JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — Captain Nettleton was indicted in January for keeping pertinent information from investigators.
For the last three months, Christopher Tur's family has been sending letters back and forth between Navy officials and senators. "Somebody died because of his actions,” Michael Tur, brother of Christopher Tur, said.
Marine Christopher Tur was found dead in the waters off the base at Guantanamo Bay on January 11, 2015. The Department of Justice reports in their indictment that Captain Nettleton was having an affair with Tur's wife, and allegedly concealed information that could have helped investigators in Tur's death.
"He failed at every turn to uphold what he was sworn to do when he took that job there,” Aline Byrnes said.
Senator Patrick Toomey in Pennsylvania sent the Navy letters on behalf of the family asking that Captain Nettleton be removed from the military and a homicide charge be added to the case.
The United States Code Title 10 requires a Navy captain be retired on the first day of the month after the month in which they complete 30 years of active commissioned service unless they are dismissed, dishonorably discharged, or there is a court-martial sentence including bad conduct.
Vice Admiral Bill Lindsey of the U.S. Navy sent a letter back to Senator Toomey to announce Captain Nettleton did retire at his 30-year mark, writing "If any adverse findings come from Captain Nettleton's civilian trial, his retirement grade determination may be re-opened."
"They chose to let him retire with full benefits so every US tax paying citizen is funding his retirement so I'm sure that doesn't sit well with people,” Byrnes said.
The military's compensation website calculates a Navy Captain retiring at 30 years could accumulate an estimated pension of about $1.8 million in 20 years.
A Navy spokesperson tells First Coast News, "A felony conviction for a retiree could lead to a review of the case by the Navy for potential administrative action. Each case would be reviewed based on the facts and circumstances of the case."
The Navy couldn't comment on the Captain's case while the investigation is underway.
His trial was previously set to begin in May, but it's been pushed back to January 2020.