--- title: "Navy SEAL charged with murder of Green Beret reaches plea agreement with prosecutors" description: "Chief Special Warfare Officer Adam Matthews is cooperating with the Navy." date: "2019-05-10" modified: "2019-05-10" authors: - name: "Jeff Schogol" job_title: "Senior Pentagon Reporter" link: "https://taskandpurpose.com/authors/jeff-schogol.md" url: "https://taskandpurpose.com/news/seal-plea-agreement-melgar-case/" categories: - "Army" - "Around the World" - "Military Branches" - "Navy" - "News" - "United States" tags: - "africa command" - "Navy SEALs" - "special operations command" --- # Navy SEAL charged with murder of Green Beret reaches plea agreement with prosecutors ![]() A Navy SEAL who is one of four service members charged in connection with the death of a Green Beret in Mali nearly two years ago will "take full responsibility for his role" in the incident at a hearing next week, his lawyer said. Chief Special Warfare Officer Adam Matthews has reached a pretrial agreement under which he will be referred to a special court-martial rather than a general one, said his attorney Grover Baxley. The maximum penalty that a special court-martial can impose is one year in prison, reduction in rank to E-1, forfeiture of two-thirds pay for one year, and a bad conduct discharge. Matthews will plead guilty to charges of hazing, assault consummated by battery, burglary, and conspiracy to obstruct justice, Baxley said. In return for his cooperation, prosecutors will withdraw charges of murder and involuntary manslaughter for taking part in actions that led to the death of Army Staff Sgt. Logan Melgar on June 4, 2017 in Bamako, Mali, Baxley said. In total, two SEALs and two Marine Raiders are accused of breaking into Melgar's room while he was sleeping, binding him with duct tape, and strangling him by putting him in a choke hold. Matthews will appear in court on Thursday at Naval Station Norfolk in Virginia, according to the Navy. "On Thursday, SOC Adam Matthews will take full responsibility for his role in the tragic death of Staff Sgt. Logan Melgar," Baxley said. "He looks forward to detailing what happened that night in Mali almost two years ago, and hopes that his explanation of events will assist the Melgar family in finding some semblance of closure. Staff Sgt. Melgar's death was an unforeseen accident that has dramatically impacted the lives of everyone involved. SOC Matthews is eager to assist with the Navy's resolution of this case and then attempting to move on with his life." ### SEE ALSO: Amid multiple murder investigations, Pentagon finds no issues with special ops ethics training ### WATCH NEXT: 'Inside SWCC' Recruiting Video ## Author Jeff Schogol is the former senior Pentagon reporter for Task & Purpose. He reported on both the Department of Defense as a whole and individual services, covering a variety of topics that include personnel, policy, military justice, deployments, and technology. ### Author social links [Instagram]() [LinkedIn]() [Twitter]() ## More - [Navy SEAL under investigation for allegedly manipulating (and hitting on) the widow of the Green Beret he helped kill]() - [‘You are a disgrace to your Purple Heart’ — Green Beret’s mother rejects Navy SEAL’s apology for killing her son]() - [SEAL and Marine Raider accused of murdering Green Beret to go on trial next year]() - [A Navy SEAL and Marine Raider accused of murdering a Green Beret in Mali are due in court next week]() - [Navy Releases Charge Sheets For SEALs, Marines Charged With Killing A Green Beret]() - [Marine Raider gets 4 years for Green Beret’s hazing death in Mali]() - [‘I am so very sorry that your family will now have to hurt in a similar way as I have,’ Green Beret’s widow tells Navy SEAL who helped kill her husband]() - [A Navy SEAL was promoted to chief petty officer two months after he allegedly killed a Green Beret]()