CONVICTED

Marine Drill Instructor Found Guilty of Physically Abusing Recruits

Allegedly targeted three Muslim-American military volunteers.

A Marine Corps drill instructor has been found guilty of physically abusing young recruits. The jury convicted Gunnery Sgt. Joseph Felix of hazing and maltreatment at the Marine Corps’ Parris Island in South Carolina, where he focused his sometimes drunken fury on three Muslim-American military volunteers. At various times the 34-year-old Iraq veteran kicked, punched, and choked the military hopefuls at the boot camp. One of the Muslim-American recruits that Felix targeted committed suicide in March 2016. “He wasn’t making Marines. He was breaking Marines,” said prosecutor Lt. Col. John Norman. A sentencing hearing will begin on Friday, where he could face military prison, a dishonorable discharge, and financial penalties.