• US Marine, relatives kidnapped from Mexico border ranch

    FBI

    U.S. Marine Armando Torres III was kidnapped along with his father and uncle at a ranch in Mexico near the border with the United States.

    By Ian Johnston, Staff Writer, NBC News

    The FBI has appealed for help in finding Armando Torres III, a U.S. Marine who was kidnapped in Mexico along with his father and uncle.

    In a statement on its website, the FBI said Torres had gone just across the border to visit his father’s ranch in La Barranca, Tamaulipas, on May 14, when he was abducted.

    His father Armando Torres II and uncle Salvador Torres, both Mexican citizens, were also taken.

    “Shortly after he (Torres) arrived at the ranch, armed gunmen entered the ranch and took all three Torres family members by force. They have not been seen or heard from since this event,” the FBI statement said.

    A criminal investigation is underway in Mexico and the FBI said it was also conducting an “international kidnapping investigation and is vigorously pursuing all investigative leads.”

    The statement said Armando Torres III was a U.S. Marine and a veteran of Operation Iraqi Freedom.

    His sister Cristina Torres, 24, who lives in Virginia, told The Monitor newspaper, which is based in McAllen, Texas, that the family thought the kidnapping was related to a land dispute as drug traffickers have been trying to get the property because of its position close to the border.

    She also said that her cousin witnessed the kidnapping.

    “She saw a white truck with people in it and they just went in the house and got my brother and my dad and my uncle and just put them in the truck and took off,” Cristina Torres said. “They took a lot of their belongings in the house and they took the cars, as well.”

    The Monitor said the kidnapped Marine, of Hargill, Texas, has two children, aged 4 and 3.

    Friends and fellow Marines have started a Facebook group called “Get Our Brother Back” in support of Torres. It had 1,372 members at 6:40 a.m. ET Tuesday.

    Related:

  • Series of earthquakes shakes Oklahoma

    By Marian Smith, Staff Writer, NBC News

    A magnitude-4.3 earthquake shook Oklahoma early Tuesday, the United States Geological Survey reported.

    The quake struck at 12:56 a.m. local time (1:56 a.m. ET) around 30 miles northeast of Oklahoma City. It was measured at a depth of 3.1 miles, the USGS said.

    A small earthquake of magnitude 3.0 preceded the temblor, and two small tremors with magnitudes of 2.8 and 3.3 rattled nearby within 20 minutes of the initial quake.

    According to the USGS, the people in the surrounding areas would have felt light to moderate shaking.

    There were no initial reports of damage or injuries.

  • Ex-Marine arrested in alleged hate crime in attack outside California gay bar

    By Miranda Leitsinger, Staff Writer, NBC News

    A former Marine has been arrested in the beating of two men outside a popular gay bar in Southern California last year and will face hate-crime charges for using anti-gay slurs during the attack, the Los Angeles County District Attorney's Office said Thursday.

    John Kelly O'Leary, 21, was arrested Monday by police in Evergreen Park, Ill., Deputy District Attorney Gretchen Ford of the hate crimes unit said in a statement. O'Leary was discharged from the Marines on Oct. 19, about six weeks after the attack, Marine Corps’ spokesman Master Gunnery Sgt. Mark Oliva told NBC News. He will be extradited from Illinois to California to face the charges.

    O'Leary and a group of friends, including other Marines, went to the Silver Fox bar in Long Beach, Calif. in the early morning hours of Sept. 3, 2012. O'Leary was accused of shouting anti-gay slurs outside the bar at closing time, which triggered the hate crime charge, said Jane Robison, a spokeswoman for the district attorney's office.

    "Following a verbal exchange with one of two alleged victims, O’Leary allegedly turned and began punching the first alleged victim as he continued to shout anti-gay slurs. The victim, who suffered a concussion and a fractured hip during the altercation, was knocked unconscious," the statement said. "As others joined in to break up the fight, O’Leary allegedly began punching and choking a second male victim before police arrived."

    O'Leary has been charged with two felonies – battery with serious bodily injury and assault by means likely to produce great bodily injury – and faces up to eight years in prison, which includes time for the hate crime allegation, Robison said. The Press-Telegram of Long Beach first reported the charges.


    Authorities arrested three other Marines after the attack, but they were not charged, the district attorney's office said. Robison said they were attempting to break up the assault, and Oliva said they were on active duty with their commands.

    The four Marines, based at Camp Pendleton in southern California, were in their first enlistment. Oliva characterized O’Leary’s discharge as “less than honorable,” but he didn’t have the exact nature of it. He also said the Marine Corps was still conducting an inquiry into the attack.

    Robison said she didn't know if the two victims were gay. Immediately after the attack, CBSLA.com reported that one of the victims had gone to the bar with his boyfriend and that he had blacked out from the assault. He was hospitalized overnight and released with non-life threatening injuries, Long Beach police said at the time.

    O'Leary is being held on $105,000 bail. He has waived extradition and will be transported to Los Angeles some time next week, the district attorney's office said. Attempts to reach O'Leary, his family or an attorney representing him were unsuccessful.

    Related:

  • US Marine kills two colleagues at Quantico base

    A Marine opened fire on two of his comrades Thursday night at a base in Quantico, Va., before turning the gun on himself, leaving all three dead. NBC's Brian Williams reports.

    By Courtney Kube and John Newland, NBC News

    A Marine opened fire on two of his comrades Thursday night at a base in Quantico, Va., before turning the gun on himself, leaving all three dead, military officials said.

    A relationship dispute was believed to be behind the shooting, which occurred in the staff barracks area of the Officer Candidates School at Marine Corps Base Quantico in Northern Virginia, a Marine official said.

    The assailant and both victims, a man and a woman, were staff members at the school and not students, a senior defense official said. The official called the incident "isolated," adding: "There was nothing random here."

    Three Marines – two men and one woman – are dead after a shooting on a Marine base in Quantico, Va., including the suspected shooter. Authorities are indicating the shooting was a result of a relationship dispute. NBC's Jim Miklaszewski reports.

    The names of the dead were being withheld for 24 hours pending notification of next of kin.

    Military police and Prince William County, Va., Sheriff's Department officers responded to a report of gunshots around 10:30 p.m. local time and were on the scene within five minutes, base commander Col. David W. Maxwell said at a press conference on Friday.

    They found one Marine dead and the shooter inside the barracks, a Marine official said. At 3 a.m., officers entered the barracks and found two more bodies, including that of the shooter, the official said. The three, all active duty Marines, were pronounced dead at the scene.

    Why officers hesitated before entering the barracks remained unclear Friday morning.

    “There was a lag but I can’t go into the details about the length of the lag the occurred,” base spokesman Lt. Agustin Solivan said Friday.

    The assailant appeared to have died from a self-inflicted gunshot wound, base officials said.

    Authorities did not fire any shots and did not hear any shots fired, Maxwell said. “There was no standoff or barricades,” Maxwell said.

    Early reports indicated that the shooter may have barricaded himself in the barracks.

    The base had been under lockdown after the incident, but its status early Friday returned to "Code Green," meaning operations were normal.

    A message posted on Quantico's Facebook page had earlier had told residents to remain in their homes with their doors locked. Personnel on the base were notified of the situation via an emergency alert system. The base returned to normal operations at 2:30 a.m., Maxwell said.

    “Early this morning, the Secretary was saddened to learn of the shootings at Marine Corps Base Quantico,” defense department spokesman George Little said in a written statement. “His heart and his prayers are with them and their families.”

    Quantico is about 40 miles south of Washington in the Northern Virginia suburbs.

    “This is a truly tragic loss again for the Marine Corps, which has had a number of tragic losses in the last couple of weeks,” Maxwell said.

    The base provided chaplains and counselors to base residents on Friday.

    The Officer Candidates School calls itself "the first proving ground for future Marine officers." Its graduates attain the rank of 2nd lieutenant.

    It has a reputation for being challenging.

    "The mission of OCS is to train, screen and evaluate candidates, who must demonstrate a high level of leadership potential and commitment to success in order to earn a commission," the Marine Corps says on the school's website. "Officer Candidates School training will be more demanding than any you've experienced before, regardless of commissioning program."

    Matthew Barakat / AP

    The entrance to Marine Corps Base Quantico in Northern Virginia is shown early Friday after three Marines, including the suspected assailant, died in a shooting.

    Related content:

    NBC News' Denise Ono, Christopher Nelson and Matthew DeLuca contributed to this report.

  • Marine corporal arrested over murder of Camp Pendleton officer

    By Monica Garske, NBCSanDiego.com

    A U.S. Marine was arrested Friday night in California’s Camp Pendleton in connection with the murder of a man whose body was found zipped up inside a sleeping bag in the back seat of a parked car in Fallbrook last month.

    According to the San Diego County Sheriff’s Department, suspect Kevin Albert Richard Coset was taken into custody shortly after 5 p.m. for the murder of Alvin Bulaoro, 24.

    Bulaoro was found dead inside a 1997 Toyota 4Runner that was parked in front of the Albertson’s supermarket in the 1100 block of South Mission Road on Jan. 3. Homicide investigators said his body showed signs of trauma and deemed his death suspicious in nature.

    Bulaoro had been reported missing by his family and was last seen on Dec. 21, 2012.

    Bulaoro’s family pleaded for investigators to find his killer.

    “I want justice for my son,” his mother, Josephine Bulaoro, told NBC 7 in an interview back in January.

    Bulaoro was enlisted in the Navy for four years. He worked as a human resources officer at Camp Pendleton, helping Marines with pay, benefits and housing issues.

    During that time, he got his bachelor's degree. After leaving the Navy, Bulaoro became a lieutenant in the Army.

    Read more from NBCSanDiego.com

    View more videos at: http://nbcsandiego.com.

    He returned from training in Texas in November and was set to participate in a ceremony for his commission on Jan. 12 in Los Angeles.

    "He told me, 'Mom you're going to be very proud of me,'" his mother previously told NBC 7.

    Bulaoro’s brother told NBC 7 the family had hired a private investigator to search for Bulaoro. The private investigator is the person who told the family that Bulaoro’s car had been spotted in the Albertson’s parking lot on Jan. 3.

    According to the sheriff’s department, Coset is a corporal in the Marine Corps.

    He was taken into custody Friday with the help of NCIS agents and charged with the murder of Bulaoro.

    Officials have not released any further details. The motive for the murder remains unknown.

  • Officials: Endangered whale dies after getting stranded on NYC beach

    View more videos at: http://nbcnewyork.com.

    By Miranda Leitsinger, Staff Writer, NBC News

    NEW YORK -- An emaciated 60-foot finback whale that washed up on a coastal community devastated by Superstorm Sandy has died, marine officials said Thursday.

    The whale was found beached Wednesday in Breezy Point, Queens, where 126 homes burned down and more than 2,000 were damaged during the Oct. 29 storm. It was carried out at high tide but washed ashore another time on Thursday, and marine officials said they found it dead, according to media reports.

    “Biologists have confirmed that the whale has died,” Mendy Garron, a marine mammal rescue specialist with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, told Reuters. “Plans are currently being developed for necropsy and disposal of the carcass."

    PhotoBlog: Finback whale beached at Breezy Point

    Finback whales are an endangered species. They are second in size only to the blue whale, and can reach up to 70 feet in length and weigh up to 70 tons. The whales migrate to equatorial waters in the fall and during winter, they mostly fast, surviving on their fat reserves. Winter is also when they mate, and calves are born one year later, according to the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation.


    It is one of the fastest large whales and can stay underwater for up to 50 minutes on one breath.

    Tim Dufficy, 26, a member of the Point Breeze Volunteer Fire Department, said the firehouse was contacted by security in the private cooperative about the animal. He and a few other volunteers took some new equipment, such as a portable pump and a special hose, that they'd gotten in the aftermath of the storm to keep water flowing on the whale during low tide since it was mostly out of the water.

    "Everyone was hoping," he told NBC News. "But ... we knew the prospects were grim."

    The whale did respond to the firefighters efforts, opening its eyes and moving its tails and side fins, he said. The fire crew eventually left the animal in the care of marine biologists. When Dufficy went to check back on the whale on Thursday, it had drifted seven blocks down the beach.

    Rob DiGiovanni, executive director of the Riverhead Foundation for Marine Research and Preservation told NBCNewYork.com on Wednesday that the whale was “severely emaciated” and that the outcome did not look good.

    Calls placed Thursday seeking comment to the foundation and NOAA were not immediately returned.

    The whale was found on the bay side of the community, which is tucked in by the Atlantic Ocean and Jamaica Bay. With most homes rendered uninhabitable by the storm, many residents have had to move away and make daily trips to continue repairs.

    Sharks, dolphins and a large sea turtle have also turned up on the beaches of Breezy Point, which was founded more than a century ago by Irish immigrants. It's not clear how many survived, said Dufficy, though he knew the sea turtle was alive when marine officials took it away.

    A whale also beached itself on the community's Atlantic coast around the summer of 1960, said Point Breeze Fire Chief Marty Ingram.

    More content from NBCNews.com:

    Follow US news from NBCNews.com on Twitter and Facebook

     

  • 'Madder than hell': WWII veteran's medals are stolen

    View more videos at: http://nbcsandiego.com.

    By Monica Garske, Tony Shin and Elena Gomez, NBCSanDiego.com

    San Diego County sheriff’s detectives are looking for the suspect or suspects responsible for stealing several World War II medals from a veteran's home in Vista, Calif.

    According to detectives, the war medals were stolen during a residential burglary, and they were the only item taken from the home.

    The medals have no real monetary value, detectives said, but they do hold great sentimental value to the owner, a World War II Marine veteran who earned them while fighting in the war.

    For more, visit NBCSanDiego.com

    The veteran – 88-year-old Clyde Kellogg – was wounded in combat and spent almost an entire year in the hospital recovering from his injuries.

    Kellogg told NBC 7 that his medals, including a Bronze Star and a Purple Heart, mean everything to him. They remind him of his days as a soldier – and the friends he lost along the way.


    Kellogg joined the Marines at age 17 and served in World War II.

    He said that in his heart, he shares his Bronze Star medal of valor with a fellow Marine who was right there with him when a Japanese tank rolled over their foxhole in Guadacanal.

    “My buddy was right there with me and I held him in my arms while he died. It ticked me off,” recalled Kellogg.

    He later received a Purple Heart. Kellogg said it took him a year to recover from his wounds sustained in combat, including a shot through the throat that left him with only half a vocal cord.

    For more than 60 years, Kellogg has cherished his military medals. Now, they’re gone and the former Marine is fired up about it.

    “I was ready to fight [when they were stolen]. I was madder than hell,” said Kellogg. “Anyone who would take those didn’t earn them. What the hell are they going to do with them?"

    Kellogg said the medals were taken straight from his wall. They were proudly displayed for years in a space right above his military dog tags.

    On Friday, a fellow veteran who heard about the theft of Kellogg’s war medals brought him a surprise at home: a new set of medals to replace his originals.

    Jack Harkins from the United Veterans Council visited Kellogg in Vista.

    Kellogg said he couldn’t express how thankful he was for Harkins’ kind gesture. He said the replacement medals will fill a void he has felt since his medals were stolen.

    “You don’t know how much I appreciate this,” Kellogg said. “I feel elated someone would step up and do something for somebody – replacing my medals.”

    Harkins said he read an article about Kellogg’s medals being stolen and felt he had to do something to help because, as a Marine, he knows what it means to earn medals of valor.

    “The honor that Americans have when their nation presents them with honor for their service is something that runs deep. That’s been true for all generations,” said Harkins.

    In addition to the replacement medals, Harkins gave Kellogg a personal Marine pin to wear for his service engraved with the words, “Once a Marine, Always a Marine.”

    “Jack, you don’t know what this means to me,” Kellogg told Harkins at his home.

    Kellogg said he will be keeping his new medals and pin at home, very much guarded.

    Meanwhile, investigators will continue to search for Kellogg’s original prized possessions.

    Detectives said both the burglary suspect(s) and Kellogg’s stolen medals are still outstanding. Officials are asking for the public’s help in identifying and locating the persons responsible for the burglary. Anyone with information is asked to contact sheriff’s detective Lisa Jenkins at (760) 940-4907 or the Crime Stoppers tip line at (888) 580-8477.

  • Former Marine held in Mexican jail freed, officials say

    View more videos at: http://nbcmiami.com.

    By Juan Ortega and Diana Gonzalez, NBCMiami.com

    Updated 10:30 p.m. ET: The South Florida Marine veteran who for months was detained at a Mexican prison for bringing an unloaded shotgun into the country has been freed, officials and his lawyer said late Friday.

    Jon Hammar is seen in an undated photograph provided by his family.

    The attorney for Jon Hammar tweeted Friday night that his client had been released from a detention center in Matamoros, Mexico. U.S. officials were planning to drive the 27-year-old Hammar across the border at Brownsville, Texas.

    "He's out. Going home," wrote Eddie Varon Levy in a tweet.

    With the judge’s ruling, Hammer was expected to be released after noon Friday, according to a statement from U.S. Rep. Ileana Ros-Lehtinen.

    Several members of Congress said earlier Friday that a judge had agreed to free Hammar.

    U.S. Sen. Bill Nelson's office said in a statement that according to a defense attorney, 27-year-old Jon Hammar was being held at the Matamoros prison on a gun charge, but at a hearing, it was determined he had no intent to commit a crime by taking the firearm to Mexico.

    "No American should be in a Mexican jail for five months without being able to have his case in front of a judge," Nelson said Friday. "We're grateful; this is a good Christmas present."

    With the judge’s ruling, Hammar was expected to be released after noon Friday, according to U.S. Rep. Ileana Ros-Lehtinen.

    NBCMiami.com: Family steps up lobby to get Hammar released

    “Our Marine hero, our local hero, will be freed today from a Mexican prison,” Ros-Lehtinen said at a press conference. “He’s been there chained to his bed in terrible condition since August for a trumped-up gun charge that should have never been leveled against him.”

    The Marine veteran’s mother notified congressional members of her son’s pending release early Friday. The news was confirmed by a defense lawyer, the State Department and the Mexican embassy, according to spokespeople for Nelson and Ros-Lehtinen.

    His mother, Olivia Hammar, called Ros-Lehtinen’s office to say, “Hallelujah! Prayers work and hard work pays off,” Ros-Lehtinen said.

    Friday, the U.S. Consulate was standing by to safely escort the former Marine to the United States. Instead of being taken on a plane, Hammar was to be driven across the Mexican border to Texas.

    Ros-Lehtinen said the Hammar family is thankful for the community’s support. “He will be home for Christmas,” Ros-Lehtinen said. “The family has been so grateful.”

    At his home in Palmetto Bay, Hammar's mother anxiously waited until she was assured he was safe and in the U.S.

     

  • Parents plead for release of former US Marine held in Mexico jail

    By Justin Finch, NBCMiami.com

    Jon Hammar’s Marine veteran son is being held in a Mexican prison – and he’s desperate to bring him home safe.


    “I don't know what to do to get him out before he gets killed,” he said.

    The holidays have been unbearable for the Hammar family in Palmetto Bay – hoping each day that they'll soon see their son Johnny again.

    They last saw him back in August, before he took off in a Winnebago with a friend for a road trip to Costa Rica, where the two planned to surf.

    “I actually thought it would be a good idea for him to go to Costa Rica, but I wanted him to fly,” Olivia Hammar said.

    A getaway is just what the 27-year-old Hammar needed. His service as a Marine includes stints in Afghanistan – where he worked a security detail for President Hamid Karzai –and patrols in Iraq. Hammar's family says he was deeply hurt by the loss of his close friend, Marine Cpl. Albert Gettings, in combat in Iraq's Fallujah section.

    Grieving Daughter Asks for Public's Help

    Days after Hammar left for Costa Rica, they learned he was being held in Mexico's Matamoros prison – charged with carrying an illegal weapon.

    Even worse, they heard he was in the clutches of the Zetas, a dangerous drug gang. The Hammars say they were haunted by late-night phone calls.

    The father described one. “You know, one o' clock in the morning, we have your son and this doesn't have anything to do with the police, we're gonna kill him if you don't send us money,” he recounted.

    Said his wife, “At some point the phone calls stopped, so we assumed that he had been isolated. But you didn't know whether he had been isolated or he had been killed.”

    For months, the Hammars have been trying to get their son home through Mexico's courts. But in recent weeks, they say their son has been pressured to plead guilty to the gun charge, which could land him 15 years behind bars.

    The Hammars have also reached out to Washington, but have hit walls along the way.

    “The response from everyone is Mexico is a sovereign nation, and, you know, we can't force them to do anything, which we know, but this is an outrage,” Olivia Hammar said.

    An online petition is gathering signatures to try and help bring Johnny Hammar home. Click here for more information.

  • Marine fatally shot by Palm Springs police was 'smarter than that,' dad says

    View more videos at: http://nbcsandiego.com.

    By Nicole Gonzales and R. Stickney, NBCSanDiego.com

    The father of a Camp Pendleton-based Marine shot and killed by police in Palm Springs, Calif., said the actions described by officials are uncharacteristic of his son.


    Cpl. Allan DeVillena, 22, was killed Saturday during a confrontation with police officers in downtown Palm Springs.

    "He's not the type to start anything, let alone with a police officer. He was smarter than that," said Allan DeVillena Sr.

    Also on NBCSanDiego.com: Several loose dogs found on scene of woman's death

    As he traveled from the family’s home in the Bay Area to Palm Springs, DeVillena said he had questions about the police officers' actions.

    "No. There was no just cause," he said, adding that his son wouldn't confront police officers. "It's just not in him."

    Officials say DeVillena used his car as a weapon against two officers, who the department said fired on the Marine and his passenger out of fear for their safety and the safety of others.

    Also on NBCSanDiego.com: Firefighters stumble on major pot grow at building fire

    "One of the officers climbed partially through the passenger side window attempting to stop the vehicle," said Palm Springs Chief of Police Al Franz. "The suspect accelerated directly towards the second officer, striking him, and continued on with the initial officer suspended in the passenger side window. The suspect continued driving before crashing the vehicle near the exit."

    At 22 years old, “AJ” as he was known to family members, had already survived one tour in Afghanistan. DeVillena said his son had a lot of friends and stayed close with family despite his deployment.

    Also on NBCSanDiego.com: Driver nabbed in 100 mph cross-county chase

    AJ was based at Camp Pendleton, but stationed at Twentynine Palms.

    The passenger in his vehicle was not injured.

    The two officers involved had four years on the force, according to the Palm Springs NBC-affiliate KMIR-TV. They have been placed on administrated leave during the investigation.

    More content from NBCNews.com:

    Follow US news from NBCNews.com on Twitter and Facebook

     

  • Detectives: Marine wife Brittany Killgore died during sexual attack

    By R. Stickney, Paul Krueger, Lauren Steussy and Monica Garske, NBCSanDiego.com

    New search warrants unsealed in the murder case of a Marine wife reveal that, according to detectives, Brittany Killgore was an unwilling participant in sadomasochistic sexual activity involving the three suspects accused of killing her.

    AP Photo/San Diego County Sheriff's Department

    Brittany Killgore was reported missing April 14. Her body was found a few days later.

    The San Diego, Calif., North County Superior Court released 22 search warrants in the Killgore murder case on Wednesday. The documents had previously been sealed at the request of the San Diego County district attorney.

    Dorothy Grace Marie Maraglino, 36; Jessica Lynn Lopez, 25 and U.S. Marine Staff Sgt. Louis Perez, 45, have pleaded not guilty to murder charges in the killing of 22-year-old Killgore.

    For more, visit NBCSanDiego.com

    Killgore was last seen April 13 wearing a purple evening gown. Four days later her body was found abandoned near Lake Skinner in Riverside County.


    Last week, an amended complaint was filed, adding new allegations to the murder charges, The North County Times reported.

    The complaint also accuses the three suspects of conspiring to kidnap, torture and sexually assault Killgore. The allegations stem from what investigators believe is the alternative sexual lifestyle the three suspects participated in.

    Warrants in Marine wife murder case reveal text messages, sex dungeon

    In the 22 search warrants obtained Wednesday by NBC 7, detectives say they believe Killgore was killed during sexual activities with the suspects, right before her body was taken to Lake Skinner.

    Detectives believe Perez never intended to take Killgore on a dinner cruise because he picked Killgore up from her apartment after the boat would’ve already departed, at approximately 7:37 p.m.

    Search warrants reveal Perez and Killgore’s telephone records show their phones were being used in the Fallbrook area when they were supposed to be in San Diego that night.

    Warrants also show that Killgore sent a text message to a friend asking for help 13 minutes after she was picked up by Perez. Soon after, additional text messages were sent from Killgore’s phone that weren’t consistent with her normal texting style.

    In the warrants, detectives say Killgore’s cell phone appears to have been turned off for approximately two hours on the night of April 13, between 8:14 p.m. and 10:10 p.m. Detectives believe Perez and his accomplices turned off Killgore’s phone during that time so they could kill her and dispose of her body.

    The documents confirm Killgore had injuries on her neck, consistent with being strangled, as well as injuries on her wrist and leg.

    The warrants also reveal detectives found a receipt for cleaning supplies purchased on April 13, the day Killgore disappeared.

    In four search warrants unsealed in July, investigators said they found evidence that an SUV owned by Perez had been used to dump Killgore's body in Lake Skinner.

    A shopping bag containing blue latex gloves and a stun baton were also found during the investigation according to the warrants. Both the bag and the gloves had a red substance on them that tested positive for blood, the documents show.

    Brittany Killgore, slain wife of Marine, texted 'help' on night of disappearance, prosecutor says

    In the warrants, investigators say that San Diego County Crime Lab technicians confirmed the blood to be "a match for the DNA profile of Brittany Killgore."

    On April 17, detectives attempted to contact Maraglino at a Point Loma hotel after a vehicle registered to her was located in the parking lot.

    Once officials gained access to the hotel room, they spotted blood on the bed and saw a woman who identified herself as “Rosalin” inside, the search warrants document.

    "Rosalin" was later identified as Jessica Lopez.

    Disturbing finds inside hotel room
    Also inside the hotel room were large knives in the bathroom and a note on the dressing area mirror stating, “Pigs read this,” the documents show.

    On the dressing table officers said they found a seven-page handwritten letter that began: “I’m sorry Mistress I know you would’ve tried to stop me…You have the wrong f--king person,” according to the warrants.

    The letter went on to say “I hid the body of that whore in plain sight," investigators stated in the warrants. One of the search warrants contains the note, which describes the injuries Killgore reportedly suffered and how she was murdered.

    The search warrants also reveal more about the unusual sexual activity that prosecutors say was happening at a home on East Fallbrook Street, the residence of Maraglino and her roommate Lopez.

    According to the warrant, an ex-girlfriend of Perez allegedly told police they were involved in bondage, whipping, cutting and spanking.

    She told police that on one occasion a female was held in the sex dungeon and not allowed to leave without Perez’s permission, according to the search warrants.

    More content from NBCNews.com:

    Follow US News from NBCNews.com on Twitter and Facebook

  • Trio lured Marine wife to her death, prosecutors say

    NBC San Diego

    Dorothy Grace Marie Maraglino, 36, appeared in a Vista courtroom to face a murder charge for allegedly aiding and abetting in Brittany Killgore's murder, prosecutors charged.

    By NBCSanDiego.com

    Prosecutors say a trio of defendants lured a North County, Calif., Marine wife to go on a dinner cruise but had different plans for her in the hours before her death.

    New details were revealed in court Tuesday about what may have happened to Brittany Killgore, the 22-year-old Fallbrook resident who was last seen alive on April 13, wearing a purple evening gown.

    Dorothy Grace Marie Maraglino, 36, appeared in court to face a murder charge for allegedly aiding and abetting in Killgore's murder, prosecutors charged. She stood quietly in court staring at the ground with half her face covered by hair.

    Maraglino is pregnant, according to a law enforcement source, who added that she is due in August.

    Brittany Dawn Killgore

    Her alleged co-conspirators, Jessica Lynn Lopez, 25, and U.S. Marine Staff Sgt. Louis Perez, 45, have pleaded not guilty to murder in previous court appearances.

    Deputy District Attorney Patrick Espinoza said Maraglino was involved in every part of the crime, from the planning to the execution.

    Read original story on NBCSanDiego.com

    Killgore's body was found abandoned on the side of the road on April 17, four days after she was reported missing. The last communication anyone received from Killgore was a text on April 13 that read "help."

    Prosecutors said Maraglino called Killgore April 13 to convince her to go on a boat cruise, but it was just a ruse.

    Killgore did not want to go with Maraglino, prosecutors said, because she knew the defendant didn't like her.

    However, Killgore agreed to go with Perez and got in the car with him. It was during that ride, prosecutors claim, that Killgore texted the word "help" to a friend.

    Within minutes, according to investigators, Perez had texted Maraglino, asking her to meet him at a home she owned. Maraglino bought the home in December 2009, according to the North County Times. At some point, she shared the home with Lopez and Perez.

    Investigators searched the residence several times in the days after Killgore's body was discovered, taking photos, removing evidence bags and even watching video tapes, according to neighbors.

    Click here for timeline from NBCSanDiego.com: Brittany Killgore case

    At a hearing last month, a prosecutor said investigators found Killgore’s blood and a weapon in Perez's car.

    An incriminating note?
    Authorities said Killgore's body was discovered in brush near Lake Skinner, only hours after paramedics were called to a San Diego motel and found another woman -- who turned out to be Jessica Lynn Lopez -- with self-inflicted cuts and a suicide note.

    The suicide note reportedly refers to Maraglino as "Mistress" and Lopez as "Master." The San Diego Union Tribune published a report saying its staff had a copy of the handwritten note along with reaction from Lopez' attorney Sloan Ostbye, who said the contents of the letter should not be believed.

    “Master I am so sorry I dragged you into this,” the letter reads. “I thought I was defending the family and it would be simple like Dexter.”

    "Dexter" likely refers to the television show "Dexter," which depicts a serial killer.

    Lopez admits in the letter to binding and strangling Killgore, and then dumping her body near Lake Skinner.

    The prosecutor said Lopez and Perez once lived together but didn't indicate when or where. Lopez currently lives a mile from Killgore's second-floor apartment overlooking Camp Pendleton.

    Maraglino and Perez practiced sadomasochism and bondage, according to online profiles posted by the two, reported The San Diego Union Tribune. Maraglino is described online as Perez's "sex slave," said the paper.

    Perez has lived in San Diego County for 10 years and has a wife there.

    Authorities have revealed no link between Killgore and the sadomasochistic lifestyle, said the Tribune. She was "an innocent victim," Espinoza told the court.

    Homicide detectives said Maraglino’s arrest – the third in Killgore’s case – was made as a result of information and evidence obtained throughout the ongoing investigation.

    The judge set bail for her at $3 million.

    Killgore recently separated from Marine Lance Cpl. Cory Killgore, who was in Afghanistan when she disappeared. She cited irreconcilable differences in her divorce filing but gave no other details.

    More content from msnbc.com and NBC News:

    Follow US News on msnbc.com on Twitter and Facebook

Older posts