A sailor stabbed a shipmate on board the submarine San Juan in 2018, military prosecutors say.
Culinary Specialist (Submarines) Seaman Micah Javon Brown is accused of attempted premeditated murder, attempted unpremeditated murder and aggravated assault with intent to commit grievous bodily harm, according to charge sheets provided to Navy Times.
Brown allegedly stabbed Logistics Specialist (Submarines) 2nd Class Robert L. Finch with a knife on or about July 30, 2018 while on board the Los Angeles fast attack sub, leaving “multiple deep cuts to his body.”
Confined now, Brown will represent himself at a court-martial trial slated to run from March 23 through April 10 in Groton, Connecticut, according to Navy Region Mid-Atlantic spokesman Jeff Hood.
“Legal assistance is available and will be provided if/when he requests it,” Hood said in an email to Navy Times.
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Charge sheets in the case do not provide additional details about the alleged incident, including where on board the San Juan it occurred, the suspected motive of the defendant, the type of knife used or the extent of the shipmate’s reported injuries.
Navy defense attorneys assisting Brown’s case did not respond to requests for comment from Navy Times.
Naval Criminal Investigative Service spokesperson Jeff Houston also declined comment and the alleged victim, Finch, could not be reached at his command.
San Juan returned from a deployment in late April 2018.
It’s also unclear how long Brown has been behind bars.
He was informed of the charges on Aug. 31, 2018, and one of the pages in his charge sheets indicates he was placed at some point in pretrial confinement.
Military records show that Brown, originally from Maryland, enlisted in the sea service in early 2015 and was assigned to the San Juan from March 2016 through October 2018.
He was then transferred to Naval Submarine Support Command in Groton.
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Courtney Mabeus-Brown is the senior reporter at Air Force Times. She is an award-winning journalist who previously covered the military for Navy Times and The Virginian-Pilot in Norfolk, Va., where she first set foot on an aircraft carrier. Her work has also appeared in The New York Times, The Washington Post, Foreign Policy and more.
