Marine Curtis Krueger Arrested For Murder, Bail Set At $1 Million

Curtis Lee Krueger, the man who was arrested Wednesday in the connection with the murder of a California man, was a Marine Corps communications officer assigned to Combat Logistics Battalion-7, a unit that falls under 1st Marine Logistics Group, Newsweek confirmed.

A spokesman for 1st Marine Logistics Group, Marine 1st Lieutenant Adam Miller, told the publication the military officials were notified by the Naval Criminal Investigative Service that a U.S. Marine was arrested by the Murrieta Police Department near his home at Twentynine Palms, California.

“The Marine was arrested on charges of co-conspiracy in connection to a murder investigation,” Miller said. “The investigation is ongoing and therefore there are no further details available that we can provide.”

The victim in question was Henry Stange, 54, whose remains were discovered by a visitor in a shallow grave in Joshua Tree National Park, near Big Horn Pass Road and Park Boulevard, about six miles south of Twentynine Palms, June 2. According to the Daily Bulletin, Stange was an amateur radio operator in Riverside County, California.

The Murrieta Police Department with the assistance of the San Bernardino County Sheriff’s Department “arrested Curtis Krueger (30 years old) and Ashlie Stapp (27 years old) in 29 Palms, CA in connection with the death of Mr. Stange. Krueger and Stapp were booked at the Cois Byrd Detention Center for 187 PC, Homicide and 182(a)(1), Conspiracy,” a press release from the police department read.

Newsweek reported Stapp was Krueger’s wife. Krueger’s government computer, a military-issued E-Tool, a foldable shovel, commonly used for digging combat fighting holes and filling sandbags for base reinforcement, were collected by law enforcement officials, the report added. The motive for the murder was under investigation.

According to Krueger’s LinkedIn profile, he was employed as the communications officer at the base in April 2005. Prior to that, he studied computer science programming at San Diego State University and had a 3.4 grade point average.

The couple was booked for homicide and conspiracy. Riverside County jail records showed Krueger was being held at Southwest Detention Center while his wife was in custody at Indio Jail. Bail was set at $1 million for each of them.

“This investigation is ongoing and the Murrieta Police Department requests that anyone with any information related to this investigation to please contact Detective Sergeant Spencer Parker at (951) 461-6364,” the press release added.

Apart from coming under fire for Krueger’s alleged involvement in a murder case, there were also talks of the California Marine base being involved in an alleged drug ring and hiding a culture of sexual harassment.

Nearly 100 students at Marine Corps Communication-Electronics School were reportedly involved in a drug ring which was responsible for selling sour patches laced with LSD to children, Newsweek reported

On the other hand, male marines were accused of stalking and harassing their female colleagues on social media sites, including sharing nude photos online. “The next Marines United is at Twentynine Palms,” an anonymous source said. “I don’t know if this can be fixed.”