Conduct Unbecoming: A Military True Crime Podcast

Erin

This podcast analyzes the crimes committed by US military personnel - the very people who swore to protect the United States against all enemies foreign and domestic, only to become the sort of monsters we fear.

  1. 091 South Carolina v. Scott

    16h ago

    091 South Carolina v. Scott

    In honor of Father's Day coming up, this seems like the appropriate time to delve into the case of a young man that returned just in time for Father's Day to visit the man that raised him as his own. But instead of grilling out and sharing presents, former Marine Alex Scott walked into his grandfather's home and discovered him slain. As it turned out, however, Scott was the only one with something to gain from his grandfather's murder.   I relied on articles from Law and Crime, Herald Online, NBC, Stripes, Yahoo, QC News, and WCNC.     Thank you for listening! If you enjoyed this episode, please take a moment to share, rate and review it wherever you hit play today. I'm happy to receive constructive feedback or case suggestions at conductunbecomingpod@gmail.com. Join me over on Instagram @conductunbecoming! Disclaimer: Conduct Unbecoming is a podcast where I get to talk about interesting crimes and cases that involve US military service members. I research, write, and produce the podcast myself… the opinions expressed are my own and, perhaps it's obvious, Conduct Unbecoming is not approved, endorsed, or authorized by the Department of Defense or whatever name they go by socially now. I am not a military JAG and have never been a military JAG. While I'm a practicing attorney, I don't do direct criminal defense. This podcast is a passion project, not legal advice or expert opinion.

    13 min
  2. 090 United States v. Jefferson

    May 26

    090 United States v. Jefferson

    Today's case had all the potential in the world to fall prey to the bystander effect. A barracks dorm is, afterall, a building full of potential witnesses who might assume someone else is taking care of the problem. But perhaps there is a difference between sailors in a volunteer force and residents in an apartment building, and perhaps one group is more motivated to act, more motivated to intervene. In January 2023, when sailors heard blood curdling screams in the barracks, they called 911. Unfortunately, it doesn't seem like summoning emergency services was enough to prevent a violent and prolonged sexual assault.   I relied on articles from KWTX (1)(2), Freestone County Times, Yahoo, 10 news, Law and Crime, and Crime Online.   This episode involved discussion of sexual assault. There are a number of resources available for survivors and victim of sexual assault, including the Rape, Abuse & Incest National Network (RAINN). They offer a free, confidential national sexual assault hotline at 800-656-HOPE as well as an online chat option.   Thank you for listening! If you enjoyed this episode, please take a moment to share, rate and review it wherever you hit play today. I'm happy to receive constructive feedback or case suggestions at conductunbecomingpod@gmail.com. Join me over on Instagram @conductunbecoming! Disclaimer: Conduct Unbecoming is a podcast where I get to talk about interesting crimes and cases that involve US military service members. I research, write, and produce the podcast myself… the opinions expressed are my own and, perhaps it's obvious, Conduct Unbecoming is not approved, endorsed, or authorized by the Department of Defense or whatever name they go by socially now. I am not a military JAG and have never been a military JAG. While I'm a practicing attorney, I don't do direct criminal defense. This podcast is a passion project, not legal advice or expert opinion.

    13 min
  3. 089 United States v. Benton

    May 12

    089 United States v. Benton

    While living in Tennessee, I set up a horseback riding lesson and just as we returned from our ride, a single gunshot rang out. It was startling for riders and horses alike, and the ranch owner took off on horseback toward the gunshot, yelling about hunters on the way. I don't know what direction the gunman was shooting in, I don't know if they were aiming at movement for an animal or fellow rider, or if they fired a warning shot up in the air. But I did take entirely too many physics classes and I know that if that bullet went up, it was still coming back down at a lethal velocity. Following a domestic dispute, Chief Aviation Maintenance Administrationman Benton ignored the laws of physics and popped off a round in her neighborhood. I relied on the NMCCA opinion and the record of trial.   For more information on intimate partner violence, I urge you to explore Alliance For Hope and their Family Justice Center Alliance. If you need help finding shelter in your area, please visit DomesticShelters.org. Last, but not least, many law schools and courthouses offer free legal assistance for people seeking protective restraining orders. Thank you for listening! If you enjoyed this episode, please take a moment to share, rate and review it wherever you hit play today. I'm happy to receive constructive feedback or case suggestions at conductunbecomingpod@gmail.com. Join me over on Instagram @conductunbecoming! Disclaimer: Conduct Unbecoming is a podcast where I get to talk about interesting crimes and cases that involve US military service members. I research, write, and produce the podcast myself… the opinions expressed are my own and, perhaps it's obvious, Conduct Unbecoming is not approved, endorsed, or authorized by the Department of Defense or whatever name they go by socially now. I am not a military JAG and have never been a military JAG. While I'm a practicing attorney, I don't do direct criminal defense. This podcast is a passion project, not legal advice or expert opinion.

    15 min
  4. 088 United States v. Woods

    Apr 28

    088 United States v. Woods

    I think I've mentioned before that on base housing is a bit of a trip. It's not an environment in which I thrive. As someone who is perhaps overly critical of the details, I can find a lot of things to complain about. So, to balance my hot take on on-base living, I would like to offer some observations of what people do really well: when the plague hit, we had no grocery delivery services. We took it upon ourselves to care for our neighbors and to make sure that they had the supplies they needed. When we needed a dog sitter we could trust, our upstairs neighbor helped us with the best solution for us and for their teenager that missed having their own pup. And, if you screamed bloody murder because one of the banana spiders infiltrated your home and you walked into a web face first, someone would come running.  Maybe people on base are a little nosier or just a little more comfortable getting involved. Whatever motivated the on-base community to contact Chief Petty Officer Woods's chain of command, doing so may have saved his wife's life.     I relied on the CGCCA opinion and the Military Rules of Evidence.     Thank you for listening! If you enjoyed this episode, please take a moment to share, rate and review it wherever you hit play today. I'm happy to receive constructive feedback or case suggestions at conductunbecomingpod@gmail.com. Join me over on Instagram @conductunbecoming! Disclaimer: Conduct Unbecoming is a podcast where I get to talk about interesting crimes and cases that involve US military service members. I research, write, and produce the podcast myself… the opinions expressed are my own and, perhaps it's obvious, Conduct Unbecoming is not approved, endorsed, or authorized by the Department of Defense or whatever name they go by socially now. I am not a military JAG and have never been a military JAG. While I'm a practicing attorney, I don't do direct criminal defense. This podcast is a passion project, not legal advice or expert opinion.

    21 min
  5. 087 United States v. Charlie Company

    Apr 14

    087 United States v. Charlie Company

    I don't have a relevant life story that can transition us into the introduction of the facts of this case. The bald truth is that I'm sharing this case because I fear that history may repeat itself. While the Army learned valuable lesson--like the need for operational lawyers to advise commands--from the My Lai massacre, it did so reluctantly, slowly, and without public support.    I referenced an opinion from the CMA, as well as information from CharlieCompany.org, War History Online, NPR, the Guardian, International Crimes Database, Pulitzer, the University of Virginia, Britannica, Army History, and PBS.     Thank you for listening! If you enjoyed this episode, please take a moment to share, rate and review it wherever you hit play today. I'm happy to receive constructive feedback or case suggestions at conductunbecomingpod@gmail.com. Join me over on Instagram @conductunbecoming! Disclaimer: Conduct Unbecoming is a podcast where I get to talk about interesting crimes and cases that involve US military service members. I research, write, and produce the podcast myself… the opinions expressed are my own and, perhaps it's obvious, Conduct Unbecoming is not approved, endorsed, or authorized by the Department of Defense or whatever name they go by socially now. I am not a military JAG and have never been a military JAG. While I'm a practicing attorney, I don't do direct criminal defense. This podcast is a passion project, not legal advice or expert opinion.

    21 min
  6. 086 United States v. Bales

    Mar 31

    086 United States v. Bales

    There are lots of lawyers in the DOD that operate beyond the courtroom and litigation. Relevant to today's episode are lawyers providing operational support. They work on issues involving treaty compliance, the law of war, detainee operations, rules of engagement, the law of the sea, and non-lethal force and weapons. They have other tasks, but those are probably the ones that mean the most to what we're looking at for a few episodes.  When the subject of today's episode slipped away from his post and took the lives of local civilians, he almost certainly violated the ops law guidance, rules of engagement, and law of war. I relied on opinions, petitions, and orders from the ACCA, CAAF, SCOTUS, District Court of Kansas, and Tenth Circuit. I also referenced information from The Air Force Times, NPR, the University of Chicago, American University, the Department of Defense (Press Conference Transcript and Legacy Article), Military.com, a description of operational law, and the text of the Military Commissions Act.       Thank you for listening! If you enjoyed this episode, please take a moment to share, rate and review it wherever you hit play today. I'm happy to receive constructive feedback or case suggestions at conductunbecomingpod@gmail.com. Join me over on Instagram @conductunbecoming! Disclaimer: Conduct Unbecoming is a podcast where I get to talk about interesting crimes and cases that involve US military service members. I research, write, and produce the podcast myself… the opinions expressed are my own and, perhaps it's obvious, Conduct Unbecoming is not approved, endorsed, or authorized by the Department of Defense or whatever name they go by socially now. I am not a military JAG and have never been a military JAG. While I'm a practicing attorney, I don't do direct criminal defense. This podcast is a passion project, not legal advice or expert opinion.

    23 min
  7. 085 United States v. Sinclair

    Mar 17

    085 United States v. Sinclair

    This podcast usually focuses on successful prosecutions and the resulting appeals. But what about the cases that start strong and then lose steam? We don't really spend time there because I hadn't sussed out the through line, the thing that would make them relevant to a broader discussion. But, for this episode I've plucked two cases that I don't think we would generally describe as successful prosecutions. I chose them because they highlight the ways that outside circumstances influence a system of justice and, in some respects, the way that case outcomes can influence outside circumstances. Before we dive into those cases, I want to set the scene for why I'm highlighting that at all. I'm aware there are reviews for this podcast that suggest I stay away from political stuff. They've been around for over a year but I've declined to address them until now. I think I found a way to make the reason we dance across the politics of it all clearer for everyone involved. There are no opinions currently associated with the cases I discussed in this episode. Instead, I relied on news coverage of the Sinclair case and related cases: Sinclair: New York Times, NBC (1)(2), NPR, a press release from a Congressional Representative, and PBS. Naval Academy Case: BBC, ESPN(1)(2)     Thank you for listening! If you enjoyed this episode, please take a moment to share, rate and review it wherever you hit play today. I'm happy to receive constructive feedback or case suggestions at conductunbecomingpod@gmail.com. Join me over on Instagram @conductunbecoming! Disclaimer: Conduct Unbecoming is a podcast where I get to talk about interesting crimes and cases that involve US military service members. I research, write, and produce the podcast myself… the opinions expressed are my own and, perhaps it's obvious, Conduct Unbecoming is not approved, endorsed, or authorized by the Department of Defense or whatever name they go by socially now. I am not a military JAG and have never been a military JAG. While I'm a practicing attorney, I don't do direct criminal defense. This podcast is a passion project, not legal advice or expert opinion.

    16 min
  8. 084 US v. Prescott

    Mar 3

    084 US v. Prescott

    With the explosion of recording glasses, this seems like the right time to tackle the issue at the heart of today's episode.  Covert filming (whether that's filming in public places or filming in private spaces) got a lot easier when cameras got smaller. What was once the stuff of spy thrillers is now being sold at retailers for a few hundred dollars. I recognize that there are blinking lights to indicate that someone's recording, but I'm not confident that'll help in spaces like locker rooms or anywhere where you might be more than a few feet away from the glasses.  Of course, the issue of hidden cameras predates the miniaturization that enabled camera glasses, and hidden cameras have prompted an entire genre of social media consisting of people searching hotels and other spaces for hidden cameras. To go even more retro, there are a series of civil cases addressing hotel liability when two way mirrors are discovered that allow peeping toms to peer into bedrooms while guests get their freak on. But today's case takes us out of the bedroom and into the bathroom.   There are no opinions currently associated with the cases I discussed in this episode. Instead, I relied on news coverage of the Prescott and McClendon cases. Prescott: Stripes (1)(2), WAAY TV, Army.mil's broken link, Wiregrass Daily News. McClendon: New York Times, NBC News, Arkansas Online, questionable comments from a law firm, My NBC 5, Newsday, ABC Chicago, and the digest for CAAF (1)(2). Thank you for listening! If you enjoyed this episode, please take a moment to share, rate and review it wherever you hit play today. I'm happy to receive constructive feedback or case suggestions at conductunbecomingpod@gmail.com. Join me over on Instagram @conductunbecoming! Disclaimer: Conduct Unbecoming is a podcast where I get to talk about interesting crimes and cases that involve US military service members. I research, write, and produce the podcast myself… the opinions expressed are my own and, perhaps it's obvious, Conduct Unbecoming is not approved, endorsed, or authorized by the Department of Defense or whatever name they go by socially now. I am not a military JAG and have never been a military JAG. While I'm a practicing attorney, I don't do direct criminal defense. This podcast is a passion project, not legal advice or expert opinion.

    18 min
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This podcast analyzes the crimes committed by US military personnel - the very people who swore to protect the United States against all enemies foreign and domestic, only to become the sort of monsters we fear.

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