U.S. Marine Charged with Murder and Theft in Okinawa Hotel
A 20-year-old U.S. Marine stationed at Futenma Air Base has been indicted for robbing and killing a woman in Naha, Okinawa.
Prosecutors filed an indictment against Devin Ballard, a Marine from Futenma Air Base, accusing him of suffocating a woman with a phone cord at a Naha hotel on Oct. 3 and stealing her backpack. Police say they spotted Ballard walking alone in the city that night and detained him the following day on robbery and murder charges. The indictment details that the victim died from asphyxiation and that her wallet was taken.
Why it matters
The indictment underscores security concerns and diplomatic sensitivities surrounding U.S. troops stationed in Okinawa.
In this story
U.S. MarinemurderrobberyOkinawaNaha hotelindictmentsuffocationbackpack theft
