SAN DIEGO - The trial continues against the sailor accused of setting the fire which destroyed the USS Bonhomme Richard.
On Tuesday, Day 7 of the trial, the defense attempted to poke holes in the prosecution's arson theory of how that fire happened aboard the naval warship in July of 2020. Attorneys for Seaman Ryan Mays, who's accused of setting the fire, called witnesses which brought to light issues with the heat detection system in the lower portion of the vessel.
Other witnesses included forensic investigators who said they couldn't rule out other causes of the fire, including a spark from a forklift or cigarette butts or even from lithium-ion batteries.
The defense also called Seaman Edwin Kongo to the stand, who said Mays alerted him about the fire. Kongo said Mays was wearing a camouflage uniform, contradicting the statement of a prosecution witness which claimed they saw Mays wearing boot camp overalls at the time of the fire.
On Wednesday we could see a rebuttal from the prosecution before closing arguments begin.
Mays requested a bench trial, meaning the judge will deliver the verdict after the closing arguments are made.