Death of Logan Melgar: 2 Navy SEALs and 2 Marines accused of death by strangulation

NORFOLK, Va. – Two US Navy ships and two marines were charged in the strangling death of a green beret of the army while service members were stationed in Mali, a country of Africa, last year, the navy announced Thursday. The indictment documents describe a situation in which some of the country's most prestigious military personnel, including two members of the famed Team SEAL Six, have broken into the room of a Green Beret while He slept, tied him up with duct tape and put him in a choking action.

The charges do not allege a specific motive. But the charges against the four men range from murder to crime to manslaughter. They were also charged with hazing.

The navy also accused them of obstructing justice after the death of the green beret: officials said the men had stored liquor in neighborhoods shared by sailors and marines and had lied to commanders and others. to the naval investigators.

The man who died was Staff Sergeant of the Army, Logan Melgar, from Lubbock, Texas. He had been deployed to Afghanistan twice before his death in Bamako, Mali, in June 2017, army officials said.

Melgar belonged to the same group of special forces as the four Americans killed during a patrol in Niger last year, CBS News correspondent David Martin said. The ISIS fighters who ambushed and killed the four soldiers were based in Mali and escaped across the border.

The loading documents do not specify why the members of the service were in Mali. But US special forces have gone to Africa to support and train local troops in their fight against extremists.

The names of service members who have been charged are expurgated in the prosecution documents. Beth Baker, a spokeswoman for the navy, said the navy was banned for the time being from disclosing the names of the accused as well as their civil lawyers. The members of the service are not in custody, said Baker.

The two Marines are listed as part of the Special Operations Command. SEALs belong to the special marine development group. The unit is better known as SEAL Team 6, which participated in the May 2011 raid that killed Al-Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden in his compound.

Both SEALs are based in Virginia Beach. A preliminary hearing to review the case of the four members of the service is scheduled for December 10 at a naval base near Norfolk. The criminal investigation of the Navy conducted the investigation.

US Navy Captain Jason Salata, spokesman for the US Special Operations Command, said Thursday: "We honor the memory of Staff Sergeant Melgar."

"We will not allow proven allegations or incidents of misconduct to undermine decades of honorable achievements by members of the US Special Operations Command."