A fellow sailor fearful of being outed shot gay Sailor August Provost multiple times and lit a fire to try and destroy the evidence, Provost's sister tells the Dallas Voice:
"Rose Roy, of Beaumont, the sister of Provost's father, said in a phone
interview Tuesday, July 14 that she's 'not at liberty' to identify the
source who provided the information to the family. But Roy said the
source told the family Provost had a heated argument with the suspect a
week before his murder, and that the sailor now being held as a person
of interest by the Navy has a history of mental illness. 'This guy went the extra mile to make sure that my nephew would never
be able to speak about his [the killer's] sexuality,' Roy said. 'My
nephew died for reasons other than what the military is saying.' Neither Provost's other family members nor his partner, identified as
Kaether Cordero of Houston, could be reached for comment this week. Roy's latest statements marked a departure from previous assertions by
her and other family members that Provost's murder was an anti-gay hate
crime. Provost complained about being harassed because of his sexual
orientation in the months prior to his death, his family has said. Some
LGBT activists have speculated that Provost's murder is tied to 'don't
ask, don't tell,' the ban on gay servicemembers that could have
deterred him from reporting the harassment to superiors."
Provost was buried last week and a vigil held near Camp Pendleton in his honor. Congresswoman Sheila Jackson Lee has called for a Congressional inquiry.
