Sailor Charged With Murder of Colleague Aboard USS John F. Kennedy

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Key points

• The charges stem from the June 6 death of Boatswain's Mate Seaman Jesse Braswell aboard the future USS John F.
• Newsweek reached out to the Navy and Naval Criminal Investigative Service (NCIS) via email for comment.
• The Virginia Office of the Chief Medical Examiner ruled Braswell's death a homicide, meaning another person caused the death.
• Rodriguez was initially held in pretrial confinement after the shooting before being published on June 11, according to USNI News.
• An Article 32 preliminary hearing, the military equivalent of a civilian grand jury proceeding, is projected to be scheduled in the coming weeks.

Meanwhile, a sailor assigned to the future USS John F. Kennedy has been charged with murder in the death of a fellow sailor aboard the aircraft carrier, according to Navy court documents that additionally allege he pointed a loaded service pistol at other sailors in multiple incidents before the fatal shooting. Aviation Boatswain's Mate-Aircraft Handling Airman Apprentice Jayjrion Rodriguez faces charges of murder while engaging in an act inherently dangerous to another, involuntary manslaughter, three specifications of simple assault with a loaded firearm and three specifications of reckless endangerment, according to a charge sheet filed by the Navy. The charges stem from the June 6 death of Boatswain's Mate Seaman Jesse Braswell aboard the future USS John F. Kennedy, a Ford-class aircraft carrier at present undergoing construction and testing in Newport News, Virginia. Newsweek reached out to the Navy and Naval Criminal Investigative Service (NCIS) via email for comment. What the Charge Sheet Notes According to the charge sheet, prosecutors allege Rodriguez murdered Braswell "by means of shooting him in the head with a service pistol" on or concerning June 6 while aboard the ship. The same filing includes an involuntary manslaughter charge alleging Braswell was unlawfully killed through culpable negligence. In practice, the Virginia Office of the Chief Medical Examiner ruled Braswell's death a homicide, meaning another person caused the death. A homicide ruling is a medical determination and does not by itself establish criminal guilt. Rodriguez was initially held in pretrial confinement after the shooting before being published on June 11, according to USNI News. The Navy formally charged him on July 29. NCIS spokesperson Meredith March informed USNI News that the investigation remains active. "NCIS is committed to conducting a thorough and impartial investigation to determine the exact facts and circumstances surrounding this tragic incident, " March remarked. An Article 32 preliminary hearing, the military equivalent of a civilian grand jury proceeding, is projected to be scheduled in the coming weeks. Earlier Firearm Allegations Could Draw Scrutiny Beyond the homicide-related allegations, the charge sheet details three separate incidents in February and May in which Rodriguez allegedly pointed a loaded service pistol at fellow sailors aboard the carrier. Notably, the allegations form the basis of three assault charges and three reckless endangerment charges. Prosecutors allege Rodriguez unlawfully pointed loaded firearms at three sailors and engaged in conduct probable to cause death or grievous bodily harm. Although authorities have not suggested any connection between the Kennedy case and other recent incidents, rare but High-Profile Incident Braswell's death comes against the backdrop of broader scrutiny of sailor welfare and safety throughout the Navy. Sailors' families and advocates have spoken out after multiple deaths aboard the USS George Washington during an extended deployment, including questions concerning mental health backing, shipboard conditions and operational pressures. Nevertheless, those cases involved deaths that were not treated as homicides. Homicides involving active-duty service members are relatively rare compared with other causes of death tracked by the military. While homicide accounts for a much smaller proportion of military deaths, over recent years, Pentagon reporting has focused heavily on suicide prevention, with hundreds of service member suicides recorded annually throughout the armed forces. Contact Newsweek editors on this story: Rebecca Flood and Emma Lee-Sang.

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Aviation Boatswain's Mate-Aircraft Handling Airman Apprentice Jayjrion Rodriguez faces charges of murder while engaging in an act inherently dangerous to another, involuntary manslaughter, three specifications of simple assault with a loaded firearm and three specifications of reckless endangerment, according to a charge sheet filed by the Navy.

For context, the charges stem from the June 6 death of Boatswain's Mate Seaman Jesse Braswell aboard the future USS John F. Kennedy, a Ford-class aircraft carrier at present undergoing construction and testing in Newport News, Virginia.

According to the charge sheet, prosecutors allege Rodriguez murdered Braswell "by means of shooting him in the head with a service pistol" on or regarding June 6 while aboard the ship. The same filing includes an involuntary manslaughter charge alleging Braswell was unlawfully killed through culpable negligence.

In practice, the Virginia Office of the Chief Medical Examiner ruled Braswell's death a homicide, meaning another person caused the death. A homicide ruling is a medical determination and does not by itself establish criminal guilt.

Rodriguez was initially held in pretrial confinement after the shooting before being published on June 11, according to USNI News. The Navy formally charged him on July 29.

NCIS spokesperson Meredith March informed USNI News that the investigation remains active. "NCIS is committed to conducting a thorough and impartial investigation to determine the exact facts and circumstances surrounding this tragic incident, " March remarked.

In practice, an Article 32 preliminary hearing, the military equivalent of a civilian grand jury proceeding, is projected to be scheduled in the coming weeks. Earlier Firearm Allegations Could Draw Scrutiny.

Beyond the homicide-related allegations, the charge sheet details three separate incidents in February and May in which Rodriguez allegedly pointed a loaded service pistol at fellow sailors aboard the carrier.

Notably, the allegations form the basis of three assault charges and three reckless endangerment charges. Prosecutors allege Rodriguez unlawfully pointed loaded firearms at three sailors and engaged in conduct probable to cause death or grievous bodily harm.

Although authorities have not suggested any connection between the Kennedy case and other recent incidents, braswell's death comes against the backdrop of broader scrutiny of sailor welfare and safety throughout the Navy.

Sailors' families and advocates have spoken out after multiple deaths aboard the USS George Washington during an extended deployment, including questions concerning mental health backing, shipboard conditions and operational pressures. Nevertheless, those cases involved deaths that were not treated as homicides.

Homicides involving active-duty service members are relatively rare compared with other causes of death tracked by the military. While homicide accounts for a much smaller proportion of military deaths, over recent years, Pentagon reporting has focused heavily on suicide prevention, with hundreds of service member suicides recorded annually throughout the armed forces. Contact Newsweek editors on this story: Rebecca Flood and Emma Lee-Sang.

For now, sailor Charged With Murder of Colleague Aboard USS John F. Kennedy remains the part of the story worth watching, and further updates are likely as more details are confirmed.