Murder suspect still awaits a hearing

"The Navy has not yet convened an Article 32 hearing against a Whidbey Island petty officer charged with killing his wife, also a Navy petty officer. HM3 Paul Green was taken into custody after he arrived at 5:45 a.m., Sept 21, at the air station’s main gate and proceeded to announce to the sentry that he had strangled his wife, Linda Cynthia Roy, 29, and that her body was in the back seat of the vehicle. Naval Criminal Investigative Service agents immediately began their investigation into the murder which they say took place at the couple’s Seaplane Base residence. The Island County Coroner confirmed Roy’s death was due to asphyxiation due to strangulation. Lt. Kim Marks from the Navy Region Northwest Public Affairs Office said Tuesday that Green’s hearing is forthcoming. He is in pretrial confinement at Puget Sound Waterfront Brig at Subase Bangor. His Article 32 hearing is expected to convene in late November, Marks said. An Article 32 hearing, under the Uniformed Code of Military Justice, is similar to a civilian grand jury proceeding to determine the validity of the evidence against Green and that it’s sufficient enough to proceed with a court martial on the murder charge. Roy, 29, was a third class petty officer assigned to NAS Whidbey’s Aircraft Intermediate Maintenance Department. She had just returned from an operational unit deployment. She had a daughter from a previous marriage, but the child was not living with the couple at the time of the murder. Green, 31, was assigned as a hospital corpsman to the NAS Whidbey Island Naval Hospital and has been in the Navy six years. Marks said Green has not yet hired a civilian lawyer. “He is being represented by military council, detailed by the Naval Legal Service Office Northwest, located at Naval Station Bremerton. But he does have the right to be represented by both his own counsel and a military lawyer if he so desires,” Marks said. If the case does go to a court martial, the Navy has the option of convening the proceeding at either Naval Station Bremerton or NAS Whidbey. “There have been no decisions made yet regarding the appropriate charge or charges, or whether it will be capital or non-capital. That decision will be made upon the report of the Article 32 hearing,” Marks said. The death penalty is an authorized penalty for murder in the military."

Comment on this story.

COMMENTING RULES: We encourage an open exchange of ideas in our online community, but we ask you to follow our guidelines for respecting community standards. In a nutshell, don't say anything you wouldn't want your mother to read. Please see our FAQ if you have questions or concerns about using Facebook to comment.