Marine Raider guilty in death of Green Beret SSG
SSG Logan Melgar
Jeff LPH 3 sends in word that the court martial for GySgt Mario Madera-Rodriguez, a Marine Raider, has returned a guilty verdict. He got off on the felony murder charge, but was guilty on the other counts, to wit guilty of hazing, false official statements, conspiracy charges and involuntary manslaughter.
A military jury found a Marine Raider on trial in the 2017 death of a Green Beret staff sergeant in Mali guilty of hazing, false official statements, conspiracy charges and involuntary manslaughter.
Gunnery Sgt. Mario Madera-Rodriguez was found not guilty of felony murder, the most serious charge along with burglary, though the jury did find him guilty of a lesser offense of “housebreaking.”
The jury came to their verdict late Thursday night after a day’s deliberations in the three-week trial at Norfolk Naval Station, Virginia.
Madera-Rodriguez was the last of four co-defendants charged in the June 4, 2017, strangulation death of Army Green Beret Staff Sgt. Logan Melgar.
The defense argued from the outset that the death of Melgar was not intentional and was essentially a hazing incident gone wrong.
Prosecutors leaned on the expert knowledge of the men involved, saying their acts, even their planning, violated the Uniform Code of Military Justice and they knew the dangers of putting Melgar in a chokehold during their surprise attack on him.
The incident took place in Melgar’s bedroom at the off-site housing he shared with other special operators in Bamako, Mali.
The jury began listening to instructions regarding the sentencing phase Friday and are expected to hear testimony through next week, following the July 4 holiday. The jury will also hear sentencing arguments from attorneys on both sides possibly by next Thursday, officials said.
If sentenced at the maximum range of the most serious charge, involuntary manslaughter, Madera-Rodriguez could serve as much time as one of his co-defendants, who pleaded guilty and received a 10-year sentence.
The combined potential sentencing of all the guilty charges could technically result in a maximum possible 27.5-year sentence, dishonorable discharge and reduction in rank to E-1, according to prosecutors.
However, that would be if charges were to run consecutively, meaning each charge would be served before time on the next charge began. Most often, sentencing runs concurrently when convictions occur from the same crime. Then, the most actual time that a defendant would receive would be for the most severe charge.
Can’t say I’m surprised. When all your co-conspirators have plead guilty, that’s not a good sign.
Category: Army, Army News, Breaking News, Guest Link, Marine Recon, Marines
Hope that the Bois in the Federal PITA system gives him something to hold…and to choke on.
I hope every day seems like a month, every month seems like a year and every year seems like an eternity.
This is sad and stupid all the way around.
In a nutshell.
The “other” facts about cover ups and not acting like adult members of the military, theft, all that, that’s supposedly related, well shit, that’s besides the point.
If you’re choking someone, don’t you have the opportunity to stop what you’re doing? Seems that would bump the crime up to 2nd degree murder.
The Navy Seal is the one who choked out the SSG. Also, second degree murder requires proof of intent to kill in most jurisdictions. They all claim no one intended to kill the SSG. That is why the GSGT was charged with involuntary manslaughter.
LOL @ letting that shit go to Court Martial. Fucking idiot. Also, I’m seriously beginning to support prohibiting any military from drinking while overseas. Fucking morons CAN NOT handle their liquor. In fact, bring back the 21st Amendment. Muslim countries got it right banning that shit.