A court-martial is set to begin Monday at Ramstein Air Base, Germany, in the case of an Air Force staff sergeant accused of killing his American Forces Network Europe co-worker in December 2013.
Staff Sgt. Sean Oliver faces up to life in prison without the possibility of parole if convicted of premeditated murder, aggravated assault and related charges in the strangulation death of Navy Petty Officer 2nd Class Dmitry Chepusov.
Oliver was a broadcast technician at AFN Europe; Chepusov worked as a broadcaster. Prosecutors have alleged Oliver was having an affair with the victim's wife, who stood to receive a $400,000 insurance payout upon her husband's death.
Oliver is the second person court-martialed in the death of Chepusov, an immigrant from Ukraine who became a U.S. citizen at age 18.
Army Spc. Cody Kramer, who also worked at AFN Europe, pleaded guilty in October to lying to investigators. Under the plea deal, he agreed to testify at Oliver's court-martial. in exchange for his testimony at Oliver's court-martial, according to Stars and Stripes. He was sentenced to six months in jail. change ok?
Police in Kaiserslautern, home to Ramstein,police arrested Oliver during a Dec. 14, 2013, traffic stop when they discovered after discovering an unresponsive Chepusov in the passenger seat of the car the airman was driving.
In August, Third Air Force Commander Lt. Gen. Darryl Roberson referred charges of premeditated murder, aggravated assault, making a false official statement and obstructing justice. Roberson decided against seeking the death penalty against Oliver, which freed up evidence being held by German authorities pending assurances from the U.S. military that the airman would not face execution. Germany abolished capital punishment decades ago.
The trial is scheduled to last at least two weeks.
