TOPIC: Victims

Colette MacDonald

Colette Stevenson married Jeffrey MacDonald on September 14, 1963, in Greenwich Village in New York City.  Prior to getting married, Colette was attending Skidmore College, but her life suddenly changed when she discovered that she was pregnant.  Colette was only 19 years old, but she seemed to embrace the idea of being a wife and mother.  By all accounts, Colette was a dedicated mother, and faithful wife.  She was a compassionate person, somewhat introverted, and shy.  Just prior to her tragic death, Colette was attending college again, and preparing for the birth of her third child.  Colette was five and a half months pregnant at the time of her death and her autopsy revealed that the child was a boy.

Kimberley MacDonald

Kimberley was born on April 18, 1964.  Kimberley was much like her mother in terms of personality.  She was intelligent, shy, and quite sensitive.

Kristen MacDonald

Kristen was born on May 8, 1967.  In stark contrast to her older sister, Kristen was an extremely confident child.  She was daring, unafraid, and gregarious.

Freddy Kassab

Freddy married Colette's mother when Colette was 13 years old.  Freddy lost his wife and child in Word War II, and treated Colette and Bob as though they were his own children.

Freddy was a passionate and loyal man who believed in Jeffrey MacDonald's innocence for over a year after the murders.  Three events altered Freddy's thought process and he became convinced that Jeffrey MacDonald was a murderer.

  • The first event was Freddy's study of the Article 32 transcript.  There were too many things in that transcript that raised red flags for Freddy.

  • The next event was Jeffrey MacDonald's phone call to Freddy's home in which he claimed that he had tracked down and killed one of the intruders.  Freddy did some checking and quickly found out that Jeffrey MacDonald was not telling the truth.

  • The last event was Freddy's visit to the crime scene.  In 1971, Freddy was accompanied by Peter Kearns and Jack Pruett, who were leading the CID reinvestigation into the murders.  Freddy did a number of experiments and tests at the crime scene.  When he was finished, he was convinced that Jeffrey MacDonald was a cold-blooded killer.

Freddy spent the next eight years making sure that Jeffrey MacDonald was convicted of murdering his family and the following 14 years ensuring that Jeffrey MacDonald would remain in prison for the rest of his life.  Freddy Kassab died in 1994.

Mildred Kassab

Mildred gave birth to Colette on May 10, 1943.  Mildred had wished for a baby girl all her life, but a series of miscarriages threatened that dream.  The addition of Colette helped to bring a sense of closure for Mildred.  Mildred's family was now complete.  Mildred suffered both emotionally and physically after the murders.  Jeffrey MacDonald's conviction brought some solace, but Mildred would never truly recover from the murder of Colette, Kimberley, and Kristen.  Mildred Kassab died in 1994.

Bob Stevenson

Colette's older brother.  Bob and his sister were quite close and he was devastated at the news of her death.  Bob chose to remain in the background in the years following his sister's murder.  He allowed his stepfather, Freddy Kassab, to advocate for the conviction of Jeffrey MacDonald.  Freddy's poor health in the early 1990's resulted in Bob taking the torch from Freddy in regards to being the main spokesperson on the behalf of his sister and nieces.  In the past several years, Bob has become active in media circles, eloquently stating his reasons for why Jeffrey MacDonald should remain in prison for the rest of his life.  Bob also had the opportunity to express his feelings directly to Jeffrey MacDonald at a 2005 parole hearing.  Bob did not waste that opportunity as he was able to look Jeffrey MacDonald in the eye and tell him that he was a vicious killer.

Pep Stevenson

Bob's wife and confidant of Colette.  Pep spoke to Colette on a consistent basis in the years prior to her death and she was a loyal sister in-law.  Pep is a dedicated wife and mother of two adult children.

Dorothy MacDonald

Jeffrey MacDonald's mother was an energetic person who always tried to accentuate the positive.  She supported her son throughout his legal ordeal and she cared deeply for Colette, Kimberley, and Kristen.  Individual notes left by Dorothy on their gravesites were proof of that love.  Dorothy MacDonald died in 1991.