The T-3 Iceberg Murder Case

In 1970, at the U.S. research camp on the drifting Arctic ice island named T-3, a technician named Mario Escamilla confronted his co-worker Donald "Porky" Leavitt over stolen raisin wine when camp leader Benny Lightsey stepped in. Escamilla shot and killed Lightsey. The killing occurred outside any nation's territorial waters, triggering a fight over which court had authority. Finally, the U.S. tried Escamilla in Virginia under special maritime jurisdiction; after an initial involuntary manslaughter conviction, on appeal, a retrial ended in acquittal. The T-3 case is now a staple example for how to handle crimes in special environments, including outer space.

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