SEAL pleads guilty to role in death of Green Beret

NORFOLK, VA. » A U.S. Navy SEAL pleaded guilty Thursday to involuntary manslaughter for his role in the hazing death of a U.S. Army Green Beret while the men were stationed in Africa. Chief Petty Officer Tony DeDolph, a member of the elite SEAL Team 6, also offered a detailed account of the night in which he and other servicemembers initiated a prank known as a “tape job” on Army Staff Sgt. Logan Melgar.

DeDolph told a military judge that the men were trying to teach Melgar a lesson over perceived slights while they served in Mali in 2017. But the SEAL said they were soon “in a state of shock and deeply disturbed” after the duct-tape-bound Melgar remained unresponsive for several minutes.