Hillsborough: Porn charges crushed former Marine, friends say

In June 2005, the 26-year-old Iraq war veteran had been arrested on 11 felony charges of possessing child pornography. On Tuesday, he would go to court.

He could accept a plea bargain and suffer the brand of being a pedophile for the rest of his life. Or he could fight the charges and risk up to 55 years in jail.

"I feel I'm backed into a corner and have to plead guilty, but I DID NOT commit the crimes," Mr. Liberty wrote on his MySpace Web site last Friday.

The next evening, while Gasparilla festivities filled Tampa's streets, he killed himself, police said.

Mr. Liberty's life began to unravel in October 2004 when a CompUSA technician found photos of nude prepubescent girls while working on his laptop computer. Tampa police confiscated the hard drive and arrested him nine months later.

"Except for his friends, everybody turned their back on him," said friend Bobby Blish.

Mr. Liberty, a Marine Corps sergeant, was stationed at MacDill Air Force Base after serving nine months in Iraq.

"His proudest achievement was becoming a Marine," read the funeral notice in Thursday's paper. But late last year, he received an "other than honorable" discharge. The designation denies many veterans benefits, including a military funeral, Blish said.

"It was heartbreaking for him when he got his discharge papers," said Melissa Wojnar, another friend.

Mr. Liberty was a reliable friend, said Tiffani Blish, Bobby Blish's wife. "I would have asked him to watch our 3-year-old daughter," she said.

Mr. Liberty's laptop had served as a "community computer" for many friends who hung out in his apartment, Bobby Blish said.

"Since it was on my computer they consider it mine unless I could prove where I was when the pornography was downloaded, which I can not," Mr. Liberty wrote in his online journal last Friday.

Wojnar described Mr. Liberty as clean-cut and handsome, but quick with a wisecrack.

She remembered his over-the-top karaoke performance of You've Lost That Lovin' Feelin', mimicking a scene from the movie Top Gun.

But in private he was hurting, Bobby Blish said. Some childhood friends had heard of the charges and cut off contact with him.

As friends packed Mr. Liberty's things to send to his family, they discovered neatly filed records of $30,000 in legal fees.

On Saturday, Mr. Liberty wandered away from friends during the Gasparilla parade, Blish said. When they found him, he was bloody from a fight and said he'd been attacked. His roommate brought him home.

When the roommate returned around midnight, he discovered that Mr. Liberty had shot himself.

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by greg	05/16/07 02:00 PM
he helped coach my football team great guy and a nice person it is a real shame

by jami g	03/30/07 06:52 AM
i grew up with cody also, and he was a tremendously kind person. he is obviously greatly missed and while i do not know the particulars about his case, i do know that he did not deserve any of this.

by ke	02/17/07 08:28 PM
I feel so badly for this guy and his family. We are going threw something very very simular. Sad but you are guilty and have to prove your innocense. God be with the family.I know exactly how the family feels.Our trial is coming up next month.

by Tammy	02/13/07 03:13 AM
How could the country Cody served & protected, not protect HIM? I'm so angry. If laws go unchanged, he's died totally in vain.He would want us to unselfishly help prevent this from happening to others. I'm so sorry our country/laws let you down Cody.

by Chris	02/06/07 05:04 PM
TO THE PERSON who placed those images, How can you keep silent with his blood on your hands? He didn't kill himself you did! He thought you were a friend! What do you see when you look in the mirror? May his soul haunt you for the rest of your life!

by Gina	02/06/07 11:58 AM
I know Cody was innocent and I hope that his family and all his friends will fight to clear his name. Cody was and is a man to be proud of and took the only way out he could see. He knows right from wrong and tryed to do the right thing heS INNOCENT!

by Kelly B	02/06/07 12:33 AM
I grew up with Cody. He was a great man and even better Marine. If you don't know him then do us a favor and don't say anything. Only thing he was guilty of was being an excellent role model and friend to anyone who gave him the opportunity. RIP Bro!

by Jamie	02/05/07 05:12 PM
I am a good friend of Cody's & my brother was one of his best friends. It hurts to see how people talk. Cody was a very honorable Marine & person who never in a million years would have done this. What ever happened to innocent until proven guilty?

by Mandy	02/04/07 07:25 PM
I also want to add that I'm glad that someone finally wrote something positive about my cousin instead of making him sound like a pervert. i cant believe so many people are so quick to judge someone they know nothing about. justice will come, someday

by susan	02/04/07 07:24 PM
Cody was a innocent man. I knew him and he passed a polygraph test that showed he was innocent. it could happen to anyone who has ever bought a used computer that is suppose to be cleaned. cody had too much pride to take a plea he would rather die

by Mandy	02/04/07 07:19 PM
I just want to say Cody was my cousin, and I know without a doubt he was innocent. I'm sadden to see that after serving our country they tried to pin this all on him. at least hes free from this now, but he shouldnt have had to kill his self.

by ashley	02/04/07 02:16 PM
I was with cody that day for the gasparilla parade. and Tiffani Blish and I were the ones who cleaned him up when he came back. I never thought all the pictures we have of that day, would be the last. RIP cody, we will miss you FOREVER and always.

by Melissa	02/04/07 11:04 AM
I was a good friend of Cody's in high school. I found him on myspace this past summer. I know Cody. I know without a doubt that he would not have done what he was accused. He was a giving, loving, selfless man with a heart of gold. A one of a kind.

by Nora	02/03/07 02:42 PM
RIP Cody Liberty!! Great man , son and friend.

by donald	02/03/07 01:13 AM
look back to what happend to r-kelly, and his case,are they going to do the samething for him to? What you do in the dark will come out in the light

by Paula	02/02/07 09:10 PM
As far Mr. Liberty goes he knew in this mind what was right and wrong.

by TCM	02/02/07 05:22 PM
I knew a person who put bad stuff on a coworker's computer and that person was fired and humiliated. The one who did this was having an affair w/ another coworker and the good guy threaten to make it known & it ultimately ruined the "good" guys life.

by kelly	02/02/07 05:09 PM
What does being a marine have to do with anything. I've known a few marines with less than admirable character, wife beaters, child abusers, etc. Its a sad story, but being a marine doesn't make you a good person.

by Jason	02/02/07 04:53 PM
This is a very sad story. First, you should never let anyone use your computer without your supervision. I had let a roomate use my comp when and he used it to trade porn. Some of it looked questionable so I kicked him out and trashed the harddrive.

by Jason	02/02/07 04:52 PM
This is a very sad story. First, you should never let anyone use your computer without your supervision. I had let a roomate use my comp when and he used it to trade porn. Some of it looked questionable so I kicked him out and trashed the harddrive.

by Jason	02/02/07 04:52 PM
This is a very sad story. First, you should never let anyone use your computer without your supervision. I had let a roomate use my comp when and he used it to trade porn. Some of it looked questionable so I kicked him out and trashed the harddrive.

by phillip	02/02/07 04:11 PM
Computers can be taken over, used by othersvia wi fi , and well almost anything.Being a Sailor I know that we are held to higher standards and can be punished with out proof. If Ilet Bob use my car or vist should I be responsible for him? I am saddly

by Rob	02/02/07 04:10 PM
Guilty or Innocent - only Mr. Liberty will know and he has taken that secret to his grave. We live in a highly judgemental world. All I can say is CYOA

by Mmmm	02/02/07 12:19 PM
I agree with Tina. Many years ago, I found some rather uh questionable stuff on my x's computer. He said it was all a big mistake and password protected it, which I cracked and found more new questionable stuff. Wish I had reported it. Don't share pc

by Samuel	02/02/07 12:17 PM
I believe that he did not commit any crime. 1st he was a marine which means he had character and a person with character would not have done this. Our society is quick to judge and condemn before we know all the facts.

by Wendy	02/02/07 11:32 AM
What a sad ending to such a young life. Seems he wasn't "innocent until proven guilty". My prayers to his friends and family.

by Rick	02/02/07 11:27 AM
John, I agree with your comments, however believe you are unaware of all the facts concerning this case. For instance, Mr. Liberty was asked by LE to take a polygraph. Mr. Liberty did and subsequently passed it. I knew him and believe he is innocent.

by Tina	02/02/07 11:21 AM
This is a very sad story. Unfortunately in our country it is no longer "Innocent until proven guilty", it's "Guilty until proven innocent"

by John	02/02/07 10:07 AM
Advice, if you are working for the Government,FAA and/or US military never be involed in stuff that you know will cause trouble and/or emmbarrsement to you and your family.

Porn charges crushed former Marine, friends say

His suicide, they say, occurred as he struggled with setbacks that came while fighting the charges.