[elnutty]

I've been following the case of Erin Corwin, a 19 year old wife of a US marine who disappeared in the California desert one day. The story involved infidelity and her being murdered and dropped down a 140 ft mine shaft by her neighbor, whom she was having an affair with. There is speculation she was pregnant with the murderers child. If you haven't read up on the story, you might find it interesting.

Details are scare about her autopsy and crime scene pictures, but dateline had a special on the case last Friday. I got some screen snaps and would like to see if you fine folks come to the same conclusion as me...

The first few caps are from a camera lowered into the mine that found the crime scene, that I have confirmed to be legit from a source that was in the search and rescue effort to find her. The source stated this was the only video taken before the body was removed and evidence collected.

The last pic has notes I have added to highlight what I think is the actual body. I wanted to see if I am seeing "what I want to see" or if the outline does actually seem to be the body...

[kellyhound]

A San Bernardino County Superior Court judge sentenced a former Twentynine Palms Marine to life in prison without parole for killing another Marine's wife, who disappeared in 2014 and was found weeks later at the bottom of a 100-foot mine shaft near Joshua Tree.

Christopher Lee was sentenced Tuesday after friends and family spent an hour reading statements and explaining their suffering following the death of Erin Corwin.

Lee was convicted Nov. 3 for killing her. Jurors found him guilty of murder and lying in wait - a sentencing enhancement based on prosecutors' argument that Lee planned Corwin's death and lured her into a trap.

In his own statement to the court Tuesday, Lee denied the killing was premeditated and he said he never wanted to kill Corwin. But he maintained responsibility and said he was "truly sorry" about the murder.

Following the hearing, prosecutor Sean Daugherty said Lee's statement and details of events were "nonsense."

"He had to form a story to mitigate the damage," Daugherty said.

Last month, Lee admitted on the stand that he strangled Corwin during a fit of anger outside the remote mine. Jurors reached their verdict after just three hours of deliberation that mostly focused on Lee's intent, said San Bernardino resident Angela Gioia, who was among the jurors who attended Lee's sentencing.

He sat silently in the jury box beside his attorney as Corwin's family members addressed the murder, with various photos of her appearing on the courtroom screen. Lee stared straight and rarely turned his head toward the speakers to his right or the photos to his left.

Corwin's husband, Jonathan, spoke briefly and thanked the prosecutor, jurors and investigators for their efforts. Other family members talked of fond memories with Corwin and the pain they felt when she disappeared and was later found.

"I feel I should've been able to protect Erin, somehow," said her older sister, Kristy Bauerlein.

Family members added they would never get to enjoy holidays with her and their children would never get to know their aunt. The trial became a burden because it forced them to save money and adjust schedules in case they had to fly in from various parts of the country.

Corwin's mother, Lore Heavlin, said her daughter was supposed to be safe living at the Marine Corps Air Ground Combat Center in Twentynine Palms, but unbeknownst to everyone, she lived near a "predator."

"The one thing that haunted me through all this was, what was going through Erin's mind when she was attacked from behind by someone she trusted?" Heavlin said.

Corwin, the wife of another Marine from the Twentynine Palms base, was reported missing June 29, 2014 — just days before her 20th birthday. Law enforcement officials and community members spent several weeks searching more than 300 square miles, including portions of Joshua Tree National Park, Corwin's last known destination.

On Aug. 16, 2014, investigators found Corwin's body in an abandoned mine shaft. They had searched more than 100 others in an area riddled with abandoned mines a few miles southeast of Twentynine Palms, outside of Joshua Tree National Park.

At the mine where Corwin's body was discovered, investigators also found shell casings, pieces of rebar and a propane tank similar to ones that Lee owned.

They arrested him the next day in Alaska, where he and his family moved after Corwin went missing. Court documents showed Lee admitted to searching the internet for information on disposing of bodies.

Officials said Corwin was pregnant with Lee's child and he was focused on hiding the affair. Heavlin said the affair did not justify her daughter's murder.

"All Chris had to do was move to Alaska and change his phone number," she said Tuesday.

Lee testified in court that the killing was a spur-of-the-moment decision.

Lee and Corwin met for what she thought would be a romantic evening that may have included a marriage proposal. Instead, Lee testified, they argued because he'd been suicidal for a month and wanted to kill himself outside the mine.

He said he'd been distraught, in part, because he was denied deployment. This bothered jurorGioia, a U.S. Army veteran who said members of the military are tasked with protecting others.

"He did none of that to Erin; he took her life," she said.

Lee also became angry because he said he suspected Corwin molested his daughter. Heavlin said there was no evidence of that and she criticized Lee for using his daughter as a defense tool.

"I cannot imagine putting your daughter's name into the public record to save yourself," she said.

Lee said he approached Corwin from behind and strangled her for at least five minutes with a garrote made up of two pieces of rebar and a cord. He released his hold, and her body fell to the ground. He spent 30 seconds checking if she was alive but found no signs of life.

Lee testified he then dragged the body to the mine shaft and pushed Corwin in head-first.

Following Tuesday's statements, San Bernardino County Superior Court Judge J. David Mazurek said he learned a lot about Corwin during the trial and he empathized with family members.

"I'm sorry I can't give you true justice in this case, which is returning Erin to you," he said. "I'm sorry I can't return that vibrant person to you."

[vagabond]

She played with a psycho...

[Ballerina]

She deserved it and the mother is stupid saying all he had too do was " move and change his number ". She could of really fucked up his career if it came to light he impregnated another service members wife.

[CrunchyCripple]

Originally Posted by Ballerina ↗

She deserved it and the mother is stupid saying all he had too do was " move and change his number ". She could of really fucked up his career if it came to light he impregnated another service members wife.

She couldn't have fucked up his life if he hadn't stuck his dick in another service members wife.

[StalkingYou]

My husband and I were stationed in 29 Palms back in 2003. I was stationed in the ER at the Naval Hospital and he was stationed with the Marines at MWSS 374. We were both Navy Corpsman.

That place is creepy as hell. There is miles and miles of sand and highways. The nearest Walmart was over 30 minutes away in Yucca Valley. I always thought it would be a good place to hide a body because of the number of coyotes. There is also a ton of meth houses out there. It's so rural and unpopulated that people don't notice the smell. Every once in a while we would drive down highway 62 and see a shack explode lol

Thanks for sharing. I hadn't heard about this case.

[holymackerel]

Originally Posted by StalkingYou ↗

My husband and I were stationed in 29 Palms back in 2003. I was stationed in the ER at the Naval Hospital and he was stationed with the Marines at MWSS 374. We were both Navy Corpsman.

That place is creepy as hell. There is miles and miles of sand and highways. The nearest Walmart was over 30 minutes away in Yucca Valley. I always thought it would be a good place to hide a body because of the number of coyotes. There is also a ton of meth houses out there. It's so rural and unpopulated that people don't notice the smell. Every once in a while we would drive down highway 62 and see a shack explode lol

Thanks for sharing. I hadn't heard about this case.

Former corpsman here as well. I was never stationed at 29 Palms, but work has brought me to the Morongo Basin. This place can be a shit hole indeed, but random exploding meth labs that you actually witnessed has to be an exaggeration.

This story has been big in this area. I spent a lot of time trying to figure out what I am seeing in these pictures. I can make out the shape of her arms, leg and torso, but when it comes to her head.. I cannot figure out what I'm looking at. I see no hair or even the shape of a head. It almost looks like something is covering her head.

[elnutty]

she fell 140 ft and broke her left clavical in the fall. Her head was supposedly on a tire, and u can see a tire where her head should be. They haven't released the autopsy yet so other info is hard to come by...

[murofhsirgo]

Mine shafts are cool

[imurpita]

Originally Posted by elnutty ↗

The last pic has notes I have added to highlight what I think is the actual body. I wanted to see if I am seeing "what I want to see" or if the outline does actually seem to be the body...

I've highlighted my findings. I hope they help.