Navy SEAL under investigation in death of Green Beret is former fighter
Investigators from the Naval Criminal Investigative Service are trying to determine whether Melgar’s death was accidental or intentional.
As reported by the New York Times, Army Staff Sgt. Logan J. Melgar, a Green Beret with the 3rd Special Forces Group, died in the early morning hours on June 4 in Bamako, Mali. Petty Officer Anthony E. DeDolph and an unnamed fellow member of Navy SEAL Team 6 initially claimed they found Melgar unresponsive in an apartment the three shared, attempted to revive him, and brought him to a local emergency clinic where he was pronounced dead.
DeDolph and his teammate were in Mali on a classified counterterrorism mission. Melgar was assigned to the U.S. embassy. The two SEALs were put on administrative leave as Army criminal investigators initially viewed them as witnesses.
Three months later a medical examiner determined that Melgar died of homicide by asphyxiation”. DeDolph and his teammate then reportedly changed their story, and said the three had been grappling at about 5:00 a.m. at the apartment and Melgar was put in a chokehold. DeDolph and his fellow SEAL said Melgar went out while grappling, and they tried unsuccessfully to resuscitate him, before taking him to the clinic.
Going out from a choke is a regular occurrence at every fight gym or competition. It happened to Michael Bisping on Saturday night. It’s an integral part of Judo, an Olympic sport. Death is unheard of.
Adding to the complexity, Matthew Cole for The Intercept reports that DeDolph is a former professional MMA fighter. At first glance, his 1-5-1 record is not impressive. However, DeDolph was 5-0 as an amateur, after winning a four-man and an eight-man tournament, before turning pro. As a pro his record is poor, but the fighters who beat him were killers: Ryan Bow, Dokonjonosuke Mishima, Phil Johns, Jeff Curran, and Brian Dunn. He beat Matt Lee, who is a badass. And he drew with Justin Wisniewski, another badass.
Investigators from the Naval Criminal Investigative Service are trying to determine whether Melgar’s death was accidental or intentional. If anyone knows of a case of a choke accidentally leading to a death, the information could be useful to investigators.