| October
12, 1943 |
Jeffrey
MacDonald is born in Jamaica, New York |
| 1961-1964 |
He attends
Princeton University. His father, Robert ("Mac") passes
away. |
| September
14, 1963 |
Jeff and
Colette MacDonald are married |
| April 18,
1964 |
Daughter
Kimberley Kathryn MacDonald is born |
| 1964-68 |
Jeff attends
Northwestern University |
| 1968 |
He graduates
as Doctor of Medicine |
| May
8, 1967 |
Daughter
Kristen Jean is born |
| 1968-69 |
Jeff completes
medical residency at Columbia Presbyterian Hospital. |
| July 1,
1969 |
He enters
the US Army as a Captain in the Medical Corps |
| September,
1969 |
Having
volunteered for Special Forces duty, Jeff is assigned as group surgeon
at Fort Bragg, North Carolina |
| February
17, 1970 |
Colette,
Kimberley, and Kristen are murdered in the family apartment. |
| February
21, 1970
| Funeral
services are held for Colette and the girls. Jeff is permitted
to leave the hospital to attend the mass |
| February
25, 1970 |
Jeff is
released from the hospital. |
| April
6, 1970 |
Jeff is
informed he is the prime suspect in the murders, and submits to a
full day of questioning by Army investigators |
| May 1,
1970 |
Jeff's
father-in-law, Alfred Kassab, submits a statement to the press criticizing
the Army's handling of the case. The Army formally charges Jeff
of murdering his family. |
| July 5,
1970 |
Colonel
Warren V. Rock, the presiding officer, opens the Article 32 hearing,
the precursor of a court martial, to hear evidence against Capt. Jeffrey
MacDonald |
| October
13, 1970 |
Colonel
Rock completes his 90 page report, recommending that all charges against
Jeffrey MacDonald be dropped because they are "not true"
|
| December,
1970 |
Jeff receives
an honorable discharge. He relocates to New York. |
| December
15, 1970 |
Now a civilian,
and at the urging of his father-in-law, Jeff appears on the Dick Cavett
Show and castigates the CID for its handling of the case. |
| 1971 |
Army begins
further (illegal) investigation of former Capt. MacDonald. |
| July, 1971 |
Jeff moves
to Long Beach, California, accepting a job as an ER physician at St.
Mary Medical Center. |
| October
30, 1971 |
Alfred
Kassab demonstrates his change of heart toward his son-in-law by calling
CID investigator Peter Kearns to tell him of a phone conversation
(Nov 1970) with Jeff during which Jeff claimed to have killed one
of the intruders. |
| November
1, 1971 |
Alfred
writes an irate letter to Jeff, complaining that he hadn't visited
on a recent trip East. |
| January
17, 1972 |
CID Agent
William Ward submits a report on the lengthy and ongoing surveillance
of Jeffrey MacDonald. |
| February
18, 1972 |
Army Captain
Brian Murtagh, a new lawyer in the CID, joins Peter Kearns in his
attempt to bring civilian charges against Jeff MacDonald |
