| Whom the gods would destroy, they first make mad. |
[Yahoo via Rantingly] A federal judge sentenced a former commander of the Navy base at Guantánamo Bay, Cuba, on Thursday to two years in prison for trying to cover up a drunken fight with a commissary worker who was later found dead in the bay.Testimony at the trial showed that the fight inside the official residence of the now-retired Navy captain, John R. Nettleton, 54, followed a night of drinking during a celebration at the base’s private officers’ club. At the party, the man who died, Christopher Tur, 42, loudly accused Nettleton of having an affair with his wife.
U.S. District Judge Timothy J. Corrigan announced the sentence, on six criminal counts including obstruction of justice, after a nearly daylong hearing in Jacksonville. During the hearing, Tur’s mother and siblings emotionally urged a severe sentence while three former military officers described Nettleton as a veteran combat helicopter pilot who had led a life of integrity.
"Any period of incarceration is anything but a slap on the wrist," the judge said in handing down the sentence through a mask in the largest hearing of the pandemic at the courthouse, with some people participating or listening by telephone and others watching on a video feed. "Capt. Nettleton is being held to account, and I think it is appropriate, and I hope it can be seen in that light."
Federal prosecutors had sought 37 to 46 months in prison, citing sentencing guidelines. Defense lawyers had urged no time, or home confinement.
Tur was found dead and floating in Guantánamo Bay on Jan. 11, 2015, two days after the fight and after Nettleton ordered the military and other residents to mount an extensive search for him. Tur had four broken ribs, a bruised forehead, and potentially lethal amounts of Prozac and alcohol in his system. A medical examiner ruled his death was caused by drowning, probably accidental.
Before announcing the sentence, the judge said: "This is not a homicide case. This is not a murder case. It’s not a case in which Capt. Nettleton stands accused or convicted of causing the death of Mr. Tur."
Rather, a civilian jury found that during the search, Nettleton did not report that he had fought with Tur, denied to another officer that Tur had come to his house and lied about the affair he had with Lara Tur, who ran the base’s social service department.
Tur’s family members asked the judge to exceed the sentencing guidelines and send a message of accountability to other military officers about the costs of getting drunk, infidelity and lying. Some argued that had Nettleton called the base police after the fight, Tur would be alive.
"What message will it send to other members of the military if the sentencing is guidelines?" said Ann Tur, his mother. "If you’re not highly ranked, you are not entitled to justice? Senior officers in the Navy, the Department of Justice will watch this closely. A good man, my baby boy, is dead."
Before sentencing, Nettleton told the judge that he was "humbled" by the support of his friends and family, including his former wife, and that "I honestly don’t know what I would decide" were he in the judge’s position.
"Command is an honor and a responsibility," he said. "I failed, and I know that I am accountable for my actions."
| Why was he tried in federal court instead of a court martial? |