Frank Martin "Marty" Theer, a 31-year-old white male, was an Air Force Captain stationed at Pope Air Force Base in Fayetteville, North Carolina. On December 17, 2000, Marty and his wife, Michelle Theer, traveled from Fayetteville to Cary for a holiday dinner with Dr. Thomas Harbin, a fellow psychologist who shared office space with Michelle, his wife, and another couple.
After dinner, the Theers returned to Michelle and Thomas' Fayetteville office at 10:30 PM to drop off the accompanying couples. Michelle then went to retrieve a reference book from her office. While getting the book, she heard gunshots and rushed to the parking lot to find Marty lying in a pool of blood. She ran to a late-night video store about a block away to get help. When the police arrived along with emergency respondents, Marty had already died. According to his autopsy report, the official cause of death was extreme blood loss due to five gunshot wounds, including one fired at close range just behind his left ear.
The investigation revealed a vicious love triangle involving Michelle Theer and U.S. Army Staff Sergeant John Diamond. Michelle and Marty had been high school sweethearts and were married since Marty's 1991 graduation from the U.S. Air Force Academy. However, their marriage was troubled, and Michelle had a series of extramarital affairs, including one with Diamond. Michelle met Diamond in an online chat room, and the pair experienced an immediate strong connection and attraction. Despite being married to other people, they had an affair and reportedly attended "swinger" parties. The initial investigation quickly indicated that Diamond, with whom Michelle had continued an on-again, off-again intimate relationship, was the most likely suspect. Diamond borrowed a gun similar to the murder weapon shortly before the murder and had no credible alibi for the time in question.
Diamond's court-martial began in March 2001. When Michelle was called to the stand as a witness, she refused to answer questions under Fifth Amendment protections. Nevertheless, Diamond was swiftly convicted and sentenced to life in Fort Leavenworth military prison and a reduction in rank to private. In 2004, Michelle Theer was also convicted of murdering her husband and sentenced to life in prison. Both Michelle and Diamond are now serving life sentences for their roles in Captain Theer's untimely death.
