Navy recruit is found not guilty of arson for setting USS Bonhomme Richard on fire
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Navy recruit found not guilty of arson for 2020 fire that gutted USS Bonhomme Richard, causing $1.2 billion in damage ‘in retaliation for being assigned to deck duty’
- Seaman Recruit Ryan Mays has been found not guilty of setting the fire that destroyed USS Bonhomme Richard in July 2020
- Prosecutors could not provide enough evidence linking Mays to the arson
- The ship burned for more than four days and caused an estimated $1.2 billion in damage
- Mays’ defense introduced information that the Navy had another suspect they gave up after the sailor was removed from service
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A 21-year-old Navy recruit was found not guilty of arson in the fire that destroyed the USS Bonhomme Richard in July 2020.
Captain Derek Butler ruled that the prosecution against Seaman Recruit Ryan Mays did not provide enough hard evidence linking Mays to the arson.
Butler added that the evidence presented was mainly circumstantial, according to a CBS8 report.
Mays’ defense added new information to the trial showing that the Navy had another suspect they were investigating earlier. The investigation was then discontinued after the sailor was removed from service.
The prosecution’s first argument against Mays, who was 19 at the time, was in revenge for failing to become a Navy SEAL.
The fire, which prompted the Navy to completely scrap the ship, burned for four days and caused an estimated $1.2 billion in damage.
US Navy sailor Ryan Sawyer Mays was found not guilty by a military court in the arson that destroyed USS Bonhomme Richard
Mays was presented as the prime suspect after testimony from a sailor who said they saw Mays walking to the source of the fire minutes before it started.
In the prosecution’s closing arguments, they added that the fire was “a mischievous act by a disgruntled sailor to prove a point.”
The prosecution continued, despite having mostly circumstantial evidence, citing that Mays had motive, opportunity and possibility of committing arson.
For Mays’ defense, his team argued that the prosecution was biased. The eyewitness use was arbitrary as they reportedly changed their story several times, admitting that they felt “pressured” at naming a suspect.
This is an evolving story and will be updated continuously.