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Memorial Service Today for Murdered Marine
Photo by polaroid-girl via the LAist Featured Photos pool
A memorial service will be held today for Lance Corporal Mario Arias Jr., the 19-year-old Marine who was murdered in his bunker at Camp Pendleton, reports NBC Los Angeles.
Arias was found beaten to death on his bed in the early hours of Sunday morning. Following the attack, the suspect allegedly jumped out a third-story window in what authorities believe was a suicide attempt. The suspect survived and and is being treated for serious injuries.
A motivation for the attack hasn't been confirmed, but sources at Camp Pendleton told the North County Times that it began when Arias confronted his alleged attacker about the attacker's drinking problem. The sources said that the suspect was drinking at the time of the confrontation, became "enraged," and began beating Arias.
The memorial service, which is open to the public, will be held at Canoga Park High School 4 p.m. NBC notes that Arias' family is hoping to hear happy memories from his friends and loved ones.
“I’m going to talk about the kind of person that he was and share some funny memories,” Jen Romero, a close friend of Arias', told NBC. “His mom really wants to hear funny memories of him because she’s really devastated. “
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