Marine Col. James Sabow's Family on Pentagon Shooter: This Guy was a Nut

By: Carlin DeGuerin Miller
Topics: Daily Blotter

(Family Photo)

WASHINGTON (CBS) The death of Marine Col. James Sabow figured heavily in John Patrick Bedell's anger and frustration with the United States government, according to internet posts linked to Bedell.

Photo: Col. James Sabow

PICTURES: John Patrick Bedell, Pentagon Shooter

On Thursday, Bedell allegedly opened fire on Pentagon police, wounding two and getting himself killed in the process. Soon after, Internet posts and Youtube videos linked to Bedell surfaced. In them he says that he wanted to see "justice served in the death Col. James Sabow," and saw getting to the truth about Sabow's death as a major step forward in getting to the "truth of events such as the September 11 demolitions."

Col. James Sabow was found by his wife on Jan. 22, 1991 in the backyard of his quarters at the Marine Corps Air Station in El Toro, Calif., south of Los Angeles. The Orange County Coroner ruled the death a suicide. His family believes he was murdered, according to Col. Sabow's brother, Dr. David Sabow.

Dr. Sabow told Crimesider on Friday that he believes his brother was killed by the military when he found out that the military was trading guns for drugs in Central America and threatened to blow the whistle.

"When he decided to do that he signed his own death warrant," Dr. Sabow said.

"Apparently [Bedell] attached himself to my brother's death," but, Dr. Sabow told Crimesider Friday, there was no connection between the family and Bedell.

"There are some things that drive [people] over the edge," Dr. Sabow said, before describing Bedell as "a nut."

MEDIA
PICTURES: John Patrick Bedell, Pentagon Shooter

MORE ON CRIMESIDER
March 5, 2010 - John Patrick Bedell: Rants on Wikipedia and YouTube May Have Foreshadowed Breakdown
March 5, 2010 - Marine Col. James Sabow's Death a Government Cover-up? John Patrick Bedell Thought So

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by noloyalisti March 7, 2010 2:05 PM EST: Well he was angry that the Marine guy was knocked off by the American Mafia to shut him up. Reality in modern America is no different than in the Godfather or Goodfellows. Money talks and people die.; Reply to this comment


by MilitaryRetiree March 7, 2010 11:41 AM EST: Just WHO in the military was trading weapons for drugs, how could the military account of the loss of said weapons, and WHAT were/are they doing with the drugs ? ? Sounds like the shooter isn't the only "nut" around.; Reply to this comment


by OldProfessor March 7, 2010 10:37 AM EST: It seems to me Mr. Bedell may have committed suicide in his own peculiar manner.; Reply to this comment


by haroldamaio March 6, 2010 3:51 PM EST: Your language is deplorable.

Harold A. Maio, retired mental health editor; Reply to this comment

by bluegyro March 6, 2010 2:42 PM EST

It's a disservice for all those who suffer with mental illness for someone, especially a (medical?) doctor, to describe Bedell publicly as a "nut;" though I imagine he might have felt compelled to use an extreme term to dissociate his family's beliefs about his brother's death from the assaultive actions of Bedell. That does not excuse CBS from their lack of professionalism in repeating his use of this term, without even bothering to put quotes around it in the headline. Anyone who's been following this story knows that Bedell had been burdened my manic-depressive illness for some time; that fact is no longer news. And please note, I am not here objecting to the use of the term in a casual way to describe the off-the-wall behavior of an otherwise presumably sane person, but only when it is used to describe someone who does have or may have a serious mental illness. Using a dismissive term to describe such a person only encourages people to not make any effort to understand him or her. Those with mental illness can do without the additional burden of fear and stigmatization arising out of others' ignorance, which is still, sadly, too widespread.

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by Dgunner March 7, 2010 8:48 AM EST: How many metally ill homeless people did you walk by or step over last week or yesterday? Are you first in line to cast stones or are you first in line loading weapons? Know thy self before knowing others.


by jayrh March 7, 2010 1:12 PM EST: When a person such as this actually kills, it's not the time to worry about being politically correct... You would probably defend Hassan too. PC can kill, or maybe you didn't notice???