Crime
Plea Deal For Navy Seal Linked To Strangulation Death Of U.S. Army Soldier In Mali
LOS ANGELES SENTINEL — Staff Sgt. Logan J. Melgar was found dead on June 4, 2017 in housing he shared with other special operations forces in Mali. Evidence of the murder was covered up by the four servicemen who led investigators on a wild goose chase, claiming that the non-drinking Melgar was drunk and had engaged in “frat-like” behavior that had gotten the soldiers uninvited from events at the U.S. Embassy.
By Global Information Network
A generous plea deal has been offered to the first of two Navy SEALS and two Marine Raiders charged in the strangulation death of a U.S. Army Special Forces soldier based in Bamako, Mali.
Staff Sgt. Logan J. Melgar was found dead on June 4, 2017 in housing he shared with other special operations forces in Mali. Evidence of the murder was covered up by the four servicemen who led investigators on a wild goose chase, claiming that the non-drinking Melgar was drunk and had engaged in “frat-like” behavior that had gotten the soldiers uninvited from events at the U.S. Embassy.
Months went by before a leak in the Washington Post revealed some of the gruesome facts of the killing. Angry that Melgar had accused the SEALs of bringing prostitutes to the off-site embassy housing they shared, the four defendants plotted to rough him up.
According to the now-revealed facts of the case, the foursome broke into Melgar’s locked room where he was sleeping to assault him. A beating ensued during which Melgar was restrained while the gang leader locked Melgar in a chokehold. Within seconds his breathing stopped.
When efforts to revive him were unsuccessful, the servicemen cut open Melgar’s throat, allegedly to establish an airway but, as investigators concluded, to “hide evidence of the injuries inflicted.” His lifeless body was then loaded into one of their cars and brought to a nearby clinic where he was pronounced him dead.
At the time of his death Staff Sgt. Melgar was part of a small team in Bamako assigned to support Malian and French counterterrorism units battling al-Qaida factions in the region.
As part of the plea deal, Chief Special Warfare Officer Adam Matthews will be subjected to a special court-martial rather than a general court martial, which means the maximum is one year in prison, reduction in rank, forfeiture of two-thirds pay for one year, and a bad conduct discharge, according to a press account.
Murder and involuntary manslaughter charges will be dropped if he pleads guilty to hazing, assault consummated by battery, burglary, and conspiracy to obstruct justice charges.
Also facing felony murder and related charges are Gunnery Sgt. Mario Madera-Rodriguez and Staff Sgt. Kevin Maxwell along with Navy SEAL Team Six member Petty Officer Anthony DeDolph.
Melgar was nearing the end of his deployment to Mali at the time of his death. He reportedly told his wife he had a ‘bad feeling’ about some of his fellow troops. Melgar was married to Michelle Melgar and was devoted to his two sons, aged 13 and 15 years of age.
This article originally appeared in the Los Angeles Sentinel.
Alameda County
DA Pamela Price Stands by Mom Who Lost Son to Gun Violence in Oakland
Last week, The Post published a photo showing Alameda County District Attorney Pamela Price with Carol Jones, whose son, Patrick DeMarco Scott, was gunned down by an unknown assailant in 2018.
Publisher’s note: Last week, The Post published a photo showing Alameda County District Attorney Pamela Price with Carol Jones, whose son, Patrick DeMarco Scott, was gunned down by an unknown assailant in 2018. The photo was too small for readers to see where the women were and what they were doing. Here we show Price and Jones as they complete a walk in memory of Scott. For more information and to contribute, please contact Carol Jones at 510-978-5517 at morefoundation.help@gmail.com. Courtesy photo.
California Black Media
Anti-Theft Bill with Jail-Time Requirement Gets Wide Ranging Support
Fed up with the alarming frequency of retail theft across California, including smash and grabs, a diverse group of business leaders, law enforcement officials, policymakers and public safety advocates joined their efforts in Sacramento on Jan. 24. Their purpose: to increase public support for Assembly Bill (AB) 1772, a bill that would make jail time mandatory for repeat theft offenders.
By California Black Media
Fed up with the alarming frequency of retail theft across California, including smash and grabs, a diverse group of business leaders, law enforcement officials, policymakers and public safety advocates joined their efforts in Sacramento on Jan. 24.
Their purpose: to increase public support for Assembly Bill (AB) 1772, a bill that would make jail time mandatory for repeat theft offenders.
Co-authored by Assemblymembers James C. Ramos (D-San Bernardino), Avelino Valencia (D-Anaheim) and Devon Mathis (R-Tulare), AB 1772 would require jail time “of one to three years for theft crimes depending upon the circumstances.
“Offenses would include grand theft, theft from an elder or dependent adult, theft or unauthorized use of a vehicle, burglary, carjacking, robbery, receiving stolen property, shoplifting or mail theft,” the bill language reads.
Ramos said the need to act is urgent.
“It’s time for us to reverse the spikes in theft crimes since the pandemic. Our law enforcement members and district attorneys need additional tools such as AB 1772. We must reverse the trend before the problem grows worse. Last year I requested a state audit of the impact of Prop 47 on Riverside and San Bernardino counties,” said Ramos.
Prop 47 is the California initiative, approved by voters in 2014, that reclassified some felonies to misdemeanors and raised the minimum amount for most misdemeanor thefts from $400 to $950.
According to a Public Policy Institute of California (PPIC) report, the rate of occurrence of petty crimes like shoplifting and commercial burglaries have increased by double digits over the last four years.
In Orange County alone, commercial burglaries have spiked by 54%.
“Our communities are experiencing an increase in retail crime and deserve appropriate action from their legislators,” Valencia said.
San Bernardino County Sheriff Shannon Dicus thanked Ramos.
“This bill, designed to impose stricter penalties on serial retail theft suspects, responds urgently to the escalating consequences of shoplifting and related crimes on our communities,” he said.
AB 1772 supporters who spoke at the gathering included Sacramento Sheriff Jim Cooper and San Bernardino Chief of Police Darren Goodman. Listed as supporters are the California State Sheriff’s Association, City of Riverside Police Chief Larry Gonzalez and Redlands Chamber of Commerce.
Activism
Oakland Post: Week of April 17 – 23, 2024
The printed Weekly Edition of the Oakland Post: Week of April 17 – 23, 2024
To enlarge your view of this issue, use the slider, magnifying glass icon or full page icon in the lower right corner of the browser window.
-
Activism4 weeks ago
Oakland Post: Week of March 27 – April 2, 2024
-
#NNPA BlackPress4 weeks ago
COMMENTARY: D.C. Crime Bill Fails to Address Root Causes of Violence and Incarceration
-
#NNPA BlackPress4 weeks ago
From Raids to Revelations: The Dark Turn in Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs’ Saga
-
#NNPA BlackPress4 weeks ago
COMMENTARY: Lady Day and The Lights!
-
#NNPA BlackPress4 weeks ago
Mayor, City Council President React to May 31 Closing of Birmingham-Southern College
-
#NNPA BlackPress4 weeks ago
Baltimore Key Bridge Catastrophe: A City’s Heartbreak and a Nation’s Alarm
-
#NNPA BlackPress4 weeks ago
Baltimore’s Key Bridge Struck by Ship, Collapses into Water
-
#NNPA BlackPress4 weeks ago
Beloved Actor and Activist Louis Cameron Gossett Jr. Dies at 87