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SEAL pleads guilty to role in hazing death of Green Beret

Green Beret Death
Posted at 4:14 PM, Jan 16, 2021
and last updated 2021-01-16 17:31:37-05

NORFOLK, Va. -- A U.S. Navy SEAL has pleaded guilty to involuntary manslaughter for his role in the hazing death of a U.S. Army Green Beret in Africa.

Chief Petty Officer Tony DeDolph pleaded guilty Thursday in a military courtroom at a Navy base in Norfolk, Virginia.

The Green Beret who died was Army Staff Sgt. Logan Melgar.

DeDolph offered a detailed account of the night in 2017 when he and other services members tried to prank Melgar over perceived slights.

DeDolph said he placed Melgar in a chokehold to make him temporarily lose consciousness. But he said Melgar never woke up.

DeDolph faces a maximum of 22 1/2 years in prison.

Three other American servicemembers were also charged.