Navy recruit found not guilty in arson caused by 2020 fire that destroyed USS Bonhomme Richard and caused $1.2B in damage ‘in retaliation for being assigned to deck duty’
Seaman Recruit Ryan Mays was found not guilty of setting the fire that destroyed the USS Bonhomme Richard in July 2020
Prosecutors did not present sufficient evidence linking Mays to the arson.
The ship burned for more than four days, causing an estimated $1.2 billion in damage.
Mays’ defense presented information that the Navy had another suspect they gave up on after the sailor was discharged from the service.
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A 21-year-old Navy recruit has been found not guilty of arson in the fire that destroyed the USS Bonhomme Richard in July 2020.
Captain Derek Butler ruled that the indictment against Seaman Recruit Ryan Mays did not present enough strong evidence connecting Mays to the arson.
Butler added that the evidence presented was mostly circumstantial, according to a CBS8 report.
Mays’ defense added new information to the trial that indicated the Navy had another suspect they were previously investigating. The investigation was then dropped after the sailor was discharged from the service.
The prosecution’s initial argument against Mays, who was 19 at the time, was revenge for his failure to become a Navy SEAL.
The fire, which prompted the Navy to scrap the vessel entirely, burned for four days and caused an estimated $1.2 billion in damage.
US Navy Seaman Ryan Sawyer Mays (pictured) was found not guilty by a military court in the arson attack that destroyed the USS Bonhomme Richard
Mays was introduced as the prime suspect after testimony from a sailor who said he saw Mays walking toward the source of the fire minutes before it started.
In closing arguments for the prosecution, they added that the arson was “a mischievous act performed by a disgruntled seaman with the aim of proving a point.”
Prosecutor Capt. Jason Jones says Mays lit cardboard boxes on the morning of the fire in a lower vehicle storage area on the ship. This was done to reinforce a text Mays had earlier sent to his division officer that the ship was so messy it was ‘dangerous as (expletive)’.
The prosecution continued, despite having mostly circumstantial evidence, by citing that Mays had motive, opportunity, and ability to commit arson.
For Mays’s defense, his team argued that the accusation was biased. The use of the eyewitness was arbitrary as they reportedly changed their story multiple times and admitted they felt ‘pressured’ to name a suspect.
This is a developing story and will be continually updated.