Marine In Hazing Case Found Not Guilty

(NewsCore) - A Marine sergeant accused of hazing a fellow Marine who later killed himself was found not guilty on assault charges stemming from the alleged attack, the Los Angeles Times reported Thursday.

The court-martial jury found Sgt. Benjamin Johns, 26, not guilty of assaulting Lance Cpl. Harry Lew.

Lew, originally from Santa Clara, Calif., committed suicide in Helmand Province, Afghanistan. He was the nephew of Rep. Judy Chu (D-Calif.), who has since called for a congressional hearing into hazing in the military.

Johns had been charged with assault and dereliction of duty for not preventing Marines in his squad from beating up Lew after he fell asleep on guard duty.

One other Marine has pleaded guilty to assault charges while a third is set to be court-martialled.

Read more: Los Angeles Times