WASHINGTON (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 18th January, 2020) A former commander of the US Navy base at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, has been found guilty of obstructing justice in a probe into the death of a civilian employee with whose wife he had been having an affair, the Department of Justice said in a news release on Friday.
"John Nettleton, 54... was convicted of obstructing justice, concealing information [and] falsifying records ... during the Navy's investigation of the death of Christopher Tur, the Loss Prevention Safety Manager at GTMO's Naval Exchange," the release said.
The Justice Department noted that Tur, 42, was found drowned in the waters of Guantanamo Bay on January 11, 2015. An autopsy revealed he suffered injuries prior to his drowning.
According to evidence at the Federal civilian trial, Tur confronted Nettleton at a party on January 9, 2015, with allegations that Nettleton and Tur's spouse had engaged in an extramarital affair. Later that same evening, Tur went to Nettleton's residence and a fight ensued that left Tur injured, the release said.
Nettleton was indicted for concealing important facts about the physical altercation he had with Tur in the hours before his death. Tur disappeared shortly after the argument and his body was later found floating in the waters off the coast of the base.
When interviewed by law enforcement officers, Nettleton denied ever having the affair, though investigators later uncovered evidence that it had happened.
"Captain Nettleton dishonored his oath and impeded the investigation into a civilian's tragic death, preventing much needed closure for the family and friends of the deceased," Assistant Attorney General Brian Benczkowski of the Justice Department's Criminal Division said in the release.
Nettleton persisted in concealment and false statements as the search for Tur continued and then during the investigation into the circumstances of his death, the release said.
