New London, Conn. (Tribune News Service) — A six-member jury has acquitted a career Navy man of sexually assaulting a 14-year-old relative during a sleepover at his home.

Joshua Sturgill, 48, of Waterford, Conn., was found not guilty Thursday of second-degree sexual assault and risk of injury to a minor in connection with the alleged incident in 2022.

New London Superior Court Judge Elizabeth Leaming dismissed the case as the result of the verdict, which came at the conclusion of a four-day trial. Sturgill’s relative, now a 16-year-old high school student, testified that Sturgill assaulted her during a sleepover at his home. When she testified, the girl was referred to by only her first name to protect her identity as the victim of an alleged sexual assault and a minor.

Sturgill’s defense attorneys — Samuel Nassetta and Bryan Fiengo — said the verdict was a relief for Sturgill and his family members, many of whom had testified at the trial and were in court for the verdict.

“Everything was riding on this verdict,” Nassetta said. “(Sturgill) would not have remained employed. There’s no doubt he would have gone to prison.”

Sturgill was serving as command master chief and assigned to the Naval Sea Systems Command in Washington, D.C., when he was arrested by Waterford police on Aug. 29, 2023. After his arrest, Sturgill was temporarily reassigned to the Naval Submarine Base in Groton, where he had at one time served as the director of the Basic Enlisted Submarine School.

Sturgill would have faced a maximum of 40 years in prison if convicted of the crimes. Fiengo said that considering Sturgill’s nearly 30 years in the Navy “defending this country his entire adult life,” the verdict was especially significant.

“This was a tough case. This case ripped the family apart, and no result of the trial would immediately fix that,” Fiengo said.

Assistant State’s Attorney Marissa Goldberg, who prosecuted the case, told jurors in closing arguments Thursday that the verdict hinged on whether jurors thought the girl’s testimony was credible. Goldberg asked why a young teen would put herself through the trauma of reporting that a relative had committed a felony and agree to testify at trial if her allegations were not true.

“There’s no benefit to her coming in here testifying,” Goldberg argued. “She has no horse in this race.”

The girl had first revealed the allegations against Sturgill to a high school sports teammate who turned out to be a mandated reporter and contacted the state Department of Children and Families.

At trial, Nassetta and Fiengo raised questions about the timing of the alleged assault, inconsistencies in the girl’s statements, and her mental health. She testified that after the alleged assault, she had been experiencing auditory and visual hallucinations and was in therapy for anxiety and post-traumatic stress disorder.

Nassetta, in his closing arguments, stressed to jurors that they needed “proof beyond reasonable doubt” in order to deliver a guilty verdict.

“Being concerned that the incident may have occurred is not enough,” Nassetta told jurors.

Nassetta also criticized what he called a “shoddy investigation” by Waterford police. He said the investigation did not include the girl’s mental health records, verification of when the alleged assault occurred, or interviews with people in the home and in proximity to where the assault allegedly occurred.

Police, Nassetta said, “failed to conduct a thorough investigation.”

“You have to put the sympathy aside,” Nassetta told jurors. “Yes, you can convict in the testimony of one witness, but not in this case.”

Despite the not-guilty verdict, Fiengo said the publicity of the case has stained Sturgill’s reputation and that it will take time to repair. “It’s very difficult to unring that bell,” Fiengo said.

Goldberg was not immediately available to comment.

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Crime and courts