AKA William

That’s the question that everyone seems to be asking, but no one is really answering.

Last week I wrote about the murder of Seaman August Provost at Camp Pendleton in San Diego. The Navy denied that Provost’s murder was a hate crime of any kind, and they continue to claim that his race and sexuality had nothing to do with his death, even though his family has said that he was being harassed after coming out to a few colleagues.

Some information is trickling in:

1) Provost joined the Navy in 2008 to pay off college debt.
2) Navy officials reported that Provost was discovered dead, shot while standing sentry at his post. The guard shack was then set on fire in an attempt to cover up the murder. He had not been bound or gagged.
3) Investigators are still looking for evidence about Provost’s suspected murder being a hate crime, and have taken at least one “person of interest” into custody.
4) Although Navy Capt. Matt Brown said, “What I can tell you, unequivocally at this point, based on the preliminary information that we have, is that regardless of the person standing watch in that sentry station, this crime would have most likely been carried out in the same way. In other words, another sailor could have been on that post and would have been the victim of this crime.”

Time Magazine wonders how this murder will affect DADT. CBSis questioning why Provost’s family hasn’t been questioned by Navy officials. And Congresswoman Sheila Jackson Lee is calling for a full Congressional investigation into the case.

A vigil for Provost will be held in San Diego this Friday.