A pretrial military hearing began today at the US Naval Air Station at Keflavík to investigate whether an American service member facing five charges, including murder and obstructing justice, should face court-martial.
On August 14, 2005, U.S. Air Force First Class Airman Ashley Turner was found unconscious in her dormitory at the naval station. According to a press release issued by the air station at the time, Turner, 20, was taken to a hospital on base, and pronounced dead just before 11PM.
Air Force Airman Calvin Eugene Hill, 20, was charged in February 2006 with the alleged murder of Turner, as well as with obstructing justice by allegedly murdering Turner so that she could not testify against him on a previous set of charges he faced.
Hill has been in military custody since August, shortly after Turner’s death.
Several witnesses and about a dozen pieces of physical evidence, including autopsy reports, autopsy photos, and a copy of the movie “Top Gun,” were brought before the investigating officer who presided over today’s hearing.
The investigating officer will collect evidence and testimony initiated by both the prosecution and the defense in the hearing and make a recommendation and report to be passed up through the military’s chain of command and help determine whether Hill should be court-martialed.
If found guilty of murder in a court-martial, Hill could face life imprisonment or the death penalty under military law.
Among the witnesses who gave testimony today were Airman Hill’s girlfriend, an Icelandic citizen, and three members of the Turner family, who flew to Iceland from the United States to attend the hearing.
The hearing will continue tomorrow.
Krista Mahr
