NAPLES, Italy — A Navy spouse will plead not guilty in the alleged beating death of a fellow Carney Park employee, his lawyer says.
Preliminary autopsy reports indicate Paul E. Tralmer, 35, died April 16 of blunt force trauma, according to a Naval Criminal Investigative Service official.
Joshua Louis Bradley, 27, is charged with aggravated voluntary homicide, an unpremeditated crime, said his attorney, Orazio Cicatelli.
Employees at the Navy Outdoor Recreation Center say they’re shocked by the death of their co-worker and the arrest of another.
“Some people are calling [the center] out of morbid curiosity,” said Jason Weiland, 21, a recreation aid from Camarillo, Calif., who socialized with both men. “There’s never a moment when we’re not constantly reminded of what’s happened.”
Bradley worked at the Morale, Welfare and Recreation store for about three months.
Tralmer, a yearlong employee, was training Bradley to take over his duties as trekking guide. The Rochester, Minn., native was moving with his Air Force wife in June.
On the night of the incident, Tralmer and Bradley were drinking at Bradley’s residence in Bacoli, outside Naples.
Around midnight, someone from Bradley’s residence called the U.S. military. When the Carabinieri arrived, base security, Bradley and his wife were on the scene, said a commandant with the Carabinieri in Pozzuoli, who requested anonymity.
“Based on the information provided to NCIS, the allegation is that a domestic violence issue surfaced, which led to a violent response leading to his death,” said Ken Reuwer, NCIS supervisory special agent.
A Navy ambulance took Tralmer to an Italian hospital. He was dead on arrival, Reuwer said.
The Italian commandant said the suspect beat Tralmer with a rolling pin. “[The suspect] didn’t know he was dead until we told him; he thought he just beat him up,” the commandant said.
Friends were angered by Italian media reports implying sexual advances may have provoked the killing.
“I’ve seen three or four fictional accounts, none of which have hit the nail on the head to our knowledge,” Reuwer said. “From all interviews we’ve observed, there’s no indication these two men had any sort of homosexual relationship.”
Cicatelli said he could not comment on any allegations about his client. He is appealing a court decision that rejected Bradley’s request for release.
Cicatelli said a medical inquest is under way “to establish whether Mr. Tralmer was hit with a weapon or if it was an argument or if he fell down and hit his head.” The results will be presented at a hearing within the next couple of weeks.
Reuwer and Cicatelli said an Italian court likely would try the Tillamook, Ore., native if the case proceeds. The U.S. military’s request for jurisdiction was denied because the crime occurred off base. NCIS is monitoring the investigation and offering assistance.
