Master at Arms 2nd Class Jackson D. Bower, 24, faced a preliminary hearing this week, charged with negligent homicide and lying to investigators.
His name was revealed in court for the first time Thursday, nine months after the incident.
Bower was part of a security unit at Naval Weapons Station Yorktown. Speaking for the Navy, attorney Lt. Ashley Young described the sailor as driving a small boat, performing an unauthorized exercise dubbed “chase the rabbit,” where one boat follows closely behind another.
Master at Arms 2nd Class Lyndon Joel Cosgriff-Fox died after he slid off the bow of Bower’s boat and was struck before Bower could turn away.
“This is obviously a great tragedy. My client feels it. I know that the command feels it, and I certainly know that the victim's family feels it,” said Peter Kageleiry, Jr., Bower’s private attorney. He said the death doesn’t warrant a homicide charge.
Bower enlisted in the Navy in July 2018. Originally from Colorado, he has been with the harbor patrol unit at Yorktown since April 2022. He was awarded the Navy and Marine Achievement Medal, a Meritorious Unit Commendation and the National Defenses Service Medal.
The day of the accident, Bower was part of a group of sailors who were giving a tour of their area of responsibility in the waters off the base to a sailor who had just transferred into the unit.
As the coxswain, Bower was supposed to fill out a log before allowing the boats to leave the dock. Questions were raised in court about whether it was Bower’s responsibility to keep Cosgriff-Fox off of the bow during the exercise.
The crews of both security boats were interviewed by investigators.
According to the Navy, Bower originally told investigators with Naval Criminal Investigative Services conflicting accounts of his role in the accident.
Hearing Officer Robert Singer probed the attorneys on whether the statement would be admissible in court because Bower was not read his rights by investigators during his initial interviews.
Singer will make a recommendation to the admiral in charge of the Navy Mid-Atlantic Region, Rear Adml. Carl Lahti, who will decide whether Bower will face a court martial. Bower faces at least eight years in prison and the potential for a dishonorable discharge.
