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, a member of the elite SEAL Team 6, 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 service members were also charged.