Posted on 08/08/2003 3:10:27 AM PDT by kattracks
CAMP LEJEUNE, N.C. (AP) — A Marine sentenced to 20 years in military prison for cutting parachute suspension lines before a training jump will have to testify against another Marine charged in the case.
Lance Cpl. Antoine D. Boykins was sentenced Thursday, a day after he pleaded guilty to nine counts of reckless endangerment, four counts of aggravated assault and one count of destruction of government property.
Boykins, 21, admitted cutting suspension lines on 13 of the 22 parachutes that were to be used in the exercise Sept. 21. He said he knew someone could be killed or injured because reserve chutes fail nearly half the time they're used.
Three Marines were injured in the jump's first wave, and the exercise was canceled.
Boykins originally was charged with attempted premeditated murder, aggravated assault, reckless endangerment, destruction of government property and conspiracy to commit murder.
His plea agreement called for him to testify against Cpl. Clayton A. Chaffin, 28, of Franklin, Ohio, who is charged with 31 counts including reckless endangerment, aggravated assault, conspiracy and drug charges.
Chaffin is scheduled for an Article 32 hearing — the military equivalent of a grand jury — in October. Charges against a third Marine were dismissed in April.
Prosecutors say Chaffin encouraged Boykins' crime because both were angry at their unit.
"It's clear to this court that you have a great deal of natural ability and you are lucky to have a number of people who support you," said the judge, Col. Alvin Keller.
Keller told Boykins to heed the advice of Boykins' pastor, the Rev. Stephen Andrew Tillett, who testified that he told Boykins to find other Christians in prison and stick with them, and to take college courses while he serves his sentence.
"You can still be a productive citizen in this country if you take advantage of what your pastor has recommended that you do," Keller said.
Boykins will be eligible for parole after serving one-third of his sentence.
The judge also cut Boykins' rank to private, stripped him of all future pay and allowances, and said he would be dishonorably discharged.
The sentence must be formally approved by the commander of the 2nd Marine Expeditionary Force and there is an automatic appeal process because he received a punitive discharge, prosecutors said.
After court adjourned, Boykins was led away by two escorts. His family left without commenting.
The sentence was one year short of the maximum. Keller originally said the maximum was 31 years but dropped the number after recalculating it.
Before sentencing, Boykins told Keller that he "made the worst decision I could ever imagine."
Say WHAT? Anybody with jump wings care to comment on this??
Guess not.
This seems like a bogus statistic. Reserves (civilian atleast) are packed or repacked by a certified rigger and tagged on a set schedule. They are packed right, and I don't believe a 50% failure rate would be tolerated.
What this reporter may mean is that 50% of the time that reserves are deployed they do not save the jumper for serious injury or death. That would make more sense considering low altitude jumps where they may not have time to fully inflate.
The couple of times I needed it, it worked 100%. The only average I was ever concerned with. Blackbird.
OHIO PING!
Ohio jarhead in sabotage scandal.
Please let me know if you want on or off the Ohio Ping list.
“Marine gets 20 years in in parachute case...”
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/960332/posts
That makes sense. Thanks
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