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Local Marine died of head trauma

Cpl. Joshua Hartzell, 22, of Hamilton, is pictured at the Marine Ball on Nov. 1.

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This undated photo provided by the USMC public affairs office at Camp Lejeune shows Marine Cpl. Joshua E. Hartzell, 22, who was found dead early Friday in woods on the Marine base in Jacksonville, N.C. Marine officials say Pvt. Jonathan Law, 21, is in military custody. Cpl. Hartzell is a Hamilton, Ohio, native. (AP Photo/U.S. Marine Public Affairs Office Camp Lejeune)

AP This undated photo provided by the USMC public affairs office at Camp Lejeune shows Marine Cpl. Joshua E. Hartzell, 22, who was found dead early Friday in woods on the Marine base in Jacksonville, N.C. Marine officials say Pvt. Jonathan Law, 21, is in military custody. Cpl. Hartzell is a Hamilton, Ohio, native. (AP Photo/U.S. Marine Public Affairs Office Camp Lejeune)

Autopsy finds that Cpl. Joshua Hartzell died of blunt force trauma to the head Friday, Nov. 6.

By Lauren Pack, Staff Writer Updated 12:39 PM Wednesday, November 11, 2009

HAMILTON — Results of an autopsy completed over the weekend at the Armed Forces Institute of Pathology indicate that Hamilton native Cpl. Joshua Hartzell died of blunt force trauma to the head Friday, Nov. 6, at Camp LeJeune, N.C.

Pvt. Jonathan Law, 21, of Nevada, has been formally charged with murder in Hartzell’s slaying, said Marine Corps spokesman Capt. Timothy Patrick.

According to authorities, the Camp Lejeune Provost Marshals Office received a call after 1 a.m. Friday reporting a disturbance at the French Creek barracks on the base. Officials arrived on the scene with base emergency medical services to find Law with apparent self-inflicted wounds and Hartzell’s body in the woods across the street from the barracks, according to base officials.

Law was transported to Camp Lejeune Naval Hospital and later transported by medical helicopter to Pitt County Memorial Hospital in Greenville, N.C.

Hartzell was an electro-optical ordnance repairer with 2nd Maintenance Battalion, 2nd Marine Logistics Group.

Law is a supply administration clerk assigned to 2nd Supply Battalion, 2nd Marine Logistics Group.

Hartzell, 22, joined the Marine Corps on Sept. 5, 2006. His personal awards include the Good Conduct Medal, the Global War on Terrorism Service Medal and the National Defense Service Medal.

Hartzell, a 2006 graduate of Ross High School, is the son of Jeannean Dickhaus of Ross Twp. and Edward A. Hartzell of South Lebanon in Warren County.

Rebecca Lumpkin, Hartzell’s sister who lives in Hamilton, said Monday her brother “loved being a Marine.”

According to a report in the Jacksonville Daily News, Hartzell’s girlfriend Ashley Kieswether who attended the Marine Corps Ball with him Nov. 1, was on the phone with Hartzell late Thursday night and heard shouting and a scuffle, then the phone went dead.

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