US Marine Accused Of Stabbing Private To Death In Military School

A U.S. Marine was arrested and accused of stabbing a private to death at a military camp in California.

The alleged incident occurred when Private First Class Marine Ethan Barclay-Weberpal, of Janesville, Michigan, had been attacked by one of his peers at Camp Pendleton near San Diego early Tuesday, according to Marine Corps officials.

Capt. Josh Pena, Infantry Public Affairs Officer, confirmed Tuesday that officials had apprehended a second Marine in connection with the assault, WMTV reported. U.S. Marine Corps confirmed Wednesday that Barclay-Weberpal died Tuesday morning as a result of an incident at the Marine Corps base at Camp Pendleton.

Barclay-Weberpal, 18, enlisted in the Marine Corps July 17, 2017, according to Marine officials. He had enrolled at the Lima Company, Headquarters and Services Battalion, School of Infantry-West.

His father Scott Weberpal released a statement Wednesday regarding the matter.

"We would first like to say that we appreciate the support shown by family, friends and the U.S. Marine Corps during this difficult time. Thank you to everyone who has reached out to us.

"Ethan was an amazing young man. He never wavered from his will to serve his country as a U.S. Marine. Regardless of the circumstances, he was always ready to take on the next challenge."

Barclay-Webpal had graduated from high school in Michigan in the spring of 2017 just before he joined the Marine Corps. Terry Veres, a Marine stationed in Pensacola, Florida, met Barclay-Weberal in school.

"Ethan was a very good kid. He had all his morals straight. Very religious,” Veres said. “He had a lot of energy too. He was a funny guy. He was a good kid. I really don't think I'll ever meet someone like Ethan again.

"I don't know how anyone could have a problem with him, like, I really don't know. It had to, it had to have been a freak accident. There's no way that someone would have intentions to hurt him because he was just that good of a guy," he added.

Barclay-Webpal's family started a GoFundMe account to cover funeral arrangements and other related expenses. The page had a goal of $10,000. The site had raised over $7,000 as of Thursday.