Marines To Court-Martial Drill Sergeant In Michigan Recruit’s Death

WASHINGTON, DC — A Marine senior drill instructor is facing a court-martial in connection with the death last year of Raheel Siddiqui, a 20-year-old Marine recruit from Taylor at Parris Island in South Carolina. Gunnery Sgt. Joseph A. Felix is one of two former drill instructors accused of hazing Muslim recruits at Parris Island. Sgt. Michael T. Eldridge was also charged.

The 3rd Recruit Battalion facility at Parris Island has a notorious reputation for harsh treatment of recruits, and Felix and Eldridge are the fifth and sixth drill instructors there to face charges in a sweeping investigation of hazing allegations. Both Felix, the senior drill instructor, and Eldridge are charged with failure to obey a lawful order, cruelty and maltreatment, false official statement, and drunk and disorderly conduct and obstruction of justice, according to an announcement Wednesday from Marine Corps Training and Education Command.

Felix, who was publicly identified for the first time since the investigation into hazing at Parris Island began, does not face assault charges, a disappointment to Siddiqui’s family.

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The investigation showed that Siddiqui collapsed on March 18, 2016, while doing back-and-forth sprints and that Felix slapped him in the face to wake him. Shortly after, Siddiqui fell to his death down a three-story stairwell in his barracks. Felix had been accused in previous investigations of verbally abusing the Muslim recruit, including calling him a terrorist.

Last summer, the Marine Corps said Felix, who hadn’t been publicly named at the time, was improperly assigned to Siddiqui and other recruits because he was already under investigation for allegations of improper behavior. For example, Felix is accused of asking another recruit, also a Muslim, if he had been involved in the Sept. 11, 2011, terrorist attacks and shoving him into an industrial clothes dryer and turning it on as part of a simulated interrogation.

Siddiqui’s death has been classified as a suicide, a finding Siddiqui’s family disputes and one Congresswoman Debbie Dingell, a Dearborn Democrat whose district includes Taylor, said Wednesday should be removed from the official record.

The Siddiqui family’s attorney, Shiraz Kahn, of Southfield, told the Detroit Free Press the charges against Felix and Eldridge “do not align with the facts, evidence and history of this case and are indicative of a remarkable deviation from the (Marine Corps) command investigation into (Siddiqui's death).”

“(A) patriotic young American is dead because of what happened to him at Parris Island,” Khan said. "The physical findings on Raheel's body tell a story of torture, abuse and suffering. ... (D)espite facts and evidentiary material to the contrary, there are no apparent charges of assault, and no consideration of manslaughter or murder at this time.”

Related

• Dingell Presses for Answers on Muslim Marine’s Death
• Investigators Want to Know: How Did Muslim Marine End Up Dead?
• 20 Marines May Be Charged in Death of Muslim Marine from Michigan
• Marines ‘Serious’ in Probe of Muslim Recruit’s Death: Congresswoman
• White House: Muslim Marine Recruit’s Death ‘Disturbing’

In an emailed statement, Dingell said the investigation has revealed no specific evidence to suggest that Siddiqui committed suicide and the cause of death should be more “fair and neutral.” She has closely monitored the case, including making a trip to Parris Island.

“We will never know what happened that day, but it is very clear to me and others based on the facts revealed in the investigation that it was not Private Siddiqui’s intention to take his own life,” Dingell said, noting:

“What happened to Private Siddiqui at Parris Island was more than a dereliction of duty – it was a tragedy that stole a son and a brother from his family and robbed a young man of his life and dream of serving the country he loved. We have a moral responsibility to hold those responsible accountable and pursue justice for the Siddiqui family, but the reality is, no matter what we do we can never bring him back. A young man is dead, and we must ensure a tragedy like this never happens again.”

The son of immigrants, Siddqui was the valedictorian of his high school graduating class at Truman High School in Taylor in 2014. He was a robotics and engineering whiz at the University of Michigan’s Dearborn campus, where the Marines recruited him. He saw a short-term future as a jet mechanic for the Corps and a longer-term future as an FBI agent.

Court-martial dates for Felix and Eldridge haven’t been set, but military.com said they will take place at Camp Lejeune, North Carolina. As part of the broader investigation into abuse allegations at Parris Island, three others are facing special court martials: Staff Sgts. Matthew Bacchus and Jose Lucena-Martinez, and Sgt. Riley Gress, at Quantico in Virginia.

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