The 21-year-old sailor Navy prosecutors say began the devastating Bonhomme Richard hearth in 2020 was seen simply earlier than the blaze sporting a camouflage uniform, two sailors testified Monday, contradicting a key component of the Navy’s case that alleges the sailor was sporting blue coveralls.
Seaman Recruit Ryan Sawyer Mays, who was 19 on the time of the fireplace, is on trial at a army court-martial at Naval Base San Diego. Mays is charged with aggravated arson and the willful hazarding of a vessel — fees that might result in a life sentence if he is convicted.
Mays denies the fees and pleaded not responsible.
Prosecutors rested their case in opposition to Mays Friday.
Mays’ group of army decide advocates — army attorneys — started mounting their protection of the sailor Monday.
Two sailors testified Monday that they noticed Mays within the Navy’s inexperienced camouflage “Kind III” uniform at a 7:45 a.m. responsibility part muster on the ship’s flight deck the day of the fireplace — a rebuttal to the prosecution’s idea that Mays was in blue coveralls.
Matthew Gonzales, a former petty officer third class on the Bonhomme Richard who has since left the Navy, testified he was with Mays at muster, they usually each went to retrieve cleansing supplies collectively upon leaving the flight deck.
“He was the one one not sporting coveralls,” Gonzales stated throughout testimony Monday. The 2 sailors — Mays and Gonzales — had been every assigned to scrub mooring stations on the ship. Mays was informed to scrub these on the starboard, or proper facet of the ship, Gonzales stated, and he the port, or left facet. The 2 discovered cleansing provides of their berthing and separated, Gonzales stated.
Boatswain’s Mate 2nd Class Christopher Irvin was on watch on the flight deck throughout responsibility part muster that morning, based on his testimony Monday. He stated he additionally noticed Mays in inexperienced camouflage.
The excellence is essential as a result of whereas a lot of the prosecution’s case final week centered on proving the fireplace was intentionally set, just one prosecution witness put Mays on the scene of the alleged crime the morning of July 12, 2020.
That prosecution witness, Petty Officer 2nd Class Kenji Velasco, testified he noticed an individual be believed to be Mays strolling down the ramp into the Bonhomme Richard’s decrease car storage space — the place investigators say the fireplace was set — simply 20 minutes earlier than seeing smoke.
Velasco stated he noticed a sailor matching Mays’ description sporting blue “boot camp” coveralls — completely different from the coveralls most on the ship wore — stroll by carrying a bucket with two arms. “I really like Deck,” the sailor stated to him as he handed, Velasco stated.
There weren’t many sailors on board the ship the day of the fireplace. The one sailors required to be on board had been these on responsibility, together with Mays.
The prosecution’s idea is that Mays, sporting blue coveralls, obtained some sort of accelerant after being despatched to scrub after responsibility muster, resembling paint thinner, and went all the way down to the “decrease V” and used it and a lighter to set a big cardboard crate, referred to as a tri-wall, on hearth.
Protection attorneys informed the army decide they anticipate to wrap their protection by Wednesday.
This story initially appeared in San Diego Union-Tribune.
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