Military

Closing Arguments Begin in Bonhomme Richard Blaze Trial

September 29, 2022Tom Wyatt
US Navy sailors battle a blaze sweeping the amphibious assault ship Bonhomme Richard (LHD 6) on July 12, 2022, at Naval Base San Diego. US Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 3rd Class Christina Ross.

US Navy sailors battle a blaze sweeping the amphibious assault ship Bonhomme Richard (LHD 6) on July 12, 2022, at Naval Base San Diego. US Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 3rd Class Christina Ross.

SAN DIEGO — Closing arguments are slated to begin in the court-martial trial of the US Navy sailor accused of torching the amphibious assault ship Bonhomme Richard in 2020.

With no panel of his peers on hand to decide if Seaman Recruit Ryan Mays sparked the $1.2 billion blaze on July 12, 2020, his fate will fall to a lone military judge, Capt. Derek Butler, who’s expected to begin deliberations on Thursday, Sept. 29.

If convicted, Mays faces a lifetime behind bars.

Prosecutors over the past two weeks have painted Mays, 21, as a disgruntled non-rate arsonist, simmering with rage over being booted from initial training for the SEALs.

But his defense team has sought to puncture holes in the prosecution’s theory, portraying him as a convenient scapegoat in a bungled probe that rushed to quick justice.

Bonhomme Richard

US Navy sailors and federal firefighters battle a blaze sweeping the amphibious warship Bonhomme Richard at Naval Base San Diego, on July 12, 2020. When the fire destroyed it, the vessel had been going through a maintenance availability that began in 2018. US Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 3rd Class Christina Ross.

Butler learned Tuesday that the Naval Criminal Investigative Service had identified an alternative suspect for the fire but never charged him.

NCIS Special Agent Maya Kamat testified that authorities quit probing the enlisted fireman’s possible role in the blaze after he separated from the Navy.

She and other witnesses spoke of the other suspect’s suspicious internet searches in the days leading up to the fire; graffiti that claimed “I did it” scrawled inside a pierside portable outhouse, words written while Mays was in the brig on pretrial confinement; and a different person who might’ve been seen running from the vehicle deck on board the ship moments after the fire erupted.

Gary Barthel, Mays’ former civilian defense attorney, told Coffee or Die Magazine he believes federal agents assigned to NCIS and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives tried to “rush through the scene” instead of diligently probing the cause of the blaze, triggering “missteps” that missed evidence that would’ve exonerated Mays.

Bonhomme Richard

US Navy sailors rush down the pier to join federal firefighters battling a blaze on board the amphibious assault ship Bonhomme Richard on July 17, 2020, at Naval Base San Diego. US Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 3rd Class Zachary Pearson.

Barthel said he believes Mays’ military attorneys have presented a compelling case to free the seaman recruit, but he conceded the alleged eyewitness testimony of Personnel Specialist 2nd Class Kenji Velasco might be “the hardest part to overcome.”

The petty officer told Butler he was sure he saw Mays, wearing blue boot camp-issued coveralls, carrying a bucket down a ramp to the vehicle deck moments before the fire broke out.

Although other witnesses spotted Mays wearing a different uniform that morning, and the defendant’s legal team repeatedly pointed out that Velasco’s memories about what he saw in 2020 have evolved over the past two years, Butler is still left with a lone eyewitness who allegedly can put Mays at the scene of the blaze.

Read Next: Cup of Joe: A National Coffee Day Sea Story

Tom Wyatt
Tom Wyatt

Tom Wyatt was a SkillBridge intern for Coffee or Die. He is an active-duty Naval Special Warfare boat operator and a proud father living in San Diego, California. Tom is a budding reporter, looking to pursue journalism and fiction writing upon exiting the Navy.

More from Coffee or Die Magazine
eric smith marine corps commandant nominee
Highly Decorated Marine Officer Nominated To Be Next Commandant

President Joe Biden has nominated a highly decorated Marine officer who has been involved in the transformation of the force to be the next Marine Corps commandant.

USS Arizona
Profile of a Ship: USS Arizona

When the USS Arizona sank, it took 1,177 crew members with it. Today it remains beneath the water as a memorial to all those who lost their lives at Pearl Harbor.

b1 bombers bosnia
US Bombers Fly Over Bosnia in Sign of Support Amid Continued Secessionist Threats

A pair of U.S. Air Force B-1B Lancer bombers flew low over Sarajevo and several other Bosnian cities...

SR-71 Blackbird
SR-71 Blackbird: The Spy Plane That Could Outrun Missiles

Lockheed Martin’s SR-71 Blackbird was a government secret for years. Now retired, a newer version plans to take its place.

medal of honor recipient remains returned
Missing 73 Years, Medal of Honor Recipient's Remains Return To Georgia

Soldiers of the 9th Infantry Regiment made a desperate retreat as North Korean troops closed in arou...

dear jack
Dear Jack: My Battalion Is Out of Control

In this installment of “Dear Jack,” Marine veteran and amateur life coach Jack Mandaville advises a lieutenant colonel on how to restore order in the lower ranks.

Medal of Honor
Medal of Honor: A Long and Epic History

For more than 150 years, the Medal of Honor has been used to recognize acts of extraordinary battlefield courage performed in service to the United States.

  • About Us
  • Privacy Policy
  • Careers
Contact Us
  • Request a Correction
  • Write for Us
  • General Inquiries
© 2023 Coffee or Die Magazine. All Rights Reserved