CAMP PENDLETON, Calif., Nov. 9 (UPI) -- Investigators say a Marine found dead in his barracks at Camp Pendleton, Calif., was beaten to death by another Marine who later attempted suicide.
Lance Cpl. Mario Arias Jr., 19, died late Saturday or early Sunday after he confronted another Marine, whose name had not been released, about his drinking habits, the North County Times of Escondido reported Wednesday.
Sources told the newspaper the Marine became enraged by the confrontation and severely beat Arias.
The unnamed Marine, who apparently had been drinking, then jumped from a third-floor balcony and suffered "significant" injuries, said Ed Buice of the Naval Criminal Investigative Service.
"The pace of the investigation depends on his recovery," Buice said.
Arias was a trainee with the Marine Light Attack Helicopter Training Squadron 303, Marine Aircraft Group 39, 3rd Marine Aircraft Wing. He joined the Marine Corps shortly after graduating in 2010 from Canoga Park High School near Los Angeles.
