A Marine sergeant was sentenced to eight years’ confinement, a dishonorable discharge, total forfeiture of pay, and reduction in rank to private after he was convicted of involuntary manslaughter for killing a civilian aboard Camp Lejeune, North Carolina, last year, service officials told Military.com.
Dakota Honstein pleaded not guilty and was acquitted of the most severe charge — murder, also known as Article 118 in military justice — but was sentenced May 2 for involuntary manslaughter and violation of a lawful general order for wrongfully possessing a firearm on base, which he used to kill the civilian in late January 2024.
Service officials did not identify the victim, a woman referred to only by “S.S.” in charging documents Military.com previously reported on. Specific details about the case, such as the relationship between Honstein and the victim, and details about the events that led to her death, remain unclear.
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“We are unable to confirm the nature of the relationship between Honstein and the civilian,” said 1st Lt. Zachary Cargill, a spokesperson for II Marine Expeditionary Force, where Honstein served as a fire support Marine. “However, we know they communicated electronically for a period of a few weeks after meeting online.”
The Naval Criminal Investigative Service apprehended Honstein aboard Lejeune on Jan. 27, 2024, the date of the shooting. At the time, officials did not name Honstein, but said that a Marine shot and killed a civilian in “an isolated incident” at the base, that they had recovered a weapon following the shooting and that NCIS was investigating the incident.
Honstein will serve seven years in confinement for the involuntary manslaughter charge, which was described as “culpable negligence” in his charge sheet, and one year in confinement for violating the weapon order, Cargill said. He did not say where Honstein would be confined.
Lt. Col. Matthew Neely, the lead counsel for the trial, said “the defense does not have any comment” when asked about the outcome of the case and for comment on behalf of Honstein.
Originally from Florida, Honstein joined the active-duty service in 2018.
He was assigned to the 2nd Air Naval Gunfire Liaison Company in II MEF, which is located at Lejeune. He was promoted to sergeant in 2022 and occasionally appeared on II MEF media releases in the years leading up to the shooting.
Related: Marine Sergeant Charged with Murder in Alleged Shooting Death of Civilian at Camp Lejeune
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