Audiences lined up to see Jack Nicholson and Tom Cruise in the hit movie, “A Few Good Men”, but not many were aware that it was based on a true story, one that may have led to the murder of a courageous former Marine. David Cox joined the Marine Corps straight out of high school and was stationed at the U.S. naval base in Guantanamo Bay, Cuba. One day, while on duty, David became aware of a problem. Another platoon member, PFC William Alvarado, had written to his senator complaining about Marine misconduct. David’s former squad leader, Christopher Valdez, explains how Alvarado was targeted for a “Code Red,” or hazing. They didnt actually decide to have a Code Red for Alvarado on their own. Their platoon commander had given them an implied order that if they were good Marines, something should happen. Saturday night, they went into Alvarados room, blindfolded him, gagged him and then dragged him off of his bed. David Cox started shaving his head, and within five minutes, William Alvarado had stopped struggling. David Cox convinced his platoon to stop the hazing. When they removed the gag and untied Alvarado, he was unconsciousness. Alvarado was rushed to the hospital. He recovered, but his 10 attackers, including David Cox, were brought up on charges. Cox was going to be charged with attempted murder, but he said he was just following orders. Don Marcari was appointed to defend David Cox. He told David, that this was a defense, obedience to orders, that had not been successful at Nuremberg, had not been successful for Lt. Calley at My Lai, and they had a colonel denying he ever gave an order. David claimed the Code Red started with implied orders from his superior officers. For Don Marcari, that meant an even more uphill battle loomed. They had the additional burden of now saying he was following an implied order. It was a very difficult case to win, and Don told David that. David decided he wanted to fight it because he believed in his heart that he didnt do anything wrong. At his trial, David was convicted of simple assault. He was sentenced to time already served in the brig. He then completed his duty and received an honorable discharge. He returned to civilian life in his hometown near Boston. Years later, “A Few Good Men” was released. David felt that the filmmakers had stolen his story. David Cox’s girlfriend, Elaine Tinsley, recalls at the time that David was stunned and here was this movie company that was making tons of money off of his story, and if it werent for him, the story never would have existed in the first place. David and some of the other Marines involved in the Code Red, sued the movie production company. While they waited for a ruling, David spoke out about his case on radio talk shows. By January 1994, David was living with Elaine and hoping his temporary job with UPS would become permanent. The night before he was supposed to get the good news, David’s back was giving him trouble, so he spent the night on the couch. The next morning, Elaine left at about 8:30, and then called home at about noon. David didnt answer, but there was a message for him on the machine: UPS wanted to hire him. Elaine was happy David would be getting his wish. She called back at 1 pm and the message was still there, and the UPS guy had called again too. At 5:30 pm, Elaine returned home. When she came into the house, she realized right away that the doors to all the rooms were open, and their rabbit, who they usually just kept in the kitchen, was hopping all over the place. Davids truck was still in the driveway, with the keys in the ignition. His uncashed paycheck was on the dashboard and his 9-millimeter gun was in the glove box, but David was gone. Elaine didn’t know what to make of the situation. As the days went on and there was no news from him, she checked his bank account. There was no activity on his bank account. Elaine start to believe that maybe something did happen, but why? The answer came with the spring thaw. The body of David Cox was discovered on the banks of a river in Medfield, Massachusetts, about five miles from his apartment. Sgt. Kevin Shea of Massachusetts State Police, described the manner of Davids death as being 4 gunshot wounds, one to the base of the back of the neck and three to the left side of his torso. It was clear that robbery was not the motive. David’s cash and his credit cards were still in his wallet and police ruled out a random attack. Sgt. Shea believes David left home with someone he knew. Its the police agencys belief that he got in the car willingly, that he knew who was coming to pick him up, and that he went to this area and walked into the woods with this person. Shea thinks that if it was somebody that was just holding a gun on him or something, that they would do it within the first 30 or 40 yards into the woods. David was found almost three-quarters-to-a-mile walk into the woods. David’s attorney, Donald Marcari, said he doesnt know why David was killed. Donald personally believed it had something to do with the military. David had been taken out of his house without signs of struggle, and was wearing his Marine Corps jacket, which he never wore. He was found between two hunting ranges where gunshots would not be unusual, and he was murdered execution style. What was the motive? After the release of “A Few Good Men”, David gave an interview on the radio. He was quite vocal about his story and the U.S. activities in Cuba. David’s mother worried that he had been too outspoken. After she heard that interview on the radio, Davids mom spoke to him, and she said, I dont like what youre doing. I think what youre doing is dangerous. Davids brother, Steve, had a different theory suggesting another possible scenario. He thought that perhaps the murder was connected to David’s job at UPS. A couple of months before David disappeared, hed mentioned to that he had come upon a supervisor and one of the drivers involved in some type of activity, what he believed to be was theft. According to Sgt. Kevin Shea, nothing has been ruled out and the investigation into David Coxs murder is still open and will remain open until it is solved. Theyll follow any leads that come through vigorously, and will do that until it is solved. David Coxs murder remains open but unsolved over 20 years later. ~Alex~
Posted on: Wed, 17 Sep 2014 06:32:06 +0000
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