-
Despite the WaPost, Benghazi Is a Major Scandal
May 21, 2013 | 46 comments
-
Putting Heritage in DeMint Condition
May 10, 2013 | 57 comments
-
Military Might, Out of the Wilderness
May 8, 2013 | 115 comments
-
Not Wanting to Write About Nothing Good
April 30, 2013 | 126 comments
-
Perez Abomination Grows
April 23, 2013 | 81 comments
Feature
Murder Allegation Most Foul
The remarkable life and imprisonment of Stephen Nodine.
(Page 2 of 4)
Out of the Army, back in south Florida, Nodine found work in government relations and PR. Soon, though, Haig was running for president. Haig’s best friend from his West Point days, Jack Cassidy, lived in the Palm Beach area. Nodine finally met the general in person at a fundraiser Cassidy hosted. Cassidy sent Nodine and his son John Cassidy to New Hampshire to work as Haig’s advance men. Nodine pulled several political coups, mightily impressing the general. The whole Haig family stayed close to Nodine for the next quarter century.
Back in PR after the campaign fizzled, Nodine worked as publicist for Pete Rose’s new radio show. He was head of the local Jaycees. He was the point man for a charity for children with AIDS. Everything he did, everywhere he went, he had a knack for meeting and befriending famous people.
Tragedy struck in 1991: another car accident, another death. This time Nodine himself was the driver. An elderly lady stepped into the road from behind a street post in the pouring rain, directly in Nodine’s path. Witnesses confirmed he was faultless. He wasn’t speeding, wasn’t drinking, wasn’t reckless. But that and the deaths of some of his favorite AIDS children were too much. He needed a new start, a change of scenery. Taking a government-relations job with duties stretching from Atlanta to New Orleans, he moved from Florida to settle in Mobile, a convenient midpoint for his various duties. He also did political consulting and became a regular on local talk radio.
At first he seemed merely a conservative gadfly. But he was irrepressible. He won handily an open City Council seat. He helped Bob Riley get elected governor. He drove the mayor of Mobile crazy by demanding savings and transparency. He would do a sort of conservative Ted Kennedy routine, saying things that bordered on demagoguery in public so as to move the ball his way, but then finding reasonable middle ground behind the scenes. He knew the art of the deal.
He called reporters, lots of different reporters, at all hours, for no good reason, launching into conversations with a high-pitched cackle.
“Wake your sorry bones up!” He’d shriek into the phone on an early Saturday morning. “I’m drinking a piña colada on the beach looking at the Atlantic, on vacation, enjoying life, so why are you still sleeping?”
With other reporters, he’d go out carousing. He drank plenty, but always woke early and went for long runs. Got elected to the County Commission — more pay, more power than the City Council — and worked his tail off. When city or county workers weren’t responsive, he would be. He made sure new sidewalks were built, playgrounds spruced up and expanded, roads repaired — and wasteful contracts eliminated.
He showed up in person to shovel a stinky, fourday- dead possum carcass into the back of his pickup to haul away. Drove through a major downpour to clear fallen branches from culverts flooding an elderly man’s property. Hurt his back in the process. Wore out his hip with all his running. Started taking pain pills, lots of them.
He had a knack for headlines. An indefatigable spirit for building regional coalitions for big projects. An insistence on looking like the hero in disaster responses — backed, at least in some accounts, by work that actually merited the attention.
Nodine was everywhere. New Orleans, Gulf
Shores, Pensacola. Washington, D.C., pulling any string available
to secure an Air Force tanker project. Driving some officials batty
and earning praise from others for loud intervention in the BP oil
spill response. He burned the candle at both ends and the middle.
He was prescribed as many as six Lortab pain pills a day, and
apparently took every one. Word was he was increasingly stressed
out, maybe strung out. And increasingly reckless with his personal
life, too. He squired Angel Downs around for six full years, much
of the time in public, without explaining the relationship or
mentioning his wife. And, to help with his hip and back pain, he
added to the Lortabs and beers occasional hits of marijuana.
Around Christmastime 2008, word was out that U. S. Rep. Jo Bonner might run for governor in 2010. Rumors were, Nodine coveted Bonner’s House seat. A clued-in politico, encountered at random on a downtown street corner, said Nodine might well win. “You know, I actually think he’d make a damn good congressman…” he laughed, “assuming he doesn’t end up divorced or in jail, or both.”
THE WHEELS SPUN OFF around Christmas of 2009. Bonner chose to stay put in Congress. Boeing finagled the air tanker away from the European Aeronautic Defence and Space Co. Plant in Mobile. And county workers said they found marijuana in Nodine’s county vehicle. To this day he says he was framed, but impeachment proceedings began apace. Haig died in February. And Nodine and Downs had a huge public spat on the beach in late April. Expletives flew. Voices were raised. Nodine and a random witness then started jawing at each other, with threats of bodily harm. It was an ugly scene.
But the next week, Nodine and Downs patched things up. He wrote her a seven-page letter. She drafted a long, loving letter of her own. But in it, she demanded that he divorce his wife. She wanted to help raise Christopher (who thought of her apparently as “Daddy’s beach friend”), whom she adored. On Thursday, three days before Mother’s Day, the two were seen walking hand in hand in downtown Mobile, and hanging out at his friend’s restaurant, happily. On Friday, Nodine and Christopher stayed at Angel’s Gulf Shores condo. On Sunday morning, she and Nodine joined a group of friends for what had become an annual Mother’s Day outing in Pensacola Beach. Photographs show them holding hands, laughing. Friends testified they seemed happy. They left together. Cell and phone records show they returned to her condo, that he left shortly thereafter — and that 10 minutes later, he turned around and called her as he returned. He says it was for his wallet. Nobody knows for sure.
One reason for the confusion is that the entire effort to prove Nodine guilty was a sickening travesty. This article keeps interrupting the narrative of that evening, because so did the prosecutors. Obviously, Nodine had made enemies in the wrong places. After Downs was found dead as Nodine’s truck was seen leaving the scene, the local news for weeks was Nothing but Nodine. Nodine Suspected. Nodine Lawyer-Friends Remove Handguns from His Home. Nodine Checks Self into Psych Ward for Grief Assistance. Suspected Blood Found on Nodine’s Truck. Impeachment Charges Finally Filed in Nodine Weed-in-Truck Case. Nodine Suspected of Illegal Overuse of Lortab Painkillers. Nodine Arrested for Murder.
Bizarrely, Nodine was charged not by state officials but by the feds under an obscure application of a statute intended to stop gun violence by major drug dealers. Federal law, rather broadly, makes it a crime even to possess a gun, otherwise entirely legal, if one is addicted to or illegally using a controlled substance. First the word was the law — 18 U.S.C. § 922(g)(3) — applied to Nodine because he seemed to have illegally gamed the system to accumulate vast stores of Lortab; and because he had a handgun under his bed, well, that put him in violation.
About the Author
Quin Hillyer is a senior editor of The American Spectator and a senior fellow at the Center for Individual Freedom. Follow him on Twitter @QuinHillyer.
Letter to the Editor View all comments (29) | Leave a comment
More Articles by Quin Hillyer
More Articles From Feature
http://spectator.org/archives/2012/06/26/murder-allegation-most-foul
Follow us:
ADVERTISEMENT
The Spectacle Blog
Former IRS Commissioner Refused to Say That Targeting Conservative Groups is Wrong
Benjamin Brophy | 2:27PM
SPONSORED LINKS
FLASHBACK TO: 1995
-
Pope Culture
A man of faith in a godless age is hitting Americans where it hurts.
-
Why the GOP Does Not, Like, Totally Suck
Mr. and Mrs. American Spectator Reader, let P.J. O’Rourke talk sense to your kids.
-
Dames at Sea
-
In the Absence of Guns
In Britain, defending your property can get you life.
-
The Metaphysical Martini
-
Counting the Costs of Clintonism
The debacle of this president’s administration is both a cause and a symptom of the decline of American values. Unless Congress impeaches him, that decline will go on unchecked. An eminent jurist surveys the damage and assesses the chances for the recovery of our culture.
-
Chuck McHagel
It won’t take long for conservatives to scratch this presidential wannabe off their 2008 scorecard.
-
The Legacy of Old John and Mother Fresh-Roasted
-
It’s the Best Time of the Year
The American Christmas, like the songs that celebrate it, makes room for everybody under the rainbow. Is that why so many people seem to be hostile to it?
-
The Bush Crack-Up
Was the President done in by the economy, or by the politics of the economy?
Clip of the Day
ADVERTISEMENT
Bill Hussein O'Stalin| 6.26.12 @ 8:34AM
That perp cartoon looks auspicious. A black man held onto by two white police officers. Are those police officers stupid? Did they leave no stone unturned? Are you changing into Ed Asner?
He will get a trial and he can present his side there. Apparently, there was some evidence which looked bad for him. It will come out at the trial and he will have to put forth a defense.
Maybe he is innocent. However, he played a dangerous game and all games have winners and losers.
Brooksifier | 6.26.12 @ 2:00PM
What is the message of the piece? Adultery killed Angel?
PCC| 6.26.12 @ 8:46AM
This is why we have a jury system. Let justice take its course.
C'mon Man!| 6.26.12 @ 11:59AM
You mean the jury system where 9 of 12 jurors found him guilty with lousy "evidence?" Yeah, I'm sure he has a lot of faith in that...
Mobile| 6.26.12 @ 1:49PM
Or maybe 9 of the 12 had no faith in Nodine.
TrueBlue | 6.26.12 @ 2:37PM
Don't have to have faith in a person to find them "not guilty." Evidence and fact lean far in his direction.
Mobile| 6.26.12 @ 4:07PM
Of course not and that wasn't my point. Nodine is the lowest form of human creation by his own choice and in so doing lacks any credibility. Its not unheard of for a jury to be swayed based on character.
The facts nor the evidence lean far in either direction. In the end, the evidence may not be able to prove that Nodine pulled the trigger, but his actions (and past) tell a story of someone that isn't telling the whole truth.
Fast and Curious| 6.26.12 @ 10:05AM
"beyond a reasonable doubt" can never be reached in this case. There is just no way he could have done this without any physical evidence.
Oldefarte| 6.26.12 @ 11:55AM
I will not comment on this situation for personal reasons!!!!!!!!!
HBealeJr| 6.26.12 @ 12:50PM
Your argument that he has been framed sounds reasonable. However, if he had been at home with his wife and not involved in an affair with a drug addicted woman (to say nothing of his own addiction), he would not have gone to jail and be subject to murder charges.
Mom always said, don't put yourself in situations were trouble can happen and you won't get into trouble.
Mobile| 6.26.12 @ 1:47PM
A most brilliant piece of fiction Mr Hillyer! Most brilliant!
I have to say my favorite part of this tale has to be Mr Hillyer's attempt to use Lord Conrad Black as a credible witness (and part time defense attorney as well it appears) for Nodine. The same Conrad Black who was convicted of defrauding the company he worked for in excess of $60 million, or as Mr Hillyer refers to it as "shenanigans". Oh, that cheeky ol' Conrad and his "shenanigans". Last time I checked, I don't believe defrauding a corporation of $60 million falls into the "shenanigans" catergory.
Of course, Mr Hillyer further attempts to lend our felonious friend (Black) some credibility by repeating the same, tired mantra of the innocent prisons. Its such a shame in this country that prison after prison is filled to capacity with innocent men and women. A crying shame, really!
After this piece, its hard to decide who has less credibility: Nodine or Hillyer. At least in the case of Nodine, he's not the one with the hook in his mouth.
JPTravis | 6.26.12 @ 3:27PM
You are entitled to your opinion, but not your own facts. According to what actually happened in the legal system, Conrad Black was convicted of nothing but impeding a federal investigation by removing personal items from his office IN CANADA after being ASKED to remove those items by the company. That's all. Akin to Martha Stewart's conviction for lying about a crime she didn't commit. Our federal prosecutors are out of control. They're thugs no less dangerous than Al Capone's gang.
Quin Hillyer| 6.26.12 @ 5:15PM
JPTravis is right about Black. The whole $60 million thing was bogus. Just another of Patrick Fitzgerald's personal vendetta/witch hunts (remember Scooter Libby?). Fitzgerald was out of control. So are many federal prosecutors. Read the Heritage Foundation's "One Nation Under Arrest": http://site.heritage.org/Levin/default.aspx
anamvet68| 6.27.12 @ 6:46AM
Being a retired Fed. Officer Mobile knows nothing about evidence collection or "time lines" or anything about crime. It's about a possible "crime" NOT his personal life. JPTravis is right in his reply to Mobile. Like I have said before most people on this site are STUPID!
nononsense| 6.27.12 @ 4:23PM
Fiction???
Fiction...God what an idiot...
the only one that is not credible her is YOU...
Doctor Right| 6.26.12 @ 3:19PM
It's not at all uncommon for a narcissist to portray his ex-spouse/girlfriend as "nuts." It's how they build sympathy.
Meanwhile, in most cases the ex-spouse/girlfriend has actually become nuts directly due to his behavior, which includes a great deal of "gas-lighting" and emotional abuse.
This guy matches the profile.
Doctor Right| 6.26.12 @ 4:34PM
I re-read the article again, and I must admit, Mr. Hilyer, that your seeming attempt to vindicate Mr. Nodine looks very weak.
First of all, as I mentioned in a previous posts, ex-wives and/or girlfriends are commonly referred to as "nuts" by the kind of men whom even you referred to as "skanks."
Second, your time-frame doesn't really say he's innocent.
Steps A-B require hardly anytime at all. If Ms. Downs was yelling and upset, it's possible Mr. Nodine would have simply turned on his heels and headed back out the door.
Steps C-D are actually the same step; they struggled ON the porch, and he (supposedly) got the gun. How long does it take a very physically fit man to wrestle a gun from a drunk woman?
Step E: He has the gun, and he shoots her in the head. Again, how long would this take??
Step F: He runs to his car; what, is her driveway half a mile long??
Step G: He gets in his car and drives off.
2-3 minutes, in this context, is an eternity.
Doctor Right| 6.26.12 @ 4:41PM
Also...Let's look at Nodine's personality (based on your article):
He's a liar (he's cheating in his wife, and lied to Ms. Downs for some time).
He likes to ingratiate himself with people in positions of power.
He likes to portray himself as a selfless man-of-the-people, all the while mugging for the camera.
He seeks publicity for his own ends, and is not above exaggeration and distortion.
He's addicted to narcotics (of course... they're for "pain", right?)
He smokes pot.
He's being impeached from his political office for committing a crime.
Sounds like an upstanding citizen...
Look closely into Mr. Nodine's personal life, especially his relationship with Ms. Downs. I'm willing to bet there were other women, too. I'm also willing to bet that he made repeatd promises to Ms. Downs to leave his wife...promises that he never intended to keep.
Quin Hillyer| 6.26.12 @ 8:42PM
Hey, there is not a single thing in this feature that suggests I think Stephen Nodine was an upstanding citizen. But it's just one hell of a human interest story, a "True Crime" special that needed to be told -- especially after, having done the research and gone over everything with a fine tooth comb, I discovered that it is quite unlikely that he killed her. My bet is that prosecutors won't actually go through with the murder charge after all; what I did NOT put in the piece, because it was so long already, was that another grand jury was convened after the first trial was inconclusive, and the new grand jury REFUSED to charge Nodine with murder, instead coming up with some rare charge that amounts to being morally culpable for her death (harassed her into suicide, or something like that) without having actually done the deed himself..... but the prosecutors chose to throw out that grand jury and return to the original grand jury indictment, which technically was still standing.
anamvet68| 6.27.12 @ 6:53AM
Very good Hillyer most people on this site don't do research or are toooooooo lazy to do it or just don't care. Their like the Fed. and local prosecutors lazy and looking to improve their standing.
Doctor Right| 6.26.12 @ 4:43PM
In short, from what I've read, Mr. Nodine is the proto-typical narcissist.
FYI, one of the characteristics of the narcissist is their ability to fool others into believing "He/she would have NEVER done such a thing!"
That's how they roll...
TinaB| 6.26.12 @ 7:00PM
From my meager level of expertise, I read some great mystery authors and I watch way too much true crime on tv, a GSR test for both victim and Nodine would have made some serious difference. That neither was tested for gun shot residue tells me they believed they had their man and wrapped the investigation right up. Too bad, I thought of it immediately upon reading a murder/suicide was in question. An old retired math tchr vs. the Mobile PD, no contest. Unless they wanted it that way, an easier case for them to make without this.
Truncheon| 6.27.12 @ 10:43AM
A boozing, pill-popping, overambitious, dope-smoking philanderer with a neurotic mistress finds himself horribly tangled in the webs of distrust and deceit he wove about his life.
Pardon me while I fail to generate a tear....
TinaB| 6.27.12 @ 2:28PM
No, no tears for him. Yes, it would seem that Nodine has made a nasty bed for himself, and now, at least for a time, he is being forced to lie down in it.
I am seeing a lot of what goes around come around lately. I don't find that such a bad thing generally. However I am truly grateful that I didn't get everything I deserved after some of the webs I've woven in my life. I have reaped much of what I have sown, just not all of it. Yet.
God is in the business of forgiving His children, and I have asked, begged even, for that gift. I have received it as He has received me. With arms wide open. That's consequences, but no condemnation.
nononsense| 6.27.12 @ 4:20PM
Some people just cannot accept the truth for what it is...Steve Nodine did NOT kill Ms. Downs...
Some of you would not believe that he did not do this if God came to earth and told you he did not kill her.... How narrow some of you really are...
TinaB| 6.27.12 @ 5:46PM
Don't you think sometimes people get what's coming to them in a round about way? If they crap on people for years, then change, they pay consequences of an unrelated nature, and get crapped on back? Just changing your ways doesn't always mean you are free from the consequences of your previous horrible behavior. Sometimes.
Dedicated_Dad | 7.5.12 @ 12:50PM
Wow.
It's AMAZING to me how many people have NO clue how our "justice system" is supposed to work.
Whether or not the man was a "skank" is irrelevant to this legal case.
The only question is whether he is guilty of murder BEYOND ANY REASONABLE DOUBT.
Woman with a dangerous cocktail of drugs in her system found in a position that makes suicide obvious.
Her blood and brain matter spread over the area, but he has none on him at all, anywhere. No trace on his hands, clothes or truck.
It's not up to him to prove he didn't kill her, it's up to the state to prove he DID - BEYOND ANY REASONABLE DOUBT.
Not even close.
It seems as though FL has a SERIOUS problem with overzealous prosecutors here lately!
Again - the man's obviously a sleazeball, but that's not a crime. No way in hell he's guilty beyond a reasonable doubt.
No way.
insighted| 1.3.13 @ 5:35PM
I find this truly unbelievable!
First of all Nodine IS narcissistic scum and he DID kill Angel Downs. BUT!! Take away that and you still have to scratch your head over the fact that he is working in the judicial system while serving time for perjury! Ya gotta love the "Good Ol Boy System" in Alabama...He is guilty and I am not just speculating.
insighted| 1.3.13 @ 5:35PM
I find this truly unbelievable!
First of all Nodine IS narcissistic scum and he DID kill Angel Downs. BUT!! Take away that and you still have to scratch your head over the fact that he is working in the judicial system while serving time for perjury! Ya gotta love the "Good Ol Boy System" in Alabama...He is guilty and I am not just speculating.