A Hawaii-based Marine, Lance Cpl. Jacob Jacoby, 21, will serve 30 days in jail for hazing one of his fellow Marines while in Afghanistan. Jacoby pleaded guilty to assault for punching and kicking Lance Cpl. Harry Lew, 21, of Santa Clara, Calif., who shot himself in his foxhole soon after on April 3, 2011. Navy Capt. Carrie Stephens, the judge in Jacoby’s special court-martial, gave Jacoby the sentence and said she didn’t take Lew’s suicide into account because there was no evidence that Jacoby’s abuse caused Lew to kill himself.
Jacoby said he hazed Lew out of frustration and anger because Lew had repeatedly fallen asleep while on duty to keep watch for Taliban fighters. By falling asleep, Jacoby said Lew was putting the lives of Marines at their patrol in danger, but he apologized for his behavior and told the court he wanted to take responsibility for his actions. Two other Marines, Sgt. Benjamin Johns and Lance Cpl. Carlos Orozco III, are also accused of hazing Lew before his suicide. The men will have their own separate courts-martial at a later date.
