Marine jailed indefinitely, refusing to testify

[unhappycamper]

Marine jailed indefinitely, refusing to testify
By Gidget Fuentes - Staff writer
Posted : Friday May 23, 2008 17:26:12 EDT

OCEANSIDE, Calif. — Three times, a federal judge issued his order from the elaborate bench in a Los Angeles federal courtroom. And three times, Sgt. Jermaine A. Nelson gave him his answer: No way.

Nelson’s refusal Wednesday to testify against his former infantry squad leader in a federal manslaughter case landed him in the federal lockup — but not before the drama unfolded in the courtroom as only attorneys and courtroom personnel watched.

At one point, the 26-year-old Nelson, dressed in his Charlie service dress uniform, got down on his knees in the marbled courtroom as federal marshals stood by.

The sergeant “puts his head in his hands — and he’s crying — and he begins to pray,” his defense attorney, Joseph H. Low IV, told Marine Corps Times on Thursday, relaying an account of the court proceeding.

After a few moments, Nelson stood up and told U.S. District Court Judge Percy Anderson that he would not appear before a grand jury to testify.


Rest of article at: http://www.marinecorpstimes.com/news/2008/05/marine_jailed_052308w/

[eilen]

1. I don't know the particulars of this case

but this kinda reminds me of that movie Scent of a Woman. He is in big trouble though. He is a Marine and does not have the rights ordinary citizens have (to pleas the 5th) and if ordered to testify, he has to or face imprisonment.

[CanonRay]

2. Actually, he was in a Federal civilian court,

not a miilitary court, so he maintains all his citizen rights. Once ordered by a judge to testify, he can take the 5th, be given immunity, and STILL has to testify in a grand jury or face jail time until the expiration of that grand jury. Sounds like what happened in this case.