A Hometown Hero banner of Christopher Tur.
A federal jury in Jacksonville has found former Navy Captain John Nettleton guilty on charges of obstruction of justice, falsifying records, making false statements and concealing material facts, in connection with the 2015 death of a local marine at Naval Base Guantanamo Bay (GITMO).
According to First Coast News, Nettleton faces a maximum of 100 years in prison as a result of the verdict, though the report states that federal sentencing guidelines are far lower.
Nettleton was indicted by a federal grand jury on Jan. 8, 2019, on charges stemming from the disappearance and death of 42-year-old Christopher Tur, of Hatfield Township. Tur, who served several years in the Marine Corps before being honorably discharged, moved his family to GITMO in 2011 to take a civilian contractor position as Loss Prevention/Safety Manager at Navy Exchange Guantanamo Bay.
On Jan. 9, 2015, Tur went missing following a party at the GITMO Officers' Club. Following a two-day search, his body was discovered in the bay on Jan. 11.
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.
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.
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.
Though Nettleton was convicted of six counts, reports indicate that he was also found not guilty on two counts of falsification of records. The jury began deliberations on Thursday morning, and returned their verdict at 12:30 p.m. this afternoon.
When reached for comment, the Tur family provided the following statement to North Penn Now:
“We are thankful to the judge, the jury, the federal prosecutors as well as NCIS. We appreciate their diligence, hard work and tenacity in seeking justice for Christopher.
Christopher was an amazing father, brother, son, husband and friend. We miss him every day. This has been an emotionally draining and traumatic time for our family.
We have been waiting over 5 years for answers on what happened to Christopher, but unfortunately this trial has brought us more questions. While this trial has come to an end, this is far from over. We will not stop until we have answers to the hard questions, until we know what happened to Christopher.
This trial has made it clear that officials failed to keep good order and discipline that could have saved Christopher’s life.
Justice comes in many forms, one is the light of day.”
See also:
Family Seeks Justice In Death Of Local Marine At Guantanamo Bay
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Pets Plus in Lansdale Fined for Illegal Transfer of Ownership of Puppies
Mom Speaks Out After Daughter Was Weight-Shamed At Dunkin Donuts In Hatfield Township
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