Military officials identify 2 Marines killed in crash during border deployment
SANTA TERESA, N.M. (AP) — Military officials have identified the two Marines from California who were killed when their vehicle crashed as a convoy was traveling along the U.S.-Mexico border near Santa Teresa, New Mexico.
They were Lance Cpl. Albert Aguilera, 22, of Riverside and Lance Cpl. Marcelino Gamino, 28, of Fresno. Both were members of the 1st Combat Engineer Battalion based at Camp Pendleton.
Another Marine with the battalion remains in critical condition.
The investigation into Tuesday's crash is ongoing, military officials said in a statement.
The region where the accident took place is just over the state line and west of Fort Bliss, a major Army installation in West Texas that has played a critical role in dispatching military deportation flights and served as a touchpoint for thousands of soldiers and pieces of equipment now deployed along the border.
The troops are deployed there in support of President Donald Trump's executive order to secure the U.S.-Mexico border.
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18 minutes ago
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Kazin pressed him for the date. 'The fifth of May' of this year, Batt said. Batt said his first dates with women typically involved dinner or a ride on his boat. Many of the women who accused him had repeated encounters with him, with the soldier sometimes choking them with his hands to the point where the women said they nearly passed out. Batt acknowledged biting some of the women and leaving marks on them, or tying them to the bed with nylon ropes. Batt said he discovered strangling women because 'several women asked me for it and I realized it was a thing that many women liked. … If you squeeze for a few seconds it can have the impact of increasing sensitivity for them. They generally provide many positive reactions, physiologically.' Only one of the women was in the military. He said he met her while assigned to 'The Old Guard' at Joint Base Myer-Henderson Hall. They began working out together and then met regularly for sex, Batt said. 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He said a lawyer from the District consented to sex and 'light choking,' though the woman said she did not, and that she suffered burst blood vessels around her eyes as a result. One of the jurors asked, given the number of women making allegations over an extended period, 'Can you describe how you have respect for women?' Batt responded, 'In the consensual relationships I've been in there's always a conversation about what the other party wants.' Another jury question, referring to the large number of accusers, asked, 'What could have led them to make these claims?' Batt replied that one woman he had dated for two years, who created the Facebook post, 'stated she would ruin my life if I did not do as she stated. She then acted behind the scenes to inflame others.' He added, 'Other people were told they were victims by the Alexandria Police Department and Army CID, that made them feel like victims and caused them to embellish their stories.' The defense is expected to finish its case Thursday, then prosecutors may introduce rebuttal witnesses. The jury is only required to have six of its eight members vote guilty to convict on each charge. If Batt is convicted of any of the charges, he then must decide whether the jury or the judge will sentence him. A hearing with more evidence would be held on the sentence immediately after any guilty verdicts. The maximum sentence Batt could face is life without parole.
