Okinawa Marine may face a murder charge in child’s death

[unhappycamper]

Okinawa Marine may face a murder charge in child’s death
By David Allen, Stars and Stripes
Pacific edition, Saturday, December 15, 2007

CAMP FOSTER, Okinawa — A Marine sergeant accused in the beating death of his 6-year-old daughter in their Camp Foster home in October could face a charge of murder.

Sgt. Bassa Cisse, 33, a native of the Ivory Coast assigned to Marine Wing Communications Squadron 18, 1st Marine Air Wing, sat calmly between his two lawyers during a preliminary hearing Thursday.

The prosecution argued Cisse should be court-martialed for murder, alleging he grew so frustrated with his daughter’s behavior that he struck her several times with his hands, shoved her and stomped on her back.

The injuries, according to a forensic doctor who conducted her autopsy, were so severe that she had little chance of survival when she was rushed by her father to the emergency room at the U.S. Naval Hospital on Camp Lester. She had stopped breathing and was placed on life support, but she died the next day without regaining consciousness.

The investigating officer who ran the Article 32 hearing has about two weeks to make his recommendation on charges.


Rest of article at: http://www.stripes.com/article.asp?section=104&article=...