Marine gets 15 years for Okinawa rape, says 50-cent beer was partly to bla

[saigon68]

Thursday, June 23, 2005


Marine gets 15 years for Okinawa rape, says 50-cent beer was partly to blame

http://www.estripes.com/article.asp?section=104&article=29888

Defense says liberty rules played a hand in barracks assaults

By David Allen, Stars and Stripes
Pacific edition, Wednesday, June 22, 2005

CAMP FOSTER, Okinawa — A Marine was sentenced to 15 years in prison and handed a dishonorable discharge Monday after pleading guilty to charges of rape, sodomy and several lesser offenses.

Under a pre-trial agreement, however, 22-year-old Pvt. Justin Echak might serve just four years of the sentence. The remainder will be suspended as long as he remains out of trouble for a year after being released.


He pleaded guilty to entering the barracks rooms of two fellow Marines assigned to the 7th Communication Battalion on Camp Hansen on Feb. 10 and sexually assaulting them.

One woman was able to resist him, wrestling for more than 30 minutes before he left her room. He then wandered into the room of another Marine who was sleeping and raped and sodomized her, according to testimony.

This is type of 'self starter" they needed at Abu Ghraib.

To sodomize the young boys in front of their fathers who the MI thugs were trying to pry "SECRETS" from

[Kenneth ken]

1. the only thing he did right was plead guilty

it doesn't matter how many beers he had consumed in how short a period of time; having spent 30 minutes fighting one rape he should have been more than alert enough to know his actions were wrong, and not simply sought out an "easier" victim.

Easier in the sense that he was able to overpower and rape the second woman.

If she had successfully fought him off, would he have sought a third? Or a fourth?

He deserves no mercy from the court.

edit: spelling

[Trillo]

3. I never buy the argument that alcohol made someone do something.

They made themselves do it, the alcohol is just an excuse and rationalization that plays to a sympathetic audience willing to believe that people aren't in control of their own actions.

Hey, how 'bout some prohibition? :sarcasm:

[Skittles]

4. there are tons of guys who drank their way through college

and managed to avoid ever raping someone - you are correct; the initial rage and craving for power has to be there.

[speedingbullet]

13. I Did

I was one of those guys drinking my way through college. Alcohol may have made me pick a fight or say something dumb but never, ever make me think it was OK to rape someone.

[Skittles]

19. welcome to the DU, speedingbullet

yeah, I have had to fend off many a drunk guy in my time and not one of them ever escalated to violence. These guys are still in denial about what they really are - rapists.

[lateo]

9. Do you drink?

If you do...you might rethink that statement.

[Gyre]

14. voluntary intoxication is not a legal defense to any crime

for a good reason. Unless the charged crime requires "specific intent" AND the defendant is rendered legally insane by his intoxication (a high standard for a defense lawyer to prove).

"I was drunk" doesn't fly in California at least.

Gyre

[lateo]

18. You said...

" I never buy the argument that alcohol made someone do something."

Yet, you replied to me about legal precident. This wasn't the discussion I was addressing.

Alcohol can make people black out when they drink too much and they don't remember what they do. This has happened to me before and thankfully no one was hurt.

If you drink to excess this could happen to you.

[TheWraith]

21. I don't buy that either.

The principle that alcohol can turn a normal person into a psychopath has always been suspect, in my book. If excessive drinking made people capable of these things, college campuses would look like Jack the Ripper meets A Clockwork Orange.

[lateo]

23. This is why...

I asked you if you drink. You must not drink or you don't drink to excess. I'm not sure how old you are...do any of your friends drink? Have you ever seen one of them get drunk? So drunk they did something embarrassing that they didn't remember the next day?

[TheWraith]

26. Embarassing isn't criminal.

Getting up and dancing on a table, or making a pass at a friend, or something else conspicuously outrageous doesn't equal the commission of a crime. Alcohol certainly lowers inhibitions, but that's exactly the point--it may reduce someone's inhibitions against committing a crime, but it can't force the person to do it. This isn't "Reefer Madness." Sure, people do stupid things when they're drunk. Many people even give voice to things which they really shouldn't--ideas and desires that are inhibited for a reason. But I don't believe that alcohol can drive someone to commit a crime that they were incapable of before.

[lateo]

29. The point is...

Sometimes when you are passed out drunk you do things that you normally would never do. Sometimes it crosses over into the criminal realm.

If you have never been drunk enough to do something you don't remember the next day perhaps you should stfu about it. It isn't wise to talk about things that you know nothing about.

[TheWraith]

34. Somebody's certainly hostile.

I'm sure that it does cross over into the criminal realm sometimes--but my central point is the same, and undamaged. Uncounted hordes of people get drunk on a daily basis. People do stupid things because their judgement is impaired. Yet, there's no sprawling rape zones outside of every bar. Alcohol doesn't make people psychos. Sing karaoke, get into brawls, say stupid things, maybe steal a car, sure. But most people have no desire to rape and murder others, which is why the "Beer made me do it" defense employed by the Marine in question doesn't hold up.

[lateo]

36. Maybe you should...

go and RTA.

"says 50-cent beer was partly to blame "

The marine didn't claim "beer made me do it", he said 50 cent beer contributed to his situation.

A situation that he, under normal circumstances, wouldn't find himself in.

[Trillo]

38. Random House Webster's Unabridged definition of "blame"

1. to hold responsible; find fault with; censure: I don't blame you for leaving him.
2. to place the responsibility for (a fault, error, etc.) (usually fol. by on): I blame the accident on her.

"A situation that he, under normal circumstances, wouldn't find himself in."

Drinking 50-cents worth of beer is abnormal for him?

:sarcasm:
Was it his first wicked, spawn of satan, firesale priced beer ever?

[sendero]

35. Unfortunately..

.... unless someone ties you down and forces you to consume those ridiculous amounts of alcohol, the responsibility is entirely on you because you chose to drink that crazily.

Were I a judge or juror, I'd never accept alcohol abuse as an excuse. And I'm a pretty good drinker myself, for the record :)

[lateo]

37. I completely agree...

[knowbody0]

2. I've been raped

by an asshole who blamed the beer. i hope this one gets a horrific STD.

[Skittles]

5. so sorry kb

I hope you did receive counseling; I think something of that nature is way too much to handle alone. And yes, I think penalties should be very, very severe for the offenders.

[knowbody0]

7. you're sweet Skittles

i crashed 10 years after the rape, and then i got really good counseling. thanks for asking.

[Skittles]

20. wow

yeah, it's strange how the effects of truma can come back to hit a person years later.

[havocmom]

8. I hope he gets a 'Bobbit bob'

and that his drining arm has an accident too.

[Vladimir]

11. A what?

or do I not want to know?

[havocmom]

15. Remember the wife who decided to do something about her huband's

'dicking around'? It would be a good cut (a 'bob' is a type of hair cut) for rapists as far as I'm concerned.

[Vladimir]

16. I cannot fault the sentiment n/t

[MountainLaurel]

22. Interestingly, he had been a Marine too

And by dicking around I assume you mean raping his wife?

[havocmom]

31. No, he was having extra marital affairs

and the lady objected. If memory serves, he was passed out drunk when she did the surgical work.

[MountainLaurel]

32. Actually it was both

Bobbitt had a history of abuse, although he was acquitted of marital sexual assault.

http://archives.cnn.com/2002/US/05/14/bobbitt.arrest/

http://www.courttv.com/archive/casefiles/verdicts/bobbitt.html

[havocmom]

33. Funny side note: I received a rather nice (well, nice being a relative

term) letter from my ex right after Ms Bobbit was aquitted. I think some mutual friends told him I was learning to shoot. :)

[MadisonProgressive]

10. I'm so sorry. I hope the bastard got what was coming to him!

[Megahurtz]

27. Doing a "Bobbit" on this guy

would have been the best counseling ever!

[Hobarticus]

6. Four years in the brig, plus a dishonorable discharge...

Quite a table you've set for yourself, kid, and you're barely into your twenties. Fucking dumbass.

[Love Bug]

12. All the 50 cent beer did was uncover the rapist that was already there

Alcohol just releases inhibitions -- it doesn't make anyone "do" anything they weren't capable of doing in the first place, given the "right" circumstances.

[wicket]

17. amen

n/t

[saigon68]

24. mispost

[geniph]

25. My husband was a Marine on Okinawa

and he drank quite a lot of the (much-cheaper-then) beer. He did not abuse or assault anyone. So screw you and your idiotic beer theory, Echak - you're going to Portsmouth for 15 years. Basically a death sentence. The USMC does NOT like Marines who embarrass the Corps.

I do think it's rather a pity the first woman he assaulted wasn't able to inflict debilitating damage on him, but thank goodness for her sake she was able to get him off her!

[Megahurtz]

28. Yeah Right. Blame it on the Beer

you fuckwack.:beer:

[Haole316]

30. Well....holy fuck!!

I was with 7thcomm 94-95.....

phuker should be breaking rocks for many years.



Okinawa is where you go to put your life on hold and dwell on the past.