It had been, in retrospect, a dark period in her life, she says, a damaging, booze-soaked run of years in her twenties. Reached through his lawyer, Vallejo declined to comment for this story. The warehouse is three blocks from police headquarters, but a spokesman for the Fayetteville PD denies knowing anything about the place, and had no relevant incident reports pertaining to the address. I feel guilty, Scanlon texted. He was the foundation of my family, Leshikar's mother, Tammy Mabey said of her son. A subsequent SOFREP investigation. On Sept. 30, he arrested Vallejo on a felony warrant for second-degree rape, second-degree sex offense, and sexual battery. That little girl will never ever forget what she witnessed, he said. Then, on Dec. 2, 2020, Lavigne turned up dead, shot multiple times in the chest, his body wrapped up as if for disposal, and placed in the back of his truck, which was left abandoned on a dirt road near Lake MacArthur. He had entered a plea of not guilty. Former Commander of Delta Force from 1985 to 1989. Both Vallejo and Lavigne were exonerated. Scanlon claims that Vallejo raped her that night, and says that the trauma still haunts her to this day. Lavigne then went into the home, and locked himself inside with both of their daughters, who were around five years old at the time. What the defense has to say, you dont want to hear. As reported in the Army Times, MSG William J. Lavigne was found dead in the training area of Ft. Bragg in North Carolina. Throughout the whole night he kind of acted like a celebrity, Scanlon says. Death certificates for Dumas and LaVigne state each died from gunshot wounds and were shot by an unknown assailant.. It was a fundraiser to honor five slain Green Berets, hosted by some SF guys, Tina texted. Then, on Sept. 1, 2018, Lavigne was charged with felony harboring an escapee and maintaining a vehicle or dwelling to manufacture a controlled substance. The rest of the court-martial is a black box to her, because she spent it sequestered in the prosecutions witness room, which she says she was not permitted to leave. The 50 Worst Decisions in Music History Instead, everything was hushed up. It was their annual Ride for the Fallen, a coast-to-coast convoy of ex-military bikers to raise money for wounded special operators, and the families of those slain in battle. Connecting Vets reached out to members of Lavigne's family for comment, but did not receive a reply by the time of publication. Poppe does not find it remarkable, he says, that he simultaneously represented two members of the most elite military unit in the United States, one suspected of murder, the other accused of rape. Investigators ask that anyone with information about the deaths of LaVigne and Dumas call the FBI Charlotte office at 704-672-6100 or Army CID at 910-396-8777. the deaths of Master Sgt. It didnt necessarily mean they didnt believe me. Unfortunately, her experience with the military-justice system greatly set back her career, and would overshadow her whole time in the Army. His truck, a black quad-cab Dodge Ram, was found some 40 miles away, in Scotland County, burned to a fucking crisp, according to his 24-year-old son. In September 2021, almost 20 years to the day that he joined the Army, he held a retirement party in Colorado, where he now lives, not far from where he began his military career, at Fort Carson. More than she questions Vallejos acquittal or the jurys decision, Scanlon simply wants to know what happened at the court-martial. The 500 Greatest Songs of All Time The DA treated the killing as a justifiable homicide and Lavigne was not charged with a crime. Send us a tip using our anonymous form. The following year, the legal travails of ex-SEAL Eddie Gallagher would make national headlines for months on end. in the Army to go. Attempts to reach these people by phone were unsuccessful, but pretrial filings show that at least two of them were summoned to buttress Vallejos defense of consent. The certificates dont indicate how long the bodies were in the woods. US report shows China taking steps toward space dominance, Biden to allow Afghans to stay longer in US, sources say, Michigan expands absentee voting for military members, Some companies charge hefty fees to help vets with disability claims, Meet 12M+, the new community app for military spouses, Your next tech and incoming AI | Defense News Weekly Full Episode 4.28.2023, Home Improvement Loans What are my options? On one occasion, she says, she had to hide in the bathroom after he walked into a tavern in Southern Pines. When USASOC announced Lavigne's death, and homicide, at a training area on Fort Bragg this month, Leshikar's mother described her reaction: When I found out he died, I wasn't happy, it made me sick. Theres no doubt that he was charged in Cumberland County, yet strangely, there is no trace of his arraignment or indictment in a publicly accessible database of North Carolina court records. Scanlon says reporting the alleged attack, and the subsequent ordeal, hurt her military career. It is a lot for a jury to make a decision like that, she says. In this video, we explore the mysterious case of Green Beret Mark Leshikar and Delta Force Member William Lavigne and the sus. However, documents say that Leshikar's wife Laura spoke with him that day and he sounded lucid to her. I had no deployment stripes, Scanlon says. . Vallejo is considered a ladies man and groupies hang out at the ware house [sic] looking for an opportunity to sleep with Mr. Vallejo. This, the detective noted, was according to an employee of the Fayetteville Police Department who had to recuse herself from the case because she herself had once spent the night at Vallejos apartment. It was very frustrating, Scanlon says, that all these people had waited till the last minute, then were trying to put the decision on me, when Im not a lawyer. William LaVigne II, 37, and Army veteran Timothy Dumas Sr., 44, is. The samples proved a match to Vallejos DNA. What the prosecution has to say, you already know, she remembers the SVC telling her. The second man, whose name was not disclosed, was an army veteran previously stationed at the North Carolina military base. Poppe was unable to remember the substance of Matrafailos testimony, only that it involved some aspects of the investigation that had not been discussed., A few months after the trial, Matrafailo would be accused of making inappropriate contact with Scanlon on social media: sending her suggestive emojis, making weird comments about ads for lingerie, and the like. The trial record shows that Vallejos defense called eight additional witnesses. I dont see how anyone could have believed that consensual sex occurred there., When she finished using the toilet and opened the door, she was startled to find Vallejo standing right there. I also recently reported on a very dark story, about a Delta Force operator named William Lavigne shot and killed his best friend, a Green Beret named Mark Leshikar. I firmly believe that I had to be his victim because I was strong enough to report him., She never got the chance to lay any of this on Vallejo, or the court. Other than that, he says, I dont think youre going to get any comment from anybody around here.. 1st Class Mark Leshikar. Delta Force was chiefly formed by Charles Beckwith, an officer in the Green Berets and a veteran of the American war in Vietnam.He had served with the British SAS (Special Air Service) during the Indonesia-Malaysia confrontation (1963-66), when Indonesia opposed the formation of The Federation of Malaysia.. Helicopters crashed in mountains, fair weather, Army says, Army Special Ops Command welcomes first female command sergeant major, Army identifies 3 soldiers killed in Alaska helicopter crash, Army grounds helicopter fleet for force-wide safety stand down. Lavigne retained him while still under Army investigation into the shooting death of Leshikar, he says. It appears that a lot goes on here.. Were not staying more than 20 minutes, they agreed. She says that she was excluded from hearing the testimony of the other witnesses, that her military-appointed attorney was swapped out five separate times, and that one of them was called to provide testimony against her. Justice is a very elusive thing, it moves around like air. And no one seems to know quite why. She lives a very different life and has no contact with the elite soldiers who had been her colleagues, friends, and lovers for the better part of a decade. Over those five years, it paid out grants totaling $187,143. Part of Audacy. Fort Bragg Delta Force Master Sgt. Billys about to be questioned, or face some sort of retribution. On deployment, they literally go around blasting peoples brains out, she says. During this time, and the months to come, Scanlon was represented by an SVC, or special-victims counsel, a military-appointed attorney. To buttress his depiction of her as a woman on the prowl, he put up photos of her taken that night in which she was wearing a sleeveless dress with a short skirt, and texts between her and Tina joking about going out braless or commando., Isnt it true you were flirting with him? she recalls him asking. There is zero respect for women in that community, she says. This is a very secluded parcel, the fire marshal wrote in an email to the zoning department. Scanlon agreed to go on the record again, in greater detail, if you would be willing to reiterate that my perpetrator was Delta Force. Women made up the rest of the party: two young Army officers, the widow of a slain Green Beret, and a Las Vegas woman who belonged to a traveling company of women bartenders that dance and sing, according to her blog posts. Over the course of 18 months between 2020 and 2021, more than 80 military members stationed at the base died from "sudden" and "unexplained" causes. After speaking with a chaplain, she met with her units SARC, or sexual-assault response coordinator, who took her to meet with agents from the bases Criminal Investigation Division. William Lavigne II, 37, was found dead in the training area of Fort Bragg on December 2 alongside the body of Army veteran Timothy Dumas, 44 New reports reveal that Lavigne was. I knew him, Joe says of Lavigne. Let me know when your [sic] home safe. To this he appended a heart emoji and a kissy-face. Scanlon was looking forward to getting the ordeal over with. The special operations community was rocked this week when the bodies of MSG Lavigne, a decorated Special Operator and Delta Force member, and Timothy Dumas an Army veteran were found in a . The apparent lapse in memory had given Poppe an opening to hammer away at her credibility. Hes at home, doing work shit. Thats all hell say about Coast x Coasts founder and CEO. We all knew him, says Roy Lynn Parker, 35. Im not doing this., She remembers being pinned against the grille of a vehicle, Vallejo putting his hands up her dress, into her underwear, and penetrating her with his fingers. Only afterwards did I realize I didnt stand a chance.. I would refer you to CID for anything having to do with any of their investigations. It was held in the main courthouse on Fort Bragg, a red-brick, Greek-revival building typical of the Carolinas. Even with the rape kit and the testimony of witnesses like Tina, much would have hinged on Scanlons credibility. Master Sergeant. Sgt Lavigne was a Green Beret and Delta Force member. It's like winning the lottery twice in a couple years, that's what these odds are.. William J. Lavigne II, 37, and Army veteran Timothy Dumas deepens with the revelation that Lavigne was also involved in the death of Sgt. But he couldnt really explain why the Army waited 16 months to intervene on the eve of the trial, rather than let civilian justice take its course. Dumas was an Army veteran who previously served as the property book officer at 7th Special Forces Group before serving in the same role at Fort Bragg for nine years, according to his LinkedIn profile. A brief report by CBS 17 in Raleigh-Durham on Sept. 30 named Vallejo as an N.C. Which is why he became a Green Beret and why 'De Oppresso Liber' meant everything to him because that was who he was to his core.. The main one came back and said, Because it occurred in Fayetteville, we cant help you.. The location was well-known, though, to other municipal authorities, who suspected it of being an illegal bar and a fire hazard, according to internal emails between city and county officials that I obtained. But that didn't happen before his death this month. LaVigne and Dumas were each scheduled to appear in court on unrelated cases in December and January, according to court records. Law enforcement later told Leshikar's family that they had found a screw driver, not at the scene of his death, but outside near his car where he had been removing the battery. First Class Mark Leshikar, two years prior. I asked him if I could take a picture in front of their logo to send to my instructor, she says. This little black site of a party spot is situated directly across Worth Street from the Cumberland County jail, a no-drone zone that is the biggest law-enforcement facility in the county. from 67] house in Fayetteville, he had shot and killed his closest friend, a Green Beret named Mark Leshikar, with whom he had been drinking and doing drugs for days on end during a family vacation to Disney World. Over the course of 18 months between 2020 and 2021, more than 80 military members stationed at the base died from "sudden" and. Though open to the public, no reporters were in the courtroom. A review of his uniform and decorations shows he was likely assigned to. A spokesman for the Army Criminal Investigation Command said the investigation continues into the deaths of Master Sgt. Because she was already guilty of one instance of fraternization, with the staff sergeant to whose house she had been headed to that night, she had a motive to lie and pretend that the encounter with Vallejo was nonconsensual, in Poppes theory of the case. Two ABC officers went to the location to check it out. Right as Scanlon and Tina walked into the crowded barbecue joint and beer hall, Vallejo stopped them, tried to flex, laughed, and walked away, Tina would later recall to a Fayetteville detective. And then hes taken out. She said that when she opened the door, and her daddy was mad and walking towards uncle Billy and uncle Billy came around and shot him, and then my daddy did this, her family described. The sheriffs office and the DA had treated it as a justifiable homicide, and Army investigators would later come to the same conclusion, for reasons that both civilian and military authorities decline to disclose to the Leshikar family or to the public. At one point the Green Berets widow, a red-haired woman, came around the corner and saw what was going on. Scanlon never knew Lavigne, not by name. . Someone tampered with the crime scene or he's lying," said Paul Ciolino, president of the International Association of Forensic Criminologists, after reviewing documents from the case. Either way, Scanlon was immersed in an unfamiliar process and taking her cues from military lawyers and the judge, all of whom outranked her. She was shaking, acting odd, pacing. Leshikar's family alleged that Lavigne was never administered a toxicology screen to test him for alcohol or narcotics in his system following the shooting. William J. Lavigne II and Timothy Dumas, a veteran previously stationed at the post, were found dead at a training site on the base Wednesday afternoon. The staff sergeant had invited her over to his house earlier in the evening, but she and Tina hadnt wanted to leave the party. He maintains that Scanlon and Vallejo were witnessed in the act by people at the warehouse that night. Click hereto sign up for our weekly newsletter. RIP, bro., One year later, the authorities have identified no suspects, arrested no perpetrators, and disclosed nothing about the evidence theyve gathered to date. At the time, he was so depressed, anxious, guilt-stricken, and strung out on drugs that its a wonder he was able to put on his full-dress uniform that morning. According to Lavigne's statement to police, Leshikar began acting irrationally on the car ride back to Fayetteville, North Carolina. The case is being investigated as a homicide, a spokesperson for Army Criminal Investigations Division told Connecting Vets. By the time of Vallejos trial, it was clear that the Army had missed a chance to intervene in the boundary-pushing, motorcycle-borne debauchery of the Coast x Coast club as early as September 2016, when Scanlon went to CID and alleged that Vallejo had raped her behind their un-permitted clubhouse in downtown Fayetteville, which just happens to be adjacent to the county jail, a building full of cops. But it was a disheartening conclusion, she says, to a difficult and drawn-out ordeal that she insists was not my fault.. At one point, while posing for a group photo, Vallejo grabbed my ass, Scanlon claims. She looked up and saw Scanlon emerge from the warehouse and start toward the only outlet to the street, a narrow strip of dirt parallel to the train tracks. Rick described her brother's friend as a good and honorable man, although she is concerned with some of his actions that day. A toxicology report revealed trace amounts of Tramadol and Valium in Leshikar's system. Anything other than you saying yes or asking for it is not consent, her friend replied. He was a really good mentor that I looked up to, she tells me recently. Court documents state that Dumas broke into an apartment in Walkertown with the intent to terrorize and injure an occupant of the building, on April 11, 2020. She described Scanlons general demeanor as tearful.. The record states Dumas yelled police open the door after knocking. The tipster also indicated that drugs would be present, the affidavit attested. When Scanlon learns that the audio was destroyed, she unexpectedly breaks down in tears. She felt the implication was clear: Obviously youre a liar.. But neither ABC News nor the Observer named Vallejo, and ABC only mentioned in passing that the alleged rapist was a member of Delta Force. Dumas was scheduled to appear in Forsyth County District Court on Dec. 17 for charges of breaking and entering, communicating threats and impersonating a law enforcement officer, according to court records. Master Sgt. He loved weapons. Locklear shows me the spot where she says he once threw a knife into the trunk of a tree in the front yard, which is littered with hundreds if not thousands of cigarette butts. The police department promptly fired Matrafailo, who had allegedly done the same to two other alleged rape victims. After I gave my statement, the CID agents left the room. Among some operators, the result can be an unhealthy sense of entitlement, in the words of a Special Operations Command internal ethics review made public in 2020. Like Gallagher, Anayat was an ordinary Tier 2 special operator, of whom there are as many as 10,000. Scanlon went to the Fayetteville police the next day. Whether the friend also secured Lavigne's phone is unknown.

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