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 In a case closely watched from Silicon Valley to Washington, D.C., the Marine Corps announced Wednesday that three Marines now face court-martial on charges of hazing a fellow Marine, from Santa Clara, so badly that he shot himself to death in a foxhole in Afghanistan. The three are charged with wrongfully humiliating and demeaning 21-year-old Lance Cpl. The military's action will send three of Lew's combat mates to a general court-martial -- the military equivalent to a trial court -- for the extremely unusual charge. Lew's death has captured the attention of Washington, where his aunt, U.S. Rep. Judy Chu, of Southern California, has held congressional hearings on military suicides since his death on April 3. The Marine Corps also have taken a hard stance in announcing the case, saying repeatedly that it "does not tolerate hazing of any kind." Benjamin E. Johns, Lance Cpl. An Article 32 hearing _ similar to a civilian grand jury hearing _ was held regarding the charges last month. The accused Marines defended themselves by saying Lew, a Santa Clara High School graduate just a few months from returning home, had fallen asleep at least four times in 10 days while on watch, an extremely serious offense that in some cases can be punishable by death. Lt. Col. Douglas Gardner acted as the judge in the hearing and gave his recommendations to the general of the Marines' brigade, Frederick Padilla, who, acting like a district attorney, filed the charges Friday. Jacoby and Orozco have also been charged with assault, and one was charged with cruelty and maltreatment. Carlos Orozco III has not been set.
– Three Marines accused of hazing a fellow Marine so harshly that he committed suicide are to be court-martialed, the Marine Corps says. Harry Lew, a 21-year-old from Hawaii, shot himself in a foxhole in Afghanistan earlier this year after he was allegedly attacked and humiliated by the trio. The three Marines face charges including hazing, assault, cruelty and maltreatment, and dereliction, the San Jose Mercury News reports. At a hearing last month, Marines from the same unit testified that the three accused punched and kicked Lew, forced him to do push-ups and other exercises in full combat gear, and poured sand in his face. The accused Marines argued that they were angry with Lew because he had fallen asleep on guard duty at a remote base in Afghanistan four times in 10 days, endangering the unit. After Lew's death commanders said that the sleeping may have been a sign that he was suffering from depression or some other medical condition, AP notes.