If Cesar Laurean, who was headed to an Article 32 hearing, had thought he was going to get away with raping Maria, why would he kill her and try to burn away the DNA evidence? Why would he tell his friends he would run to Mexico, if he had reason to believe Marines are never found guilty of rape? Why would he have a civilian attorney preparing for his hearing, if he believed the military system would protect him? Why would Maria be harassed and intimidated by Laurean, his wife, and his friends to withdraw her accusation, if they did not believe the Marines would follow up on the case anyway?
The mistake I was referring to was not sending either Cesar or Maria to a temporary assignment elsewhere to protect her from harassment and intimidation by Cesar, his wife, and his friends. That would have been standard operating procedure, and there is no excuse that it wasn't followed, and I think it would have saved Maria's life.