A Hometown Hero banner of Christopher Tur.
A former Navy captain who served as commander of Naval Station Guantanamo Bay (GITMO) has been sentenced to two years in federal prison for his role in obstructing an investigation into the 2015 death of Hatfield-native Christopher Tur.
John Nettleton, 54, was sentenced to two years in federal prison followed by one year of supervised release by U.S. District Judge Timothy Corrigan on Thursday morning. The sentence falls below the recommendation of prosecutors, who said they thought 37-to-46-months would have been appropriate, court records show.
In January, a federal jury in Jacksonville found Nettleton guilty on charges of obstruction of justice, falsifying records, making false statements and concealing material facts, in connection with Tur’s death.
Nettleton was previously indicted on Jan. 8, 2019, on charges stemming from the disappearance and death of 42-year-old Christopher Tur.
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, 2015.
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 Nettleton 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.
Following the jury conviction in January 2020, Nettleton was facing a maximum of 100 years in prison.
More Questions than Answers
Questions remain for the Tur Family, who have retained Francis Malofiy, Esquire to represent them in a civil action following Thursday’s sentencing hearing. [Note: We will have the full story on the civil action, which is scheduled to be published on Oct. 12.]
Following Nettleton’s conviction in January 2020, Aline Byrnes — Tur’s sister — launched a petition seeking answers and further penalty for Nettleton.
“We have been waiting over five years for answers on what happened to Christopher, but unfortunately this trial has brought us more questions,” said Bynes, after the January verdict was announced. “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.”
Prior to the sentencing hearing, Byrnes had lobbied Judge Corrigan to impose the maximum sentence. In a letter to Judge Corrigan, Byrnes wrote, in part:
As the Commanding Officer of Naval Station Guantanamo Bay (GTMO), Cuba, Mr. Nettleton had a duty to protect the sailors under his command as well as the civilians, like my brother, who were there to support the mission of the US Navy.
Mr. Nettleton, as a leader, failed… miserably. He did the catastrophically wrong thing when it absolutely mattered the most. Those intentional acts had devastating consequences to all who knew and loved Christopher. What Mr. Nettleton took from us cannot be undone. His blatant arrogance and outright hubris account of events was on full display during his testimony. This was only furthered as I watched him subject his own child to testify in Federal Court. These actions speak volumes to me, as they do many others. He would say and do anything to protect himself. Mr. Nettleton thinks that he is above the law and I hope that you can show him that he is not.
Mr. Nettleton stated in open court and under oath, that he only punched Christopher once in the nose. The autopsy revealed a different story. Christopher had several broken ribs, contusions all over his body and a cut above his eye. The blood evidence depicted at trial, did not come from a single punch to the nose nor did it come from casting blood, as the defense suggested. It came from a horrible and violent fight that my brother did not win, which resulted in his death.
Mr. Nettleton could have done many things differently the night of January 9, 2015 and the following days, but he did not. He let greed, an abundance of alcohol and his thirst to cover-up his actions and in-actions, get in the way of justice. Mr. Nettleton repeatedly did the wrong thing. Mr. Nettleton could have come forward in 2015 and admit what happened and shortened this agonizingly brutal and emotionally draining process that my family and I have, and still do endure. Mr. Nettleton has covered-up and continues to cover-up the facts of this case and the not knowing is what keeps me awake at night.
With Nettleton receiving a sentence of two years in prison, Byrnes and the Tur Family said they continue to feel as if justice has yet to be served. Likewise, they said they intend to continue to collect petition signatures, put pressure on elected officials and force the United States Navy to provide answers to their lingering questions.
See also:
Petition Launched Seeking Further Penalty For Navy Captain Involved In Death Of Local Marine
Jury Finds Navy Captain Guilty Of Lying About Death Of Local Marine At Guantanamo Bay
Family Seeks Justice In Death Of Local Marine At Guantanamo Bay
Locals React To The Passing Of Ryan Wilk
Lansdale Catholic Grad Killed In Alaskan Plane Crash
