Two Navy SEALs currently serving with the elite unit that killed Osama bin Laden have been arrested on felony murder and involuntary manslaughter charges for their alleged roles in the death of an Army Green Beret in Mali.
PEOPLE confirms charges were filed Thursday against the two members of SEAL Team Six and two Marines, whose names are being withheld.
All four allegedly participated in the “hazing” of Army Green Beret Staff Sgt. Logan Melgar back in June 2017, according to charging documents obtained by PEOPLE.
All four also face conspiracy, obstruction of justice, hazing and burglary charges. If court marshaled, they could be sent to prison for life.
Melgar, 43, died while serving in Bamako, Mali, according to a Navy statement.
The four defendants allegedly forced their way into Melgar’s private bedroom on the night of June 4, 2017, after grabbing rolls of duct tape.
Melgar was then bound with duct tape, the charging documents allege, before being strangled to death with a fatal chokehold.
No motive is addressed in the charges.
The suspects allegedly broke into Melgar’s room “with the intent to assault” him and allegedly started “hazing” him “while he was sleeping.”
The charging documents state that when questioned by NCIS investigators, the suspects allegedly denied using duct tape and lied about being drunk. They also allegedly provided false timelines when detailing their evenings.
• Want to keep up with the latest crime coverage? Click here to get breaking crime news, ongoing trial coverage and details of intriguing unsolved cases in the True Crime Newsletter.
The charging documents further allege one of the SEALS allegedly attempted to disguise the injuries to Melgar’s trachea by performing on his dead body a cricothyrotomy, which involves slicing open the neck to open the trachea of someone having difficulty breathing.
Melgar was originally from Lubbock, Texas, and enlisted in the Army in January 2012.
His family issued a statement in the immediate aftermath of his death, calling Melgar “a loving husband, father, son and brother.”
“Logan was a man of integrity and honor,” the statement continues. “His morals stood larger than most. We as the Melgar family can only hope that true justice is upheld under these unthinkable circumstances. We hope to not add to the division of a nation’s views by seeking a just sentence, but appeal to the humane unified hearts of Americans, as this is a clear cut example of how we should not be battling amongst ourselves while the tyranny that lies within our control is just as dangerous as the conflicts we deem to be war worthy.”
The four defendants will be in court Dec. 10 for a preliminary hearing. Attorney information was not available for them.
Charging documents state the two SEALs were serving with the Naval Special Warfare Development Group — the official name for SEAL Team Six. The two Marines are assigned to the U.S. Marine Corps Forces Special Operations Command.
The defendants are free until their upcoming hearing.