Hazing court martial begins for Marine sergeant

KANEOHE BAY, Hawaii — A military prosecutor says a Marine sergeant singled out a member of his squad for hazing at their patrol base in Afghanistan.

Capt. Jesse Schweig told a general court martial jury Tuesday that Sgt. Benjamin Johns ordered Lance Cpl. Harry Lew to dig a foxhole as punishment for sleeping on watch duty.

Schweig, in an opening statement, said Johns also failed to ensure the welfare of Marines in his care by not stopping a corporal from punishing Lew by making him carry a sandbag around the base.

Johns' attorney, Tim Bilecki, told the jury the foxhole was needed to defend the base. Bilecki says Johns also ordered the team leader to stop the sandbag carrying.

Lew committed suicide on April 3, hours after the events.