Judge: Plea agreement legal in Yuma Marine case

A military judge ruled Tuesday that the plea agreement reached in the case of a Yuma Marine charged with attempted murder is legal and the case is closed, a Marine official from Marine Corps Air Station Miramar said.

A recommended sentence of life in prison with no parole for at least 25 years for Chief Warrant Officer 2 Larry A. Framness was handed down last week at the California air station in Miramar where the military case was tried.

However, Col. Robert S. Chester, the military judge in the case, needed to review the military court-martial proceedings this week to make certain everything - including the plea agreement - was done properly.

He announced his decision after meeting briefly with the prosecutor and defense counsel in court Tuesday, said 1st Lt. Carolyn Nelson, external information officer for MCAS Miramar.

"The case is closed," Nelson said. "All that's left is the paperwork."

Now the case will be forwarded to Maj. Gen. James F. Amos, commanding general of the 3rd Marine Aircraft Wing, who has the final authority to either accept or adjust the recommended verdict, Nelson said.

She added that it's unlikely Amos will change the verdict, although it's technically possible.

"From our perspective, it's done. It's a done deal," Nelson said.

Framness pleaded guilty last week to three counts of attempted premeditated murder, dereliction of duty, making a false official statement and adultery, officials said.

His recommended sentence also includes dismissal from the Marine Corps and forfeiture of all pay and allowances. He was given 258 days credit for time served in pretrial confinement.

Framness, 36, admitted in court that he plotted to kill another Yuma Marine after becoming involved in an adulterous affair with the man's wife.

Over an 18-month period, Framness and the woman hatched various unsuccessful plots to kill the woman's husband, Chief Warrant Officer James Glass. Their schemes culminated in an attempt by Framness to kill Glass by tossing a live grenade into a shack Glass was in while the two men were serving in Kuwait last May.

Glass was injured in the attempt, which Framness tried to disguise as a terrorist attack.

James Glass' wife, Wendy Glass, was indicted in Arizona on federal charges of conspiracy and attempted murder. She is scheduled to go to trial later this year.