Jury Convicts Two Mexican Nationals Involved in the Death of a Coast Guard Member
On Wednesday, a jury convicted two Mexican nationals responsible for killing Chief Petty Officer Terrell Horne III. Jose Meija-Leyva was convicted of second-degree murder while Manuel Beltran-Higuera was convicted of accessory after the fact.The death resulted in the course
of an operation that began the night of December 1st, 2012. Members of the Coast Guard accosted a panga near Santa Cruz Island off the California coast. The Coast Guard cutter, Halibut, approached the panga after an aircraft had spotted the 30-foot fishing vessel--suspected of smuggling marijuana. The cutter dispatched a small boarding raft holding four crew-members. As the raft moved closer, the panga quickly turned towards the boarding crew and rapidly accelerated. Despite one officer firing towards the pangaand another attempting to maneuver out of its way, the vessels collided, sending Officer Horne overboard.The panga’s propeller struck Officer Horne in the head. He died early the next morning on December 2. Officer Horne’s death marked the first Coast Guard member to die in the line of duty since 1927. The two men will return to court on May 12 for sentencing.The original criminal complaint can be found here.