A military panel found U.S. Marine Mario Madera-Rodriguez guilty of involuntary manslaughter and a slew of other charges on Friday for his role in the 2017 death of Staff Sgt. Logan Melgar.
The marine was found not guilty of felony murder.
Melgar, an Army Green Beret, died in 2017 from strangulation after what prosecutors alleged was a hazing incident gone awry.
In the incident, four elite military members — two Navy SEALS and two Marine Raiders — broke into Melgar's room in Mali, where all five men were stationed.
Battering down the door and playing loud music was Madera-Rodriguez's part of the job, according to prosecutors.
Madera-Rodriguez and the three other men allegedly planned to choke Melgar out, tie him up with duct tape and humiliate him by photographing him next to a naked, leashed Malian guard.
Prosecutors alleged that Melgar had slighted the four marines and sailors by arriving late to a party at the French Embassy in Bamako, the Malian capital.
All four men were charged with felony murder and other crimes. The other three pleaded guilty and only Madera-Rodriguez pleaded not guilty and went to trial. Madera-Rodriguez was also found guilty of hazing, battery, conspiracy and making false statements.
The Marine Corps Times reports that the three other men, Navy SEAL Chief Special Warfare Officer Tony E. DeDolph, Marine Raider Staff Sgt. Kevin Maxwell Jr. and Navy SEAL Chief Special Warfare Officer Adam C. Matthews all pleaded guilty and faced demotions, confinement and dishonorable discharges.
DeDolph received the highest sentence of 10 years in prison.
Madera-Rodriguez's attorney claimed in closing statements that he played a "minor" role in the man's death because his part was limited to breaking in and playing music, not choking Melgar.