Sailor Faces 16 Charges In Slaying Of Comrade

CAMP PENDLETON — A sailor has been charged with fatally shooting and burning a gay serviceman last month at Camp Pendleton, but Navy officials yesterday said it was part of a crime spree not related to the victim's sexual orientation.
Prosecutors accuse Petty Officer 2nd Class Jonathan Campos of killing Seaman August Provost during an arson attack against the compound of Assault Craft Unit 5 on June 30, said Capt. Matt Brown, a spokesman for Navy Region Southwest.
Brown again stressed that there's no evidence of a hate crime or gang-related activity.
“It is essential to remember the Navy lost a well-respected sailor standing guard at his assigned post,” he said during a news conference at San Diego Naval Base at 32nd Street.
Campos, 32, of Lancaster, faces 16 charges, including murder, arson, unlawful entry, theft of military property and wrongful possession of a firearm. He's also charged with soliciting a civilian in San Diego to kill another sailor the day after Provost's slaying.
Brown said Campos and Provost served in the 500-member assault-craft unit, whose members are trained to pilot jet-powered hovercraft onto beaches for amphibious operations.
Brown added that the two probably had met before, but that there's no evidence to suggest they knew each other well. Campos had served with the unit for most of the past two years, while Provost joined the Navy in March 2008 after completing three years of college and had joined the unit in September.
Navy officials also accuse Campos of using hallucinogenic mushrooms several times between May 1 and June 2.
Officials said that on June 13, Campos allegedly broke into the off-base home of a fellow service member in San Diego and stole an Xbox computer-game system, jewelry and a .45-caliber Kimber pistol, adding the same pistol was used to kill Provost.
On June 20, Campos was picked up on suspicion of driving under the influence. About a week later, he faced administrative punishment from his Navy commanders.
At the time, the Navy hadn't linked Campos to the home burglary, Brown said.
About 11:30 p.m. June 30, Provost took his post at a guard shack along the driveway to the assault-craft unit's entrance.
Navy officials say that sometime before 3:30 a.m., Campos approached the guard shack, shot Provost several times and stole his 9?mm Beretta service pistol. Campos then allegedly set fire to the shack — with Provost's body still inside — using gasoline and a lighter.
“He apparently did it to destroy evidence,” Brown said.
Campos also is accused of planning to set fire to one of the unit's landing craft, but he never made it into the compound.
Brown didn't specify why Campos became a suspect, but said that Campos failed to show up for work before being arrested July 1. The defendant is being held at the Miramar Naval Consolidated Brig.
Provost's death has prompted concerns from gay-rights leaders and some of his relatives and friends who believe he might have been killed because of his sexual orientation. Gay activists held a candlelight vigil July 10 near Camp Pendleton's main gate.
Yesterday, Provost's aunt said she's still not sure what to think about the killer's motive.
“We just want justice to be done, and we hope to one day understand why the killer would target someone as good and responsible as my nephew,” said Rose Roy of Beaumont, Texas.
The Navy hasn't announced a date for Campos' pretrial hearing, called an Article 32 proceeding.
from The San Diego Union-Tribune

Slain Sailor Shot, Also May Have Had Burns

CAMP PENDLETON — The 29-year-old gay sailor found dead Tuesday at Camp Pendleton was shot and possibly burned, but Navy officials said yesterday that they have no sign of the killing being spurred by the victim's sexual orientation.
“There is no evidence or information that suggests this is a hate crime” against Seaman August Provost of Houston, said Capt. Matt Brown, director of public affairs for Navy Region Southwest.
He also said the military can't yet confirm whether Provost was harassed in the days leading up to his death. Brown spoke during a news conference yesterday afternoon at the Broadway Pier in downtown San Diego.
Gay activists — from the nation's largest gay-rights organization to Nicole Murray-Ramirez, chairman of the San Diego Human Relations Commission — have urged the military to conduct a full and transparent investigation. So have two San Diego members of Congress, Reps. Bob Filner and Susan Davis.
Murray-Ramirez said he still has concerns about a possible hate crime.
“We all don't have the facts,” he said. “We're going to wait until the full investigation is done, and I'm sure that the members of Congress are wanting that, too.”
Murray-Ramirez said questions remain over the motive and whether Provost's body had been burned. But he added that the military “seems to be responding to our concerns.”
The Naval Criminal Investigative Service has released the first person it held in connection with Provost's death, which is being investigated as a potential homicide.
The NCIS has taken another “person of interest” into custody. Authorities believe that individual is linked to the slaying based on physical evidence and statements he gave to investigators, Brown said.
The man also is a sailor, but it's unclear whether he served with Provost in the same unit. Brown said their relationship would have been peripheral at best.
The Navy still lacks a clear motive for the slaying, and no charges have been filed, Brown said.
He expects it to take four to five weeks to complete toxicology tests but said a cause of death could be announced sooner.
Sonja Hanson, spokeswoman for Naval Medical Center San Diego, confirmed that the sailor's remains are at the hospital.
Provost began his four-hour watch as a sentry at 11:30 p.m. Monday. The person relieving Provost found him at the guard post, which is the main entrance for vehicles in Assault Craft Unit 5 on the western edge of Camp Pendleton.
Brown wouldn't say how many times Provost was shot, or with what type of weapon. He confirmed that someone tried to light a fire at the post, but he wouldn't comment on whether Provost was bound, mutilated or injured in other ways.
Some gay-rights advocates have said sources close to the investigation have told them that Provost was disfigured and burned.
Capt. Ed Harrington, the commander of Provost's unit, spoke with the Provost family three times Thursday, Brown said.
“This is a very hard time,” Brown said. “We've lost a shipmate; we've lost a family member.”
Provost's relatives couldn't be reached yesterday. A day earlier, Akalia Provost of Houston had said her brother recently complained to family members about a person who was harassing him, so they advised him to tell his supervisor.
“He's the type that if someone comes at him, he walks away. He never stands and argues,” Akalia Houston said. “He didn't deserve anything but a good life.”
Provost was assigned to Assault Craft Unit 5. He had completed three years of college before joining the Navy in March 2008 to help finance his education, and was studying to become an architectural engineer.
from The San Diego Union-Tribune