Although Marine Raider Gunnery Sergeants Danny Draher and Josh Negron have finally been found not guilty of charges of manslaughter and negligent homicide by a jury of their peers on February 1, 2023, U.S. Navy Chief Eric Gilmet’s fate has yet to be decided.
On August 15, 2022, the Navy-Marine Corps Court of Criminal Appeals (NMCCA) overturned the trial judge’s original dismissal of Chief Eric Gilmet’s case and reinstated all charges that had previously been dismissed with prejudice on February 9, 2022.
Now the United States Court of Appeals for the Armed Forces (CAAF) has decided to hear oral arguments about whether the military judge erred when he found the government failed to prove that unlawful command influence (UCI) would not affect the proceedings beyond a reasonable doubt. And also whether it placed an intolerable strain on the public’s perception of the military justice system.
Oral arguments will take place at the CAAF in Washington, D.C. on April 18, 2023.
The original decision for Chief Gilmet’s charges to be dismissed with prejudice came on the heels of an incident where Colonel Christopher Shaw (USMC) made several inappropriate and threatening statements aimed at Gilmet’s then-defense counsel, Captain Matthew Thomas (USMC), during a Judge Advocate Division meeting.
As a result, Gilmet was forced to decide between moving forward with a compromised defense counsel, or to part ways with the defense team that he had built cohesion with for several years to avoid the effects of UCI.
Gilmet chose to let go of the military defense counsels that he had built a relationship with for years, leaning on retired Marine Lieutenant Colonel Colby Vokey, a highly experienced civilian attorney funded by UAP.
United American Patriots (UAP) has supported the MARSOC 3 during their lengthy legal battle by funding their civilian legal representation and generating awareness to members of Congress and to the public about the facts of the case.
Your financial support is critical to our success, and most importantly, the success of our Warriors like Chief Gilmet!
