The Waddell Buddhist Temple Shooting

Growing up in Arizona and being a life-long fan of true crime, I was surprised to have just heard of this case. Granted I was about seven when it happened, but still...how did this case, one considered the worst massacre in Arizona history, escape my attention? I recently was binge watching Forensic Files, like you do, and this episode aired, surprising the hell out of me. Of course, it raised my interest in learning more about this case, especially since it happened near my hometown and also, what kind of a person murders Buddhist Monks? Seriously.

On August 10, 1991, the bodies of nine people where found in the Wat Promkunaram Buddhist Temple located in Waddell, Arizona. Now, living here my whole life, I still wasn't sure where Waddell was, but a quick search showed me that it is northwest of Phoenix which is really far from where I currently reside. The temple is beautiful, a unique mix of the stucco and desert shades of Arizona and the architecture of Thailand. The temple was founded in 1983 with the help of the Thai governement and three monks. The original location was in the metro area of Phoenix and was rather small. In 1985, a larger plot of land was purchased in Waddell, a more rural area west of the bustling city of Phoenix. It seems an unlikely place for such a horrific crime, but then again, is there really anywhere that such a horrible thing should happen?

The nine victims were found shot, execution-style by a temple member after finding blood on the door. The temple's abbot, Pairuch Kanthong as well as five monks, Surichai Anuttaro, Boochuay Chaiyarach, Chalerm Chantapim, Siang Ginggaeo and Somsak Sopha; a nun, Foy Sripanpasert; her nephew, Matthew Miller, who was a novice monk; and a temple employee, Chirasak Chirapong had been left side-by-side with no obvious signs of resistance. There appeared to be no motive since nothing seemed to have been taken, although two of the rooms had been ransacked. The temple community, as well as many Arizonians, were shocked and baffled by such a pointless waste of life. Why had someone killed these nine people, people who were dedicated to Buddhism and the community?

Mountains of evidence was taken from the scene and many law officers from different agencies worked on the investigation with no solid leads for weeks. What happened next may have altered Arizona politics as well as how detectives interrogate suspects. About one month after the murders took place, a Tucson mental patient Mike McGraw called the police and said he knew who had committed the crimes. He was more than willing to name names. The Tucson police picked up McGraw and several of his friends, Leo Bruce, Mike Nunez, Dante Parker and Victor Zarate. Over the next few days, the group was interrogated from night until early morning. Unsurprisingly, after days of pressure and exhaustion, four of the men broke, telling the police what they wanted to hear, providing details about the crime given to them by officers. Zarate, however, maintained his innocence and was eventually released, most likely due to the fact there was no evidence to tie him (or the others) to the crime.

The four men, who became known as the Tucson Four, recanted after a few days. Most likely, after some rest and relief from the endless interrogations, they realized what had happened and stated that they had been coerced into admitting to a crime they had nothing to do with. Sadly, the police and the prosecutors were convinced they had solved the crime and disregarded the Tucson Four's assertions that they were innocent. (Which they were. 100%). Thankfully, a few weeks later, a phone call changed the course of the investigation. The murdered weapon had been identified. It was a .22 rifle that didn't belong to any of the men. In fact, it belonged to a 16 year old boy named Rolando Caratachea Jr.

The rifle had been located back in August, but hadn't been tested. Instead, it sat in an office after the call by McGraw. Originally, the rifle had been found when Caratachea and his friend seventeen year old friend, Johnathan Doody, were stopped by the Luke Air Force police. After the rifle was determined to be the murder weapon, Doody, Caratachea and another friend, Alessandro Garcia were picked up by police and questioned.

Quickly, Garcia broke under the intense interrogation techniques that were used by the police. He admitted to being a part of the murders, naming Doody as his partner. The police intensified the pressure on Doody, spending hours breaking him until he was practically incoherent. He admitted to being at the temple that night, but never confessed to participating in the murders. However, that small admission was enough to convict the seventeen year old boy of the murders.

In November, the Tuscon Four were finally released with three of them suing the county for their treatment. Garcia was found guilty and received a sentence of 271 years while Doody got 281 years for the crime. However, given the nature of the interrogations and what had happened to the Tucson Four, there was some concern over the conviction. Doody was ready to appeal while Garcia accepted his sentence. Starting in 1995, Doody began the process of appeals and in 2010 and 2011, the conviction was overturned due to being coerced by interrogators. He was re-tried in 2013 and found guilty of all charges. He will spend the rest of his life in prison.

The motive appeared to be robbery. Although not everything of value was taken from the temple, some items were located at the Garcia residence where Doody was residing at the time. Doody maintains that he did not participate in the murders and was outside the temple when the shooting occurred. Garcia, on the other hand, testified that Doody had the idea to rob the temple and was the first to start shooting, worried about witnesses. Garcia joined in, using a shotgun while Doody manned the .22 rifle. Who was telling the truth? The jury, after one mistrial, felt that Garcia was and found Doody guilty. I am honestly not sure in this case. It seems likely that Doody was involved in the crime, but I am not certain given the nature of the investigation and the multiple coerced confessions obtained by the police investigating the crime. However, many feel that justice has been served and it is quite possible that it was.

Sources:

Associated Press. (2013, December 11). Johnathan Doody update: Convicted killer Allesandro Garcia testifies in temple killings case. Retrieved from http://www.abc15.com/news/region-phoenix-metro/central-phoenix/johnathan-doody-update-convicted-killer-testifies-in-temple-killings-case?page=2.

Hermann, William. (2013, August 9). Valley Buddhist temple massacre has had lasting impact. The Republic. Retrieved from http://archive.azcentral.com/community/surprise/articles/20130809valley-buddhist-temple-massacre-has-had-lasting-impact.html

(1991, August 11). 9 found slain in Valley temple. The Republic. Retrieved from http://archive.azcentral.com/community/surprise/articles/20130809arizona-buddhist-temple-murders-1991-story.html