New developments in the brutal killing of Seaman August Provost III, the black gay sailor found murdered at Camp Pendleton near San Diego on June 30th. Three weeks after the Navy seaman was found shot to death and his body burned, the Navy still has not decided if the case is "serious enough" to go before the military equivalent of a grand jury.
Navy Region Southwest spokesman Matt Brown tells KPBS-TV "there’s no time limit" on the investigation which remains under the authority of Provost's former commander—not the Pentagon.
“The commander of Assault Craft Unit Five (ACU 5) will determine, based on the information provided by investigators, if this is a case that perhaps should be considered by a higher level review, such as a general court martial,” says Brown.
A suspect is being held in the brig on Camp Pendleton. Brown says under the Uniform Code of Military Justice, he can be held indefinitely, as long as investigators can show a military judge they are aggressively pursuing the case.
The 29-year-old Provost's body was discovered in a guard shack on the morning of June 30, shot three times, apparently gagged and bound, and his body burned. The seaman told his family he was harassed and ostracized at Pendleton for at least a year because he was gay and black. The Navy says the torture, shooting and burning was not related to the victim's sexuality and was a "random act" of violence. Over the weekend, the late sailor's aunt advanced a new theory, that her nephew’s killer is gay and feared being outed by Provost.
Several congressmen, including San Diego's Bob Filner (D), chairman of the House Veterans Affairs Committee, and Sheila Jackson-Lee, who represents the family, want independent investigations.
If there is "no time limit" on the investigation and the "person of interest" can be held without charges "indefinitely", will we ever learn who killed August Provost and why? And if the shooting, torture and burning of a United States Seaman is not "serious enough" for a general court martial, what is?
Thanks REP. JACKSON LEE's OFFICE!
That is exactly what I was thinking. What exactly constitutes "serious enough" if not this? The things done to this Seaman are things that are done to Prisoners Of War (POWs). How is this not considered "serious enough"? I am outraged by that comment alone.
A military person killed and dumped onto military land, and possibly (because nothing is confirmed) by military personnel.
The military is trying to make this situation die a slow anonymous death, so that the underbelly of all that this points points to (DADT, mental state of new recruits, ability to commit crimes on military land without an overseer, ect.). They want this gone and they feel they can wait it out like I'm sure they have done for many other negative situations that has happened under their watch.
Posted by: Diva1961 | 20 July 2009 at 13:22
The way the Navy is handling this really makes me wanna smack someone. Shouldn't they have cameras trained all over the base?
Also, the spokespersons seen on TV always seem so uncaring to me.
This story, like too many, just hurts my heart. We must continue to advocate for justice!
Posted by: Barton | 20 July 2009 at 15:34
Rod, you are really doing an incredible job on this case. Please keep up the good work.
Posted by: Hendly | 20 July 2009 at 19:55