Events

Death of Danny Casolaro, Martinsburg WV (10 Aug 1991)

Documented · occurred Handling What these labels mean →

Freelance writer Danny Casolaro was found dead in room 517 of the Martinsburg, WV Sheraton, wrists cut 10–12 times, while investigating alleged links between the Inslaw/PROMIS software theft, the October Surprise, BCCI and Iran-Contra. Two autopsies ruled suicide (a note, no forced entry, antidepressants and alcohol, 'nothing' incapacitating). His family says he'd warned his brother it wouldn't be an accident; threatening calls were logged by his housekeeper. An FBI task force had questioned the suicide conclusion and recommended more investigation, and **the FBI misled Congress** about investigating; the FBI has said files are 'missing' while its own documents show files withheld. A 2020s FOIA of Martinsburg PD files (Treitz/Hansen; Netflix, *American Conspiracy: The Octopus Murders*, 2024) found a witness statement and sketch of an unlisted visitor to room 517.

Ties

ToRoleYearsVerdictSource
'The Octopus' cabal theory linking Inslaw, October Surprise, BCCI and Iran-Contratheory about this event1980–1991Structural
PROMIS was backdoored and sold to foreign governmentstheory about this event1980s–1991Structural
Casolaro's investigation linked $40M paid to Iran to the October Surprisetheory about this event1980–1991Structural
Sheehan on Danny Jones (2024)Casolaro drew on Christic Institute material1990–1991Documented · occurred
Suppression patterncase: the FBI misled Congress; files 'missing' vs. withheld; the local PD withheld the visitor statement for decades1991–2024Documented · occurred Handlingen.wikipedia.org
The unlisted visitor to Casolaro's room was Joseph Cuellartheory about this event1991/2024Structural
Danny Casolaro was murderedtheory about this event1991–Structural
Danny Casolaro's death was a staged suicidetheory about this event1991–Structural

Tied from

FromRoleYearsVerdictSource
'The Octopus' cabal theory linking Inslaw, October Surprise, BCCI and Iran-Contratheory about this event1980–1991Structural
Casolaro's investigation linked $40M paid to Iran to the October Surprisetheory about this event1980–1991Structural
PROMIS was backdoored and sold to foreign governmentstheory about this event1980s–1991Structural
Danny Casolaro was murderedtheory about this event1991–Structural
Danny Casolaro's death was a staged suicidetheory about this event1991–Structural
The unlisted visitor to Casolaro's room was Joseph Cuellartheory about this event1991/2024Structural
BCCI - Bank of Crooks and Criminals (1972-1991)BCCI's collapse was one arm of the Octopus; he died 5 weeks after the shutdown1991Documented · occurred
William Caseynamed in theory1991Smoke, no fireCasolaro notes

Mentioned in

Links

Documented

Item Record Tag
Inslaw: a bankruptcy judge (1988) found DOJ took PROMIS by 'trickery, fraud, and deceit'; upheld by district court; reversed on appeal (1991) Court record Inslaw ruling
Two autopsies (WVU Aug 1991; state ME Jan 1992): suicide by blood loss ME reports suicide rulings
Threatening calls logged by the housekeeper ('I will cut his body and throw it to the sharks') Village Voice reported calls
An FBI task force (Dec 1992) questioned suicide and recommended further investigation; the FBI misled Congress Later investigations per Wikipedia FBI misled Congress
The FBI says files are missing; FBI documents show files withheld Wikipedia summary missing vs. withheld
Martinsburg PD FOIA: a witness statement and sketch of another visitor to room 517 Treitz/Hansen FOIA; Netflix 2024 withheld 30 years

Alleged (stated neutrally)

Split into claim files (see Ties): the Octopus cabal theory, the PROMIS backdoor claim, the October Surprise $40M payment claim, the Cuellar identification, the murder theory, and the staged-suicide theory.

Gaps