A Marine reservist has been charged in the death of Daniel Hollis, a sophomore student at Emerson College in Boston. Hollis, who was just 19 at the time, died on October 2, 2019, following a reported assault near the Allston-Brighton subway line on September 28. He suffered brain damage and did not regain consciousness after the incident.
On Monday, the Marine Corps confirmed that Lance Corporal Samuel London, a reservist with the 25th Marine Regiment, who was on leave at the time of Hollis’s death, will be facing a General Courts-Martial.
He is being charged with one count each of :
- Murder with intent to kill or inflict great bodily harm
- Manslaughter
- Wrongful use of a controlled substance
- Two counts of assault consummated by a battery.
Six days after Hollis’s death, the Marine Corps acknowledged that a Marine was being investigated in connection with the incident. However, in February a Suffolk County Grand Jury did not indict the suspect, who had been identified as London. Instead, the Naval Criminal Investigative Service took over the case.
The family released a statement via the Daniel Hollis Foundation:
“As a family, we are incredibly grateful to the NCIS Investigative Team and the Marine Corps prosecuting team for their tireless work and constant communication with our family,” the statement said. “Having experienced the disappointment of the Suffolk County Grand Jury’s decision in February, we were reluctant to share that the case was not over. The current proceedings are part of the public record and we felt it was time to share this news with those who loved Dan and those who have been touched by his story.”
Hollis was studying marketing communications at Emerson College and was a member of the school’s lacrosse team. He and several of his friends were leaving a party on September 28 2019 when they were confronted by another group of college-age boys.
Words between the groups were exchanged, and pushing and shoving gave way to an assault. “In the scuffle, we believe Dan was hit and subsequently hit his head on cement/bricks as he fell,” the family’s post read. A friend said that Hollis was trying to calm everyone involved in the scuffle when he was hit.
“We are deeply saddened to learn that an off-base incident allegedly involving one of our Marines has led to the passing of a man in the Boston community,” the Marine Corps said in its statement. “The event occurred during an approved leave period for the Marine, in the early hours of Sept. 28, 2019. This is a tragic event and is being treated with great care and solemnity on the part of the command.”
The charges are “merely an accusation and the accused is innocent until proven guilty,” the Corps’s statement added.
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