Two Camp Lejeune Marines, two Navy Seals charged in murder of Green Beret in Mali
Two Marines from an elite Raiders unit based at Camp Lejeune in North Carolina and two members of the storied Navy SEAL Team 6 face murder charges in the killing of a Green Beret in Africa last year, according to NBC News.
The four special operations troops face charges of felony murder, conspiracy, obstruction of justice, burglary, hazing and involuntary manslaughter, according to the Daily Beast, which broke the news of the charges Thursday.
The Navy SEALs and Marines, who have not been named by officials, allegedly killed Green Beret Staff Sgt. Logan Melgar when they broke into his room at housing near the U.S. Embassy in Mali while he was sleeping, restrained him with duct tape and then put him in a choke hold, authorities say, according to CNN reports.
The Navy SEALs are based in Virginia Beach, and the Marines are part of the Raiders, the Marine Corps Forces Special Operations Command, based at Camp Lejeune, North Carolina, according to the Virginian-Pilot. Of the Marines, “One is a staff sergeant and the other is a gunnery sergeant,” the newspaper reports.
The four could face the death penalty or life in prison without parole if convicted, the Virginian-Pilot notes.
Melgar and the four accused in his murder shared housing in Bamako, Mali, in West Africa, according to the Army Times. They were in Mali to help French and Malian soldiers fighting al Qaeda-linked insurgents in the area, the Army Times reports.
When Melgar died, the suspects changed their story several times, first saying they found him unresponsive and later saying they were practicing hand-to-hand combat at 4 a.m. while Melgar was drunk, according to authorities in the Army Times report. Toxicology reports showed Melgar did not have alcohol in his system, and his friends said he did not drink, the Times reports.
The Daily Beast, which published copies of the charges, detailed what investigators think happened: “The alleged conspirators ‘drove to the Marine quarters’ in Bamako, Mali ‘to obtain duct tape,’ then drove to the shared Army/Navy headquarters, ‘entered the bedroom of SSG Melgar by breaking through his locked door,’ restrained him with the duct tape, and ‘strangled SSG Melgar by placing him in a chokehold.’”
Stars and Stripes reports Rear Adm. Charles Rock, the commander of Navy Region Mid-Atlantic, approved the charges Wednesday after a yearlong investigation. The SEALs and Marines are scheduled to appear for a hearing on Dec. 10.
This story was originally published November 16, 2018 at 10:17 AM.