U.S. Citizen Charged with the Murder of His Mother, a Department of Defense Employee Working in Bahrain

Baltimore, Maryland – A U.S. Citizen arrived in the United States today after being ordered detained and removed from Bahrain to the United States for the alleged murder of his mother, a Department of Defense civilian employee working in Bahrain.

The federal charge was announced by United States Attorney for the District of Maryland Robert K. Hur; Acting Assistant Attorney General Nicholas L. McQuaid of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division; and Special Agent in Charge Jonathan Oakes of the U.S. Naval Criminal Investigative Service, Middle East Field Office.

Giovonni Pope, 27, was charged with murder by way of criminal complaint in the District of Maryland Tuesday. U.S. military authorities in Bahrain arrested Pope yesterday and his initial appearance was held via VTC, at which time he was ordered detained and removed to the United States pursuant to the Military Extraterritorial Jurisdiction Act. 

According to the complaint, on Jan. 31, Pope stabbed his mother repeatedly, causing her death. In the hours that followed, Pope purchased a plane ticket back to the United States and attempted to clean the residence and dispose of evidence of the crime.

A criminal complaint is not a finding of guilt.  An individual charged by criminal complaint is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty at some later criminal proceedings. 

United States Attorney Robert K. Hur and Acting Assistant Attorney General Nicholas L McQuaid commended the Naval Criminal Investigative Service for its work in the investigation and thanked the Justice Department’s Office of International Affairs for its assistance. Mr. Hur and Mr. McQuaid thanked Assistant U.S. Attorney P. Michael Cunningham and Trial Attorneys Brian Morgan and James Hepburn of the Criminal Division’s Human Rights and Special Prosecutions Section, who are prosecuting the case. 

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