Navy SEAL Chief Petty Officer Tony DeDolph admitted choking a Special Forces soldier to death in 2017. DeDolph agreed to plead guilty, according to his attorney, The Daily Beast reported.
DeDolph will plead guilty to dismiss felony murder and burglary
In November 2018, Chief Petty Officer Tony DeDolph was formally charged with another SEAL and two other special operations Marines with felony murder, obstruction of justice, conspiracy. Hazing, burglary, and involuntary manslaughter in the death of a Special Forces soldier assigned to the 3rd Special Forces Group, Army Staff Sgt. Logan Melgar.
DeDolph will plead guilty on January 14 to involuntary manslaughter, hazing, and obstruction of justice, familiar with the plea deal. In returns for the guilty plea, the persecution will dismiss burglary and felony murder. The insider added that the Navy SEAL Chief Petty Officer also agreed to a provision that bars him from profit from the case, including earning based on his experience at SEAL Team 6 and writing books.
Atty. Stackhouse says Dedolph is allowed to accept responsibility for offenses
In a statement, Phil Stackhouse, DeDolph's civilian attorney, said, "This agreement will end the contested charges, allowing the Special Operations Chief DeDolph to accept responsibility for those offenses he can and mitigate most of the concerns over classified material present in the case."
Stackhouse explained that the guilty plea is trying to help Melgar's family in "finding peace and closure," as his death was not intentional and does not diminish his friends' and family's grief.
Melgar's wife Michelle declined to comment to The Daily Beast's request for comment, while the press left a voicemail to DeDolph's number, but the call was not returned.
On January 14, a hearing is scheduled, wherein DeDolph is required to convince the military judge of his plea. According to sources, the jury will sentence DeDolph after the hearing.
Naval Special Warfare Development Group, also known as SEAL Team 6, includes Tony DeDolph. In 2017, Melgar and Dedolph were part of a special intelligence operation in Mali supporting counterterrorism against al Qaeda's local affiliate, al Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb.
Army Staff Sgt. Logan Melgar's death
Chief Petty Officer Adam C. Matthews testified in August 2019 that he felt it was a duty to haze Melgar. Matthews was in Mali for an assessment of the mission. DeDolph recommended Mathews to teach him a lesson after Melgar "ditched" the team in Bamako, Mali's capital city.
Matthews, DeDolph, and two Marine Raiders spent the rest of the night to plot an embarrassing situation for Melgar. They planned to choke Melgar until he became unconscious, pull his pants down, and record the incident to show it to him later.
The four men broke down Melgar's door and attacked him after getting permission from Melgar's supervisor Sergeant First Class James Morris. Melgar became unresponsive during the attack.
DeDolph and Matthews tried to resuscitate Melgar. With Morris, the SEALS rushed Melgar to a French medical facility, but he was pronounced dead. According to NBC News, Dedolph admitted at the clinic to an embassy official that he choked Melgar.
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