On Dec 3, 1991 at 7:30 pm, 911 gets a phone call that there’s a body near Point Sublime on Gold Camp Road. At 10 pm, Lt Joe Kenda is called to the scene. They roll her over and find ligature marks on her throat. She has a small tattoo JM on her hand. The anonymous caller calls 911 back and says the victim’s name is Maggie Fetty and the police should investigate Jill Yousef. Jill Yousef, 29 yo, was arrested recently for shoplifting. With her was Margaret Fetty, who was also arrested. Maggie has a tattoo on her hand JM.
No one had a photo of Maggie to confirm her identity. She was with an organization called Chins Up for abandoned children. She ran away from the center a year ago.
On Dec 4, police question Jill Yousef. She calls Maggie her best friend and met her a year ago. They each had the JM tattoo, for “Jill and Maggie”. Although she cries when they tell her Maggie is dead, her demeanor shows guilt. She tells them it was her friend Melinda Stewart. Melinda Stewart, 29yo, has no record. Jill said she was present when it happened. On Saturday, Jill, Melinda, and Maggie went out to Gold Camp Road with a bottle of tequila to drink. Jill says Melinda pulled an ace bandage around Maggie’s throat and strangled her. She says Melinda threatened her if she tried stopping her then forced her to help dispose of Maggie’s body. Jill also says Melinda has mental problems and her husband put her in Cedar Springs Mental Facility that night.
Police visit Cedar Springs. Melinda is there. Her husband brought her in just as Jill said. They try questioning Melinda who asks one of the detectives if he’s dead. She behaves like a little girl and says Maggie is asleep. Melinda’s version of the story has Melinda driving and Jill sitting in the backseat. She says Jill strangled Maggie with an ace bandage and threatened her if she tried stopping her.
Both women are arrested and jailed until police can figure out who killed Maggie. They start with Melinda’s husband, US Army Sergeant Daniel J Stewart. He builds bridges. He tells them Melinda has multiple personalities–Amanda Von Hoffstein, 5 yo Limmy Sue, The Clown, and Melinda. He claims she is not dangerous at all. On the night in question, Daniel and some friends were playing cards when Melinda and Jill left. The next day, Melinda’s multiple personalities surfaced so he took her to the facility. Dan believes Jill killed Maggie. He tells them to speak with James Catlin, a boat specialist in the army. The women borrowed James’ car that evening.
Police bring Catlin in for questioning. His story matches Dan Stewart’s.
On Dec 17, Penny Rhodes calls the police. She is Melinda’s sister. She tells them Dan told her he destroyed evidence–the clothing both women were wearing. So Lt Kenda books Dan on conspiracy after the fact, a rare charge. Now Dan tells them when the women came back they told him their stories, very different, so he destroyed their clothes. He also tells them Silas Nelson was there too. He’s also a fellow soldier stationed at Fort Carson. Dan is thrown in jail while they look for Silas.
Police question Silas Nelson. From him, they learn the truth. Silas was there the entire weekend. He was asleep when the women came home, but he was awake when they left. The two women had talked to Daniel and James, who told them how to kill Maggie. It started with the women talking about how they wanted to kill Maggie. Then Dan and James told them how to do it. Silas, who was deeply disturbed, thought at first they were joking, but after a while they realized they were serious. Dan Stewart and James Catlin helped plan the murder.
Police grill James Catlin. James says Maggie got both women hooked on drugs. They would get the women off drugs and she’d get them back on. They became a source of money for her. Maggie was using them. Dan tried shutting Maggie out of their lives, but they were now addicts. Then a few days before the murder, Maggie gave Jill a tab of LSD that was almost fatal. James and Dan were infuriated by this. Maggie didn’t care about the women, but kept selling them drugs. So James and Dan showed them how to use a ligature. Melinda is the one who killed Maggie. She told James and Dan. Jill is driving and Melinda is in the backseat. Melinda pulls the ace bandage around Maggie’s throat and strangles her as Jill keeps Maggie from flailing. Then they dispose of her body.
Melinda Stewart offers testimony in exchange for reduced charges. She is sentenced to 48 years.
James Catlin offers testimony in exchange for reduced charges. He is sentenced to 30 years.
Jill Yousef is sentenced to 6 years.
Daniel Stewart is sentenced to life in prison.
Bibliography
Homicide Hunter, Season 2, Episode 2: A Gathering of Evil, air date: Oct 8, 2012.
Leave a Reply
You must be logged in to post a comment.