Jessica “Jesse” Arguinzoni Olsen poses in this undated photo. (Arguinzoni family)
A Navy charge sheet released this week provides new details in the case of an officer accused of killing his wife while stationed in Japan, alleging he fatally beat and strangled her before attempting to conceal the crime from hotel staff.
Lt. Cmdr. Christopher Olsen — assigned to Sasebo Naval Base at the time — was charged with second-degree murder and obstruction of justice on May 7 following an Article 32 preliminary hearing at Naval Base San Diego.
The charges stem from the October death of his wife, Jessica “Jesse” Arguinzoni Olsen, who was found dead in a hotel room in Fukuoka, about 80 miles northeast of Sasebo.
Olsen allegedly killed his wife “on or about Oct. 26” by “strangulation and blunt force trauma to the head,” according to a charge sheet released Tuesday. The document, though redacting the victim’s name and the hotel’s location, offers specific actions prosecutors say the sailor took afterward to avoid detection.
The following day, “on or about Oct. 27,” Olsen allegedly extended his stay at Hotel SOL, and gave staff false information about his wife’s condition, the charge sheet states. He also instructed hotel staff not to enter the room — actions prosecutors say were intended “to impede and obstruct the due administration of justice.”
Fukuoka police discovered Jesse Olsen, 37, on the morning of Oct. 28 after hotel staff raised concerns. The location was confirmed by police at the time as a hotel room in the city’s Chuo district. Police did not identify the hotel at the time, but gave an address that matches Hotel SOL.
U.S. Navy Lt. Cmdr. Christopher Olsen and his wife, Jessica “Jesse” Arguinzoni Olsen, pose together in this undated photo. (Arguinzoni family)
New allegations in the charge sheet match what Jesse Olsen’s sister, Dominique Arguinzoni, said the family was told by the prosecutor, Cmdr. Jennifer Luce. Olsen reportedly told the hotel front desk that his wife was ill and that he was late picking up her medication. He then took a two-hour train ride back to the couple’s apartment and did not notify anyone about her condition until the next day, Arguinzoni told Stars and Stripes by email Tuesday evening.
The family was also informed that Jesse Olsen suffered severe injuries to her head and face, including fractures to her jaw and hyboid bones.
Olsen has been held in pretrial confinement since Jan. 29, according to the charge sheet. The family was informed he is being held in the consolidated brig at Marine Corps Air Station Miramar, Calif., Arguinzoni said in an email May 6.
The Article 32 hearing is a preliminary step to determine whether probable cause exists to believe a crime was committed. The hearing officer will make a recommendation to the Navy’s Office of Special Trial Counsel, which will decide whether to refer the case to a general court-martial.
Olsen’s defense attorney, Lt. Cmdr. Daniel Phipps of the Navy Judge Advocate General’s Corps, declined to comment when contacted by phone Wednesday.
Luce, the prosecutor, referred questions to the spokesman for Naval Forces Japan, Cmdr. Paul Macapagal, who said by text message Wednesday there are no updates.
