David Cox

David Vernon Cox (November 27, 1966; disappeared January 5, 1994; body discovered April 2, 1994) was a U.S. Marine who was found killed in Medfield, Massachusetts. Aaron Sorkin's 1989 play A Few Good Men and its 1992 film adaptation were based partly on events that Cox was a part of while he was in the Marines.

Early life David Cox was born in Boston, Massachusetts. His family later moved to the suburb of Needham, where he would live until he joined the U.S. Marine Corps. Cox was the third and final child born, having an older brother, Steven and older sister, Christine. When David was fifteen his parents divorced, and while he initially lived with his mother, June, he later returned to live with his father. He graduated from Needham High School in 1985 and signed up for the Marine Corps with close friend, Jay Steeves, under the buddy program. Both men were sent to the Marine Corps Recruit Depot on Parris Island, South Carolina.

Marine Corps (1985–1989) Cox went through basic training, or boot camp, on Parris Island and successfully completed the program, becoming a Marine. During his time in the Corps, he served in several different locations around the world including Panama, South Korea and at Guantanamo Bay, in Cuba. He successfully completed Scout Sniper School. At Guantanamo Bay he became involved in a "code red" incident which would play a major role in his military career and later become the inspiration for the film A Few Good Men. Cox left the Marine Corps in 1989 as a corporal with an honorable discharge.

The "Code Red" incident Cox's first overseas assignment was at the Naval Base at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba. Here, he was a part of Rifle Security Company, Windward Side, 2nd Platoon along with twenty-nine other Marines, overseen by Squad leader Christopher Lee Valdez. Cox was assigned as a guard along the perimeter, separating the base from the country of Cuba. According to Cox, he belonged to an unofficial group of Marines known as "The Ten", who joined this group by performing exhausting physical challenges, such as running with full gear in 110 degree F (43 degree C) heat and hanging from a sixty-foot (18-meter) tower, by hand, for sixty seconds.

While stationed at Guantanamo Bay, Private First Class (PFC) William Alvarado wrote letters to a Texas Congressman complaining of poor conditions and illegal activities on the base, including Marines firing shots across the fence line into Cuba. PFC Alvarado also requested a transfer off the base. This information reached commanding officer Colonel Samuel Adams, who elected not to transfer Alvarado despite concerns that the Marine's violation of the chain of command might put him in danger. In September 1986, "The Ten" allegedly were encouraged to punish Alvarado for what was viewed as dishonorable conduct. One night, "The Ten" chose to perform a "code red". A "code red" is how they refer to hazing a Marine and is strictly against Marine Corps policy. Following the incident, "The Ten" admitted guilt and were arrested immediately.

Court martial All ten Marines were offered a choice: they could accept a plea bargain, which would see them receiving no criminal charges or convictions, though they would be dishonorably discharged from the Marine Corps, or they could proceed on to a court martial in which they would be charged with attempted murder and conspiracy to commit murder. Seven of the ten accepted the plea bargain, including platoon leader Christopher Lee Valdez, who was the only one of the seven to get his discharge upgraded to "honorable". Among these seven, some were represented by Deborah Sorkin, a recent graduate of Boston University Law School, who had signed up for three years on the U.S. Navy Judge Advocate General's Corps. Deborah, sister to writer Aaron Sorkin, informed her brother about the case, which became the basis for the play and later film by the same name, A Few Good Men.

Cox, along with two other Marines, elected to stand trial, arguing that they had committed this act under an order from a commanding officer and that murder had never been the intention. Cox was assigned Donald Marcari as counsel. The court martial, which lasted four days, saw Cox and the other two Marines cleared of both murder and conspiracy charges, though Cox was found guilty of simple assault, for which he was sentenced to thirty days. Since he had been in the brig for thirty-eight days at the time, the simple assault charge was dismissed to time served. The lawsuit did not result in a successful outcome or financial compensation for the Marines.

Killing On January 5, 1994, Elaine Tinsley woke Cox as she was preparing to leave for work. He had been sleeping on the couch, due to a back problem. He was eagerly awaiting a call from United Parcel Service (UPS) with whom he had a temporary position that he was hoping would become permanent. Tinsley left their home at approximately 8:30 a.m. She called home at noon, but received no answer. When checking the messages, she found a call from Cox's boss at UPS offering him a full-time position. Calling back at 1 p.m., she again received no answer. When she returned home around 5:30 p.m., she found Cox's 1988 Ford Truck parked in the driveway, though he was nowhere to be found. The home was in good condition, though Tinsley did report all of the interior doors were open, their pet rabbit was hopping around unrestrained and several glasses appeared to have fallen over.

Speculation Investigators believed that Cox had likely known his killer and had gone along willingly, though details about what he was wearing, the keys in the ignition of his truck and the location in which he was found raised questions about that. Cox's brother, Steven, believed his murder may have been linked either to his military past, or perhaps his job with UPS. According to Steven, David had told him months earlier that he believed two employees were stealing packages.

Cox's sister, Christine, does not believe his murder is connected to the military or UPS, though she does believe that his murder suggests a professional, planned out hit. It was later discovered that David had a gambling habit and was in debt at the time of his murder. Investigators, however, believed the debt was too small for murder, being described as only a few thousand dollars, and Cox had enough money in his bank account to pay it off were he in danger.

In media The killing of David Cox was featured in episode 15 of season 8 of Unsolved Mysteries.