Latchum Widow Sues U.S. Army
HONOLULU, Posted 6:11 p.m. HST December 28, 2000 -- The widow of slain U.S. Army pilot John Latchum filed suit in federal court Thursday against the Army.
In her lawsuit, Wendy Latchum argued that the Army's negligence played a role in her husband's 1998 murder at the Waianae Army Recreation Center.
Latchum was shot to death June 3, 1998, at one of the recreation center's cabins.
Bryson Jose and Roberto Miguel, both teenagers at the time, were convicted Tuesday of felony murder in connection with Latchum's death. Prosecutors said that Miguel pulled the trigger during an attempted break-in.
According to the Army, the cabin that Latchum and his family was staying in had been burglarized twice in the three months before the shooting.
The lawsuit claims the family wasn't warned about the burglaries. In addition, Latchum said that the cabins had no phones and that security was poor at the facility.
"I think it could have been prevented," Latchum told KITV4 News in an exclusive interview Wednesday. "They knew that especially that end of the beach was prone to burglary and to robbery and all these things were going on, yet they didn't change any kind of security."
Army officials would not comment to KITV4 News, but additional security measures have been added to the recreation center since Latchum's death.
The lawsuit seeks up to $8.5 million in damages.
But legal experts told KITV4 News that Latchum stands almost no chance of winning the case, even if she proves the Army was grossly negligent. That's because of a federal law called the Feres Doctrine, which makes it almost impossible for active duty military personnel to sue, even if their injuries have nothing to do with war.
"Because the poor fellow was on active duty, he doesn't have a case," local attorney Richard Fried said.
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