Judge rules Shue death a murder

by Anita Porterfield | June 18, 2008 at 09:50 am

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In a surprise move today, both the Plaintiff and the Defendant in the Tracy Shue vs. USAA Life Insurance Company agreed to submit their cases directly to Judge William Palmer and waive the Jury trial that began on June 9.

Judge Palmer ruled that the cause of Air Force Colonel Philip Shue’s death was murder and that USAA had no duty to cancel the $500,000.00 life insurance policy that Shue’s ex-wife Nancy Shue Timpson carried on his life.

“Finally the truth is out,” said Tracy Shue, Col. Philip Shue’s widow.

“This case has never been about money and it has never been about the state of insurance law in Texas,” commented Jason Davis, Shue’s attorney. “It has always been about justice and exposing the truth about what happened to Col. Shue.”

Col. Philip Shue died of massive head injuries in a car crash on April 16, 2003. Examination of his body revealed torn and shredded duct tape wrapped tightly around his wrists and ankles, his nipples and areolas surgically removed, the first knuckle of his left pinkie finger cut off, an ear lobe half-way severed, and a deep gash carved from his sternum to his navel.

Both the Bexar County Medical Examiner Vincent diMayo and Kendall County Justice of the Peace Nancy White ruled that Shue’s death was a suicide.

Prior to his death, Shue had received threat letters warning him that his ex-wife and her new husband were planning to murder him for the life insurance money. Despite the threats, USAA alleged that they had no duty to cancel the policy.

USAA spokesman Paul Berry commented in a prepared written statement, “We have said all along that USAA handled the Shue policy correctly and the lawsuit had no merit. USAA stood on principle and has defended this case aggressively for several years.”

Lieutenant Louis Martinez, spokesman for the Kendall County Sheriff’s Department, stated that unless new evidence was provided, the Sheriff’s Department had no plans to re-open the case. Martinez also said that “This was a civil case, not a criminal one. The medical examiner and the Grand Jury decided a long time ago that this was a suicide. The ruling in a civil case is different than a criminal one.”

District Attorney Bruce Curry was unavailable for comment.

Leslie Weber, sister of Tracy Shue, blames much of the controversial investigation on the military. “It’s a cover-up,” Weber believes, “and no different than the [Pat] Tillman cover-up. From day one the Air Force wanted it to be a suicide.”

“When I first met Tracy shortly after Philip Shue’s death,” says Sue Pittman, court-watcher and friend of Tracy Shue, “I was impressed by her determination, stamina, and integrity to pursue her husband’s murder.”

“It is a shame that it took five years to confirm what was obvious on April 16, 2003, namely that Philip Shue was murdered,” declared Tracy Shue’s attorney, Jason Davis.

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Amy Judd

flagged this story as Good Stuff

at 10:02 on June 18th, 2008

Anita Porterfield, I like this story. It's good stuff.

Patrick W (not verified)

at 13:13 on August 18th, 2008

Col. Phil Shue was my neighbor, and Tracy still lives right across the street. Thank GOD they ruled the case as homicide so that Tracy could finally clear Phil's name. I just hope they investigate further and finally prosecute that bastard Nancy for conspiracy of murder, she and her crazy ex-Spec Ops husband deserve to be behind bars for this disicable crime (I don't care if there isn't enough evidence to support that claim right now, I KNOW it's true -- there is too much shit surrounding her like how she used the alamony from the divorce to pay the life-insurance premiums, and when the alamony drastically went down after she got remarried in 1998 (99?) she had to start signing up for credit cards and using them to pay the insurance premium, thus digging herself into a massive hole of debt -- this is the time Phil recieved the first anonymous letter warning him that someone was attempting to kill him. Coincidence? Fuck no.)

*whew*

I'm passionate about this, I apologize. Phil was a great man, and wonderful neighbor - always letting me use their pool growing up and even trusting me to take care of their dogs JT and Pip for a little cash for childish things. His flight jacket is hanging in my closet as a rememberance (Tracy didn't want it, understandably) and indeed I will always remember Philip Shue. RIP

Audrey Anderson (not verified)

at 20:28 on March 28th, 2009

My husband was deployed to Croatia with Col Philip Shue. They had many talks and time(6 months) to compare their personal lives and discuss whatever was on their minds. Phil often spoke to my husband about the fear he had of his x-wife and what she was capable of doing to him. His fear was so great that he would "shudder" and say he felt his life could be in danger, only relating his feelings about her and no one else. He felt safe in Croatia.

I have kept every one of my husbands letters to me from Croatia. He wrote about Phil and never once mentioned that Phil was suicidal, depressed or had anything to say about ending his life. Larry wrote about how much Phil adored Tracy and that he just couldn't wait to get back home to her.

Tracy and Phil were at our wedding on August 12, 1995, and I will never forget what a special couple they were and how much their friendships meant to both of us. Phil was wonderful, devoted and a fantastic Air Force Officer and friend to my husband, the whole time they were in Croatia and Tracy was a suppportive, sweet and loving friend to me, while my husband to be was gone. We were both Registered Nurses, working at the Travis Air Force Base, California. I will NEVER forget them. My wedding pictures shows how much they were in love, and untroubled.

tina m (not verified)

at 20:48 on April 26th, 2009

I am shocked and ashamed that our Military took someones life into their hands and disregarded it like it was nothing. A man that obviously took pride in his work for our country was allowed to be dishonored by the very people that he gave his life too. It does NOT take a Forensic Scientist to see that he was MURDERED. What does Col. Shues' X-wife and her husband have that he did not have? (besides a planned arranged alibi) that would made the Military turn a blind-eye to them?

I don't understand and I would like to know if they even looked to see if there was other DNA in the car he was driving or on the duct tape. I know they looked for prints, but what about good old fashion DNA?

Our Military should be ashamed of themselves and so should USAA. Karma is a bitch.. there are people that should be making a Karma List as we speak...

Karma is Knocking (not verified)

at 12:16 on May 5th, 2009

tina m: Karma is a bitch.. there are people that should be making a Karma List as we speak...

Amen! Tracy had better start packing up! She will hopefully end up in jail for a long time. This POS should not be allowed to walk free now or ever..

She may have you clowns fooled but karma will strike and when it does.......... Maybe she can come up with a few more crocodile tears or use some of the $1.8M she has received so far to wipe away those pathetic tears.

I cannot wait for the truth to blow up in her face and for her to be exposed for the fraud she is!