U.S. Navy Officer's Death in Philippines Ruled a Homicide

In Manila last December, U.S. Navy Lieutenant Scintar Mejia died in what had been reported as a suicide. But as discussed in an earlier post, the conflicting reports left more questions than answers.

Not surprisingly, a joint investigation has revealed that Mejia's death was a homicide.

Today, it was announced that the Pasay city police chief recommended charges against 11 aviation policemen, five of whom will face homicide charges.

Navy Supply Corps Officer Dies in Custody in Manila

There are many, many questions that deserve answers in this tragic story.

According to news reports, Navy Lieutenant Scintar Mejia of Los Angeles, CA died Monday as a result of injuries suffered after reportedly jumping to his his death while in custody for alleged possession of cocaine. Mejia was a Filipino-American Navy Supply Corps officer selected for promotion to Lieutenant Commander.

A day earlier, Mejia was arrested at Ninoy Aquino International Airport as he passed through Terminal 2 security when security officials reportedly discovered a small packet containing .03 grams of a white powdery substance, initially reported as cocaine. Mejia allegedly became unruly, denied that he was carrying drugs, threw the packet at authorities, and accused them of setting him up for a crime. It was later determined that the substance was not cocaine.

Held overnight at the Police Center for Aviation Security at Terminal 1 at the airport, Mejia asked aviation police for permission to use the restroom. Reportedly, the restroom was in use and Mejia asked permission urinate outside. As he was escorted outside, Mejia reportedly dashed toward the stairs and dove toward the ground landing on the cement below.

The U.S. Naval Criminal Investigation Service (NCIS) is conducting an investigation in parallel with Pasay City police authorities.

There are many questions and contradicting information surrounding the circumstances of Mejia's arrest and death. The more recent reports from the Philippines are subsequent to the announcement that NCIS would participate in the investigation. These reports also seemingly attempt to paint Mejia as a drug trafficker, although there is little or nothing to back that up in the earlier reports.

Some of the relevant questions:

1. When did Mejia arrive in the Philippines? Earlier reports said he arrived sometime last week. More recent reports said he arrived on Christmas Day, just a day earlier.
2. How was the substance discovered? In the Philippine Star report, airport security Superintendent Manuel Pintado stated he was informed that Mejia himself removed the packet from his carry-on bag after it passed through the X-Ray machine. The AP reported that security officials discovered the packet.
3. How could Mejia have thrown the packet at security? If it was discovered by security, it was likely never in Mejia's hands. If Mejia pulled it from his bag, why would he have thrown it at security?
4. How much money did he have in his possession? Earlier reports made no mention of carrying a large amount of money. More recent reports state that he had over $30,000 in his possession.
5. What actually happened to Mejia while he was in custody?

Beyond the many inconsistencies in the reporting, there are a thousand questions that could be asked surrounding his time in custody and the exact circumstances surrounding the fatal fall. The one overarching question in this case is whether this whole tragedy is the result of a hudilap.

We may never find out.