Katherine T. McCaffrey and Bonnie Donohue explore the killing of an elderly civilian by U.S. servicemen on leave in Vieques Island, Puerto Rico in the 1950s, the subsequent general courts-martial of two marines who were charged with his killing, and the men’s acquittal.

Images Link

All portraits of witnesses and participants are 13” x 19” archival digital prints.

The first group consists of images of the Puerto Rican marines who were present the night of Mapepe’s death:

001_Domingo Barriera-Vasquez

002_Ramon Montalvo-Custodia

003_Aristides Rodriguez_Perez

The second group consists of images of the white North American marines who were present the night of Mapepe’s death:

004_Thomas_Westenberger

005_Stanley_Bunker

006_Robert Nesbitt Clark Jr.

007_Merl F Bennett

008_Homer-Chinn

009_Edward G. Whitbeck

010_Harley_Nosler

This is an image of Julian Felipe Francis, aka Mapepe, suspended between life and death at midnight on April 6, 1953. This image is 30” x 40”:

011_Mapepe (Julian Felipe Francis)

Image courtesy of interviewee. May 20, 2024