Two Navy SEALs and two Marine Raiders are facing charges of felony murder in the June 2017 strangulation of U.S. Army Green Beret Staff Sgt. Logan Melgar, 34, NBC News reported.
According to Navy charge sheets, the four U.S. service members killed Melgar "while perpetrating a burglary" in Bamako, Mali, after the victim discovered the SEALs were stealing from an informant fund and soliciting prostitutes, according to The Daily Beast (TDB).
The charges alleged the suspects broke into Melgar's room while he was sleeping, restrained him with duct tape, and strangled him with a choke hold.
The suspects were also reportedly charged with conspiracy, obstruction of justice, hazing, and buglary.
"We will not allow allegations or substantiated incidents of misconduct erode decades of honorable accomplishments by the members of US Special Operations Command," Captain Jason Salata told TDB. "If these allegations of misconduct are substantiated, they represent a violation of the trust and standards required of all service members.
"We hold ourselves and each other accountable on a daily basis because we know that lives are on the line."
The SEALs had claimed Melgar had stopped breathing during late-night horseplay that turned fatal, adding they attempted CPR and tried opening an airway, according to the report.
© 2024 Newsmax. All rights reserved.