LEGAL/NAVY: “The commanders of the two U.S. guided-missile destroyers involved in collisions that killed 17 sailors in Asia last year will be court-martialed on charges including negligent homicide, the Navy said Tuesday [1-16-18].
In total, the Navy is filing criminal charges against six sailors, officials said. Another eight will face nonjudicial punishment, a Navy official said, which could include reductions in rank and pay loss.
The former commander of the USS Fitzgerald, Cmdr. Bryce Benson, will face charges of negligent homicide, dereliction of duty and hazarding a vessel, as will three of his lieutenants, the Navy said. Cmdr. Benson was seriously injured in the June collision with a commercial vessel near Tokyo.
The former commander of USS John S. McCain, Cmdr. Alfredo J. Sanchez, will face similar charges, and a chief petty officer from the McCain has already been charged with dereliction of duty. The ship collided with a commercial tanker off the coast of Singapore in August, killing 10 sailors. The officers couldn’t be immediately reached through the Navy for comment and efforts to locate attorneys for the men weren’t successful.
Those facing criminal charges will be subjected to a military proceeding known as an Article 32 hearing, similar to a civilian preliminary hearing or grand jury. That hearing will determine how subsequent proceedings play out.”
-Nancy A. Youssef, “U.S. Navy to File Negligent Homicide Charges in Two Asia Ship Collisions,” The Wall Street Journal online, Jan. 16, 2018 10:28pm