Navy Petty Officer Accused of Murdering Gay Seaman Commits Suicide

Petty Officer Jonathan Campos of Lancaster was found dead in his military jail cell at Camp Pendleton yesterday, according to KTLA. Campos stood accused of murdering Seaman August Provost, a 29-year-old Houston native who "was shot multiple times as he stood guard at Camp Pendleton on June 30."

Including Provost's murder, Campos faced 16 total charges stemming from the incident, "including murder, arson, unlawful entry, theft of military property and wrongful possession of a firearm." The pair had both served in a 500-member assault-craft unit; Provost was described as being openly gay, but quiet about his private life.

Campos spent much of his spring battling drug and other legal demons; he had been accused by Navy officials of "using hallucinogenic mushrooms several times between May 1 and June 2," as well as committed robbery at the San Diego home of another serviceman on the 13th. He was arrested for a DUI on the 20th, but was on guard duty the night of the 30th when he shot and killed Provost.

Once described as a "rising star" in the Navy, Campos' "cause of death was determined to be self-inflicted asphyxiation."