CAMP LEJEUNE, N.C. – Guilty was the plea here this morning from a Marine gate sentry facing charges of involuntary manslaughter in the death of Lance Cpl. Mark Boterf, 21, in an April 8 negligent discharge that took place inside the guard house.
Lance Cpl. Brandon Little cited a series of careless actions that led to the negligent killing of Boterf, a fellow gate guard at the time, with an M4 service rifle that wasn't even supposed to have a round in the chamber.
In a pretrial agreement, the prosecution agreed to withdraw charges of negligent homicide and dereliction of duty in exchange for Little pleading guilty to the involuntary manslaughter charge, which carries with it a maximum sentence of ten years, along with forfeiture of all pay and rank and a bad conduct discharge.
Describing the circumstances of the tragedy to Col. Deborah McConnell, the military judge presiding over the trial, Little said he had been toying with the safety switch of his rifle during his shift, flicking it on and off with his right hand as he directed traffic with his left.
As his shift ended, he entered the guard house near the front gate and sat down to unload his still-slung rifle. He then pulled the charging handle back and a round entered the chamber. Because of an awkward position, compounded by his rifle sling and walkie talkie, Little said he stood up without making sure his finger was off the trigger and his muzzle was pointed in a safe direction.
He didn't even realize he was facing Boterf, Little said.
"The rifle went off," he said. "The first thing I did was run to Boterf, because he was screaming."
Little said protocol for Lejeune gate sentries required that rifles be kept at "Condition 3" — a loaded magazine inserted, no rounds in the chamber, with the bolt forward and the safety on "safe." He said his weapon met that standard except for the safety, which he failed to check as he entered the guard house. It's unclear so far why Little opted to pull the charging handle back and send a round into the chamber if his intent was to unload the rifle; at Condition 3, unloading an M4 consists simply of depressing a magazine release button.
Little was subdued and at times emotional as he recounted the events. Boterf's immediate family was in the court-room to observe the trial, as was Little's grandmother who raised him, Brenda Jones.
During intense questioning at times, Little acknowledged responsibility for his failure to follow Marine Corps weapons protocol.
"Do you believe you had any legal justification for killing [Boterf]?" McConnell asked, at one point.
"No, Your Honor," said Little. "He was my friend."
Witness testimony regarding an appropriate sentence for Little may continue into tomorrow.
