Soldier charged for attempted murder of look-alike

[Mister Frag 0]

From http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,65441,00.html

Soldier Charged for Attempted Murder of Look-Alike in Plot to Disappear

FAYETTEVILLE, N.C. — A Fort Bragg soldier trying to stage his own disappearance searched the Internet for a man who looked like him and cut the man's throat, but the victim survived, police said.

The victim pulled the 8-inch knife from his throat, cut ropes around his hands and feet and fled, sheriff's Det. Barbara Davenport said.

Jonathan Meadows, a specialist assigned to the 37th Engineering Battalion, was charged with attempted murder and held in lieu of $50,000 bail.

Meadows spent weeks searching the Internet for someone who would be mistaken for himself, Davenport said. He was seeking men who were 5-foot-6, about 150 pounds, with brown hair and blue eyes.

Meadows found Stephen "Jeremy" Bowen about two weeks ago, lured him to his home, tied him up and cut his throat Sunday night, Davenport said. Bowen, 26, who suffered severe cuts to his larynx, ran to a neighbor's house. Meadows surrendered shortly after the attack, authorities said.

Meadows, whose age was not immediately available, said his plot was a way to get out of the Army, according to investigators. He was frustrated with the Army and depressed, Davenport said.

"He didn't want the Army looking for him," she said. "He didn't want his wife looking for him. He said he was going to assume a new identity. I think he thought it was set up so well that nobody would think it (the body) wasn't him."

Meadows and Bowen first met last week at a book store in Fayetteville for coffee. They met a second time Sunday at Meadows' home, Davenport said.

Cynthia Black, a public defender assigned to represent Meadows, wouldn't comment. Meadows' next court appearance is scheduled for Oct. 24.

Meadows and his wife, Thea, separated last month, and she moved to Tennessee with their two girls, ages 3 and 7, authorities said.

Meadows joined the Army in 1999.

[IceFire 0]

Wow, what a daring attempt to fake one's own death.

He should have succeeded and then joined the Legion.

I would have alot of respect for this man because of his ingenuity if he hadn't failed.

[bn880 5]

</span><table border="0" align="center" width="95%" cellpadding="3" cellspacing="1"><tr><td>Quote (IceFire @ Oct. 11 2002,13:44)</td></tr><tr><td id="QUOTE">I would have alot of respect for this man because of his ingenuity if he hadn't failed.<span id='postcolor'>

I think you mean you would have alot of respect for this mans' ingenuity, not respect for him I hope.

This is a very interesting story... looks like he was very selfish, taking someone elses life to improve his.

[Mister Frag 0]

</span><table border="0" align="center" width="95%" cellpadding="3" cellspacing="1"><tr><td>Quote (IceFire @ Oct. 11 2002,10:44)</td></tr><tr><td id="QUOTE">I would have alot of respect for this man because of his ingenuity if he hadn't failed.<span id='postcolor'>

The guy I have real respect for is the intended victim -- he pulled the knife from his throat and freed himself with it, and then managed to seek help.

I guess you just get off on that knife killing, don't you?

[IceFire 0]

Yes he WAS selfish. But who would actually do something like that?? It is like something out of a movie. All because he was miserable.

I mean, you gotta hand it to him. He will really dedicate himself to finding solutions. Very practical man, and ingenius.

I only think that if they were to imprison him, he will not remain imprisoned for long.

[IceFire 0]

</span><table border="0" align="center" width="95%" cellpadding="3" cellspacing="1"><tr><td>Quote (Mister Frag @ Oct. 11 2002,19:57)</td></tr><tr><td id="QUOTE">The guy I have real respect for is the intended victim -- he pulled the knife from his throat and freed himself with it, and then managed to seek help.

I guess you just get off on that knife killing, don't you?  <span id='postcolor'>

Yes, I respect the victim too. They looked alike, and thought alike!!

The original attempted a daring "faking his own death", and the second, pulled off a daring escape!!

It's so twisted, ingenius, and almost surreal. You must have respect for both men.

[Mister Frag 0]

</span><table border="0" align="center" width="95%" cellpadding="3" cellspacing="1"><tr><td>Quote (IceFire @ Oct. 11 2002,10:58)</td></tr><tr><td id="QUOTE">Yes he WAS selfish.   But who would actually do something like that??   It is like something out of a movie.  All because he was miserable.

I mean, you gotta hand it to him.  He will really dedicate himself to finding solutions.  Very practical man, and ingenius.

I only think that if they were to imprison him, he will not remain imprisoned for long.<span id='postcolor'>

I have news for you: this guy is likely to get nailed with two special circumstances: lying in wait, and attempted murder for personal gain. He isn't going to get out anytime soon if he is convicted. Had he succeeded, the special circumstances would likely have earned him a death penalty.

He may also have to face military justice in addition to a civilan court. He is an active-duty soldier, and the crime may have been commited on a military base.

The only thing that amazes me is that they let this guy out on bail, and on such as small amount at that.

[IceFire 0]

</span><table border="0" align="center" width="95%" cellpadding="3" cellspacing="1"><tr><td>Quote (Mister Frag @ Oct. 11 2002,20<!--emo&)</td></tr><tr><td id="QUOTE">I have news for you: this guy is likely to get nailed with two special circumstances: lying in wait, and attempted murder for personal gain. He isn't going to get out anytime soon if he is convicted. Had he succeeded, the special circumstances would likely have earned him a death penalty.

He may also have to face military justice in addition to a civilan court. He is an active-duty soldier, and the crime may have been commited on a military base.

The only thing that amazes me is that they let this guy out on bail, and on such as small amount at that.<span id='postcolor'>

If he HAD succeeded, he probably woulnd not have gotten caught, as he was faking his own death.

When I said he would not be imprisoned for long, I meant that it is very difficult to hold a man in prison who is smart enough to come up with sucha brilliant and difficult scheme.  And has such willpower to follow through with it.

I meant that he would probably escape.

[DarkLight 0]

</span><table border="0" align="center" width="95%" cellpadding="3" cellspacing="1"><tr><td>Quote (Mister Frag @ Oct. 10 2002,20:57)</td></tr><tr><td id="QUOTE"></span><table border="0" align="center" width="95%" cellpadding="3" cellspacing="1"><tr><td>Quote (IceFire @ Oct. 11 2002,10:44)</td></tr><tr><td id="QUOTE">I would have alot of respect for this man because of his ingenuity if he hadn't failed.<span id='postcolor'>

The guy I have real respect for is the intended victim -- he pulled the knife from his throat and freed himself with it, and then managed to seek help.

I guess you just get off on that knife killing, don't you?  <span id='postcolor'>

Um

I think you can compare this with what i understand with 'respect'? When i was talking about Hitler and Bush? That's the kind of respect he's talking about.

[IceFire 0]

I never head you talk about Bush and Hitler. So I have no idea what you mean.

[Mister Frag 0]

That guy was not brilliant.

First of all, it doesn't take a genius to come up with that plan.

Second, don't you think the authorities would have investigated the death of one person and the disappearance of another with an identical or nearly identical description around the same time in the same area?

He still would have had to dismember the body to fool his wife. There are also dental records to consider, and DNA samples that the US military keeps of all of its members for identification.

Finally, this 'genius' tried to kill someone and then left the victim alone while he was still alive. Luckily for the victim, the perpetrator was anything but smart.

Oh, and I'd be surprised if this guy manages to break out from a military prison if that is where he winds up first...

[IceFire 0]

Fine, whatever. Maybe he wont escape, he did fail.

But, I still think it was an awe inspiring attempt that deserves some recognition.

[Mister Frag 0]

</span><table border="0" align="center" width="95%" cellpadding="3" cellspacing="1"><tr><td>Quote (IceFire @ Oct. 11 2002,11:25)</td></tr><tr><td id="QUOTE">But, I still think it was an awe inspiring attempt that deserves some recognition.<span id='postcolor'>

Yes, I'm sure the court will give him credit for that during his trial... NOT!

[Placebo 29]

IceFire sounds to me like you're trying to condone attempted murder, I would suggest you think things through a bit more clearly in future before you make a statement.

Still respect this sick fuck if the guy he was trying to kill was your Dad? Or your Brother? Or your Uncle? Or your best friend? Just because you don't know the victim makes no difference whatsoever to the act, to the results of the act and to the qualities of the person who perpetuated this act.

[doc1011 0]

It's not ingenius...I mean If there was any doubt in the families mind that it wasn't him they'd take blood samples or Fingerprints and everytime this man tried to use the identity of the other man people that knew him would be suspisious.

Plus the what about the other victims family you think they wouldn't notice he was gone? Yah real bulletproof... You should watch the movie "Le Retour de Martin Guerre" It's in french (subtitles) but if your interested in identity changes you'll like this movie. It shows that even though they looked the same so many other differences gave him away.

[doc1011 0]

</span><table border="0" align="center" width="95%" cellpadding="3" cellspacing="1"><tr><td>Quote (placebo @ Oct. 11 2002,22:42)</td></tr><tr><td id="QUOTE">Still respect this sick fuck if the guy he was trying to kill was your Dad? Or your Brother? Or your Uncle? Or your best friend? Just because you don't know the victim makes no difference whatsoever to the act, to the results of the act and to the qualities of the person who perpetuated this act.<span id='postcolor'>

Good Point, I often wonder why people don't see past the first image. There is a whole trail of events that are caused by murder. The family...Friends..Job. Everyone who had some relationship with that man is affected. I mean sure it's "cool" to see a movie where a bunch of people get blown away, But since that's not reality we can just forget about it and pass it off as nothing. But Murder is real and horrible, No one should ever support it or the person who commited it. For example with Ice's mentality the sick sniper who is shooting people in Washington right now could be called ingenius. He hasn't been caught and it looks like he's getting away with murder. Both these men are terrible people and just because they are getting away with murder dosn't make them ingenius. If your going to call a murderer ingenious, as much flak as i'm going to get about this, Hitler was ingenius. Ingenius by hiding the murders of millions of jews and organizing a system in which to murder them. This act was horrible and i am in no way saying that Hitler was a good or great man but he did have intelligence. He was able to orchastrate the largest systematic murder of people we know. I in no way give him respect tho, He's a murderer! But before the war Hitler was regarded as having transformed Germany into a powerful and industrious nation, and movements all around the world were beginning to mimic him, yes even in the U.S and Canada and Great Britian. Had Hitler not commited the Holicaust and at least held on to some territory he just might have been regarded as a great fasict leader.

Think about it

[Tex -USMC- 0]

Kinda went off on a tangent there, but the core point is that this guy tried to kill some stranger just because he fucked up and joined the army and didn't like it. He obviously is too weak psychologically to take responsibility for his actions, and that kind of person deserves zero respect in my book. I hope he spends the next 20 years in the stockade.

[IceFire 0]

I never said what he did was good. I was just talking about how I was impressed with how we went about doing what he was trying to do, (fake his own death and change his life).

I am not saying the methods were good ones, just impressive. (There's a difference)

Just like this sniper in my hometown now. I wouln't say what he is doing is good, (it is bad) but it is still impressive.

There is nothing wrong with saying that.

[Placebo 29]

</span><table border="0" align="center" width="95%" cellpadding="3" cellspacing="1"><tr><td>Quote (IceFire @ Oct. 12 2002,05:35)</td></tr><tr><td id="QUOTE">I never said what he did was good.  I was just talking about how I was impressed with how we went about doing what he was trying to do, (fake his own death and change his life).<span id='postcolor'>

Being in a crappy situation, working hard, doing whatever you can within the boundaries of the law to change the situation for the better, now that's impressive........

According to your rationale if I'm totally broke with lots of debts it would be impressive for me to rob a bank to solve those problems? Me I would have thought getting a second job and working 70 hours a week for a year or two to pay off the debts would be impressive.........

Harold Shipman murdered 215 of his patients before he was caught, giving him the record as the world's most prolific serial killer, is that impressive?

The organisation and method of execution for the 11/09 terrorist attacks meant they were unstoppable, was that impressive?

Not sure what you've been taught as to the meaning of the word impressive but you sure use it in a way that I certainly wouldn't dream of.

[IceFire 0]

No, I know exactly what impressive means.

If you were dirt poor and your wife was sick, and you became the worlds greatest theif stealing and reselling world renown works of art like the mona lisa and you became really rich, THAT would be impressive.

It would be admirable. You bravely outsmarted the rigid structures of conventional society.

Why do you think there are so many books about prisoners who have made daring escapes the cluthes of imprisonment and the law against all odds and difficulties.

They are idolized as heros. These people used their wits and anything they could to reach freedom.

My point is that just because something is illegal or defies conventional societal rules doesn't mean it can't be impressive.

[ralphwiggum 6]

anyway, back on topic.

he joined Army in 1999, and AFAIK, he would be out in 2003. And I don't know what, but this guy was actually unable to think that he could have gotten out in about 12 months?

[Placebo 29]

To the muslim extremist types the Sept 11th attacks were impressive, to most of the rational world it was a vile repulsive act carried out by sick evil fucks who will rot in hell.

To a percentage of the world today Hitler and the Nazi party were impressive for trying to "solve the Jewish question".

Whether or not something is impressive is relative to the mindset of the person looking at it, if someone is of the mindset that attempted murder of an innocent man posing no threat is impressive then I would question the mind of that person.

[Major Fubar 0]

How can anyone look up to this jackass? Just another lowlife would-be murderer who didn't want to take responsibility for his own life, but thought he could improve it by taking someone elses.

And a bungler...he left the guy alive. And did he really believe the authorities would say "Oh, that looks like the guy who lives here, let's not bother with identifying the body with fingerprints or dental records"?

Anyway, says a lot for the ultimate killing power of knives, eh? A trained military specialist couldn't kill a guy who was bound and tied for cryin' out loud.

[Placebo 29]

My problem is I tend to judge people based on my own morality, perhaps I should keep my mouth shut and stick to moderating

[IceFire 0]

Can you think of a better way to fake your own death?