Marvin P. Bush

EXCLUSIVE TO WMR: Marvin Bush's maid wanted to show him a video of her and President Bush. Moments later she was crushed to death by her own vehicle in Marvin Bush's driveway.

WMR has obtained a copy of the Fairfax County police report on the mysterious death of First Brother Marvin Bush's maid, Bertha O. Champagne, in the driveway of Bush's Alexandria, Virginia home on September 29, 2003.

The police report fileD by Pfc C. E. Beach on December 4, 2003 states, "September 09-29-03 at approximately 2130 hours I was contacted by the on duty PSCC supervisor to respond to 6202 Ft. Hunt Rd. for a single vehicle fatality. While on scene I discovered a black Olds Bravada in the tree line and two small blood pools in the drive way. There was also blood and glass debris in the driveway. The operator of the vehicle was transported by ground to Mt. Vernon Memorial Hospital and identified as Bertha Champagne. Bertha was a maid for Marvin Bush who resides at 6202 Ft. Hunt Rd. By the time I arrived on scene the body was already transported to Mt. Vernon Hospital by ground. During the course of my investigation I interviewed Marvin Bush. Marvin stated that he arrived home at approximately 2045 hours. He advised me that he had a brief conversation with with Bertha in the kitchen. Bertha then tells Marvin that she wants to show him a video tape of her and President Bush. She then leaves the residence to take out the family dogs and retrieve the video tape. There are no witnesses to the crash. There were no signs of any other type of crime involved with this event. The victim had all her money in her wallet and all her personal belongings such as jewelry and a watch in her possession. According to the Medical Examiner, Bertha's injuries were related to this crash. There were no blunt injuries or injuries related to a robbery or a carjacking.

During the course of my investigation I found several paint scrapes on the building located at the end of the driveway. Sgt. Wimberly directed me to take several samples of evidence at the scene. The following evidence was taken from the crash scene, vehicle involved, and Bertha's shoes:

Item (AA) mulch sample from accident scene

Item (BB) mulch sample from victim's shoes

Item (CC) blood sample from victim's shirt

Item (DD) blood sample from brick building

Item (EE) paint chip from brick building

Item (GG) Dna [sic] from brick building

Item (HH) Dna [sic] taken from brick driveway

All evidence was packaged accordingly and dropped of [sic] at the lab for analysis. The mulch samples were taken to the property room in case a dirt analysis is requested at a later date. Currently the state lab will not accept dirt samples. The clothes were shown to the victim family and photographed at OSB."

The Fairfax police public statement on the death made no reference to Marvin Bush, his address, or the videotape of the deceased employee with President Bush:

"A 62-year-old Alexandria area woman died after being pinned between a rolling car and a building. The crash happened on Monday, around 9 pm, near the intersection of Fort Hunt Road and Edgehill Drive. Bertha Champagne had gone outside to get something from a car in a driveway. The car, which was left in gear, began to roll forward. Champagne was pinned between the car and a small building next to the driveway. The car continued to roll down the driveway, crossed Fort Hunt Road, and came to rest in a wooded area. Champagne was taken to Inova Mount Vernon Hospital where she was pronounced dead."

In fact, an attempt by this editor to obtain the police report in 2003 was unsuccessful, the Fairfax police public affairs officer claiming that it was only releasable to the "Accident Reconstruction Team."

Some observers wondered if Secret Service agents might have been able to assist Champagne when her car pinned her. According to the Secret Service in Washington, the agency only provides protection to presidential siblings if an Executive Order authorizes such action. A Secret Service spokesperson emphasized there was no current Secret Service protection for Marvin Bush at the time of Mrs. Champagne's death.

There are also questions concerning Champagne's actual place of residence. According to the Post story, Bush told police that Champagne resided at their compound on Ft. Hunt Rd., however, the police report listed her residence at another home in the Franconia section of Alexandria.

The incident at Marvin Bush's residence occurred on September 29, 2003, but the Washington Post did not report it until October 5 and buried it on page 3 of the Metro section. Nevertheless, the Washington Post was the only media outlet to cover the story at all. After the incident, Fairfax County Police spokesperson Courtney Young said police had not determined the exact cause of Champagne's death.

The Fairfax County Police press release is dated September 30, 2003 at 1330 (1:30 PM), some sixteen and a half hours after the incident occurred. The police were well aware of Marvin Bush's controversial role in serving on corporate boards for companies associated with the 911 terrorist attacks, however, they emphasized that Champagne's death was merely a quirky accident and no foul play was involved.

Marvin Bush residence at 6202 Fort Hunt Rd. The building where maid was found crushed to death is on right in foreground.

The police report refers to Marvin Bush's occupation as "sales." In fact, Marvin Bush served on the board of Securacom (renamed Stratesec). Just a few weeks prior to Champagne's death, Securacom (which provided security for Dulles International Airport and the World Trade Center on 9-11) filed for bankruptcy. Bush also served on the board of HCC Insurance Holdings, inc. (formerly Houston Casualty Company), one of the re-insurers for the World Trade Center. Marvin Bush is also a co-founder of Winston Partners Group, a financial investment firm, along with A. Scott Andrews, a former chief financial officer (until 1994) for Worldcom. Bush had also served on the board of Fresh Del Monte Produce, Inc., a Palestinian-owned firm with headquarters in the Cayman Islands and a U.S. office in Coral Gables, Florida. In 2002, Bush left the board after it became the subject of a Securities and Exchange Commission investigation.

As reported on WMR on October 14, Eric Miller, a Harvard Law School graduate and the Assistant Chief of Litigation for the SEC from 1999 to May 2005, was beaten to death on September 7, 2005 in the Alexandria Motel on Route 1, just around the corner from the Marvin Bush residence. Miller, an African American, was reported to have fallen on bad times and taken up with two white crack users.