make the crime scene resemble the Manson Family murders, he used an article about the group he found in an issue of Esquire magazine. MacDonald cut himself once with a scalpel blade in the bathroom to appear as a victim. Wearing surgical gloves, he used Colette's blood to write the word "PIG" and struck her chest repeatedly with the club. He called for an ambulance, discarded the murder weapons by the back door, and lay down next to his wife's body, awaiting military police.

On April 6, 1970, MacDonald was interrogated by investigators, and less than a month later, on May 1, he was officially charged with the murders of his family. In October 1970, due to a lack of evidence, the military investigation dropped all charges against him. His defense attorney, Bernard L. Segal, played a significant role in securing his acquittal. However, a new trial began shortly after.

It was revealed that MacDonald had extramarital affairs, leading to conflicts within the family. The February 7-8 altercation may have been triggered by another instance of infidelity. After six and a half hours of deliberation, a jury found MacDonald guilty of the involuntary manslaughter of Colette and Kimberley and the premeditated murder of Kristen.

Currently, MacDonald is serving his sentence in a federal prison in Cumberland, Maryland, and continues to maintain his innocence. He is scheduled for release on April 5, 2071, and his next parole hearing is set for May 2020.