NASA Employee Arrested For Allegedly Killing Maryland National Guardsman In Virginia

A NASA employee was in police custody Thursday for allegedly killing his neighbor, a Maryland National Guardsman, outside their homes in Springfield, Virginia.

Michael Hetle, 52, was arrested on Wednesday for allegedly killing Javon Prather, 24, after the two reportedly got into an altercation. He was booked at Fairfax County Adult Detention Center and held overnight on charges of murder and use of a firearm in the commission of a felony.

Fairfax County police said neighbors reported multiple shots around 5 p.m. Wednesday. Police found Prather suffering from a gunshot wound when they arrived and tried treating the wound until EMS arrived. However, he was pronounced dead at the scene by the time additional aid arrived.

Witnesses said Prather was shot after he got into a fight with Hetle, which Prather’s mother said was common.

“He's been giving my son and his wife problems for a very long time,” Prather’s mother, Shabon Prather, told reporters. She said the two fought several times over house guests, loud music, and cleaning up after their dogs.

Prather served as a specialist in the Maryland National Guard’s 175th Infantry Regiment for six years.

NASA said in a statement Hetle “is a career civil servant who works at NASA Headquarters in Washington in the agency’s Enterprise Protection Program.” He previously worked as a police officer in Bellevue, Washington, where he shot and killed two people while on duty. He was cleared of the shootings and resigned in 2003. He was also facing charges of assault and drinking in public for an unrelated incident.

“No one deserved to die like that,” Shavon Prather said. “I don't care what kind of disagreement you're having. No one should be shot in cold blood and die like that.”