Family Seeks Justice in Death of Local Marine at Guantanamo Bay

Keith Heffintrayer•

A Hometown Hero banner of Christopher Tur.

It’s been four years since the body of Christopher Tur, a United States Marine Corps veteran, Hatfield resident and graduate of North Penn High School, was found in the waters just offshore of Naval Station Guantanamo Bay (GITMO).

The details surrounding his death are ripe with scandal: an alleged affair between Tur’s wife, Lara, and base commander Captain John Nettleton; an alleged drunken fight between the two men following a party at an officers' club shortly before Tur's death; and most recently, felony charges of obstruction of justice levied against Nettleton in January following a grand jury indictment from the Justice Department.

But to date, no one has been charged with Tur's death. And that has left his family searching for answers.

"Imagine how we feel. Imagine how our mother feels, how our friends feel,” said Michael Tur, Christopher’s brother, in an interview with North Penn Now. "You’d have to be a total idiot to not realize what [Nettleton] did. Reasonable doubt is not a measuring stick for the common person. If it walks like a duck…”

Christopher Tur (pictured above, middle) served several years in the Marine Corps, having been stationed in Japan and Cuba before being honorably discharged. Then, in 2011, the father of two moved his family to GITMO to take a civilian contractor position as Loss Prevention/Safety Manager at Navy Exchange Guantanamo Bay.

"He was a very happy, a very helpful, a very loving person,” said Michael Tur.

Then, on Jan. 9, 2015, Christopher Tur went missing following the party at the GITMO Officers' Club. Following a two-day search, his body was discovered in the bay on Jan. 11. He was 42.

Tur’s cause of death was ruled as drowning, though an autopsy revealed he had suffered broken ribs with associated soft tissue damage, as well as multiple lacerations to his head and face prior to his death. A subsequent toxicology report showed Tur had alcohol in his system, and also was taking anti-depressants.

Less than two weeks later, Nettleton—who took command of GITMO in June 2012—was relieved of his command due to suspicions about him having an affair with Tur’s wife, which would constitute a punishable crime under the Uniform Code of Military Justice.

Despite the immediate investigation into Tur’s death, it would take four more years before Nettleton was formally charged for an alleged role in the incident.

Department of Justice Grand Jury Indictment

On Jan. 8, 2019, a federal grand jury levied multiple charges against Nettleton, including obstruction of justice, concealment of material facts, falsification of records and making false statements. Though the combined charges potentially represent more than 100 years of prison time, the family is dismayed by the lack of a manslaughter charge.

"This is a big black eye for them, especially considering the amount of time that the investigation has been ongoing,” said Aline Tur, Christopher’s sister. "It’s mind-boggling how [Nettleton] has not been charged with murder, or at the very least, manslaughter.”

According to the indictment, Nettleton, Tur and Tur’s wife, Lara, were drinking at a party at the GITMO Officers' Club—also referred to as the Bayview—on the evening of Jan. 9, 2015. At around 10 p.m., Tur publicly confronted Nettleton and Lara outside of the Bayview, accusing them of having an affair, the report states. Nettleton then walked away in the direction of his home, which was located on the same street, according to the indictment.

Between 10:30 p.m. and 10:45 p.m., the indictment continues, a civilian resident of GITMO received a call from Tur stating he was "at the Skipper’s house” and he had "just knocked the Skipper out.” The report states that Nettleton’s voice was heard during the call stating that Tur had knocked him out, and the indictment later states Tur also sustained injuries as a result of the altercation. (North Penn Now has independently identified the civilian resident—referred to only as K.W. in the indictment—as Kelly Warfel, a civilian public relations officer assigned to GITMO.)

During the early morning hours of Jan. 10, Warfel, along with a member of the Navy identified as R.B., began searching for Tur, who had not returned home. They went to Nettleton’s residence and spoke with him about the phone call Tur had placed the night before, but Nettleton said they'd just had a conversation before he instructed Tur to go home, according to the indictment. Nettleton neither acknowledged a physical altercation nor that Tur had been injured, the report states.

When asked by R.B. for permission to search Nettleton’s back yard, Nettleton refused and the two left to continue their search for Tur, according to the indictment.

The indictment states that Nettleton then began to knowingly mislead officials and investigators in their search for Tur, by repeatedly obfuscating the alleged physical altercation at his house, as well as telling investigators Tur was last seen at the Bayview, not Nettleton’s home. It also alleges Nettleton knowingly pointed search parties in the wrong direction, and called off a Coast Guard search during the evening hours of Jan. 10 due to safety reasons.

Tur’s Body Found

At 11 a.m. on Jan. 11, 2015, a United States Coast Guard vessel located Tur’s body in the waters of Guantanamo Bay, drifting westward toward the territorial water border with Cuba.

Unaware that his body was found, searchers found a paper towel with a reddish-brown stain near the base of the pier in Nettleton’s backyard at 1 p.m. that same day, according to the indictment. Personnel from the Naval Criminal Investigation Division (CID) and NCIS arrived to recover the paper towel with Nettleton standing nearby. He reportedly stated, "That’s probably nothing,” when investigators said it appeared to be blood.

The blood stain would later prove a match with Tur’s DNA, according to the indictment.

The indictment states that Nettleton continued to lie to investigators in the days after the discovery of Tur’s body, and Tur’s wife also denied an affair. As investigators continued to circle Nettleton and Lara Tur, they uncovered conversations between the two revealing that Lara planned to refuse to testify in any court martial proceeding, to which Nettleton replied, "Good to hear,” the report states.

On Jan. 20, 2015, an NCIS search of Nettleton’s home uncovered multiple blood stains along the first floor of the home, according to the indictment. Those blood stains were later confirmed to have come from Christopher Tur, the report states.

Questions Remain

Despite the initial investigation by the Navy, no criminal charges were filed against Nettleton or anyone else under the Uniform Code of Military Justice. Instead, the Department of the Navy handed off the investigation to the Department of Justice, which levied charges four years later.

"I don’t understand, after reading the indictment, why they would hesitate in any way to take action,” said Michael Tur. "There were no court martial proceedings of any sort. Why the Navy decided to punt to [the Department of Justice] is a mystery.”

In the time since the incident, and despite losing his command, Nettleton has continued to serve in the Navy, and is set to retire with a full 30-year pension at the end of this month.

"As a family, we want him removed from service,” said Aline Tur. "Essentially, we want to at least make sure he doesn’t see a penny of his pension, or anything afforded to him as a retiring captain in the Navy.”

To that end, the Tur family has attempted to enlist help from Senator Bob Casey, Senator Pat Toomey, Congressman Brian Fitzpatrick, and numerous officials with the Department of the Navy and the Department of Justice. Those efforts have led to varied responses, but none that appease the wishes of the family.

"It has devastated our family," said Michael Tur. "You have a man who was sleeping with my brother’s wife, then there was the incident at the officer’s club, and then the fight. … My brother’s last moments were very tragic.”

The family also wants to know why Tur’s wife was never charged with allegedly lying to investigators, and why Warfel didn't immediately alert authorities about the phone call from Tur at Nettleton’s house.

"We’re wondering why she didn’t call military police,” said Aline Tur. "She let the investigation start at the club, knowing that the last place Christopher was seen was at Nettleton’s residence. She could have possibly prevented his death by doing something, instead of nothing.”

"We want justice to be served, for everyone involved,” Michael added.

*Efforts by North Penn now to reach Lara Tur, as well as officials from the Department of the Navy and the Department of Justice have been unsuccessful.

**This article is the first part of a continuing investigative series into the death of Christopher Tur.