Marine Corps Lance Cpl. Jamel Clayton trains at Rodriguez Live Fire Complex in Pocheon, South Korea, March 7, 2024. (Matthew Morales/U.S. Marine Corps)
NAHA, Okinawa — A U.S. Marine accused of injuring a woman during an attempted sexual assault told a Japanese court Thursday he was “not violent” and spent only five minutes at her home.
Lance Cpl. Jamel Clayton, 22, of Ohio, testified for the first time on the fourth day of his trial at Naha District Court. He is accused of strangling and injuring an Okinawa woman, then 25, while attempting to sexually assault her in the home she shared with her then-boyfriend in Yomitan village on May 26, 2024.
Clayton said he left the woman’s house after realizing she lived there with her boyfriend, according to his responses to questions from defense attorney Kotaro Ito.
Lead prosecutor Shuhei Hisaoka later countered that claim, citing security camera footage showing Clayton walking near the home with the woman and then walking there alone about 30 minutes later. Clayton said the discrepancy was due to getting lost in the area.
The boyfriend — an active-duty U.S. airman who arrived on Okinawa in September 2023 — testified Wednesday. He and the woman, who were not named in court, have since married, according to testimony from both parties.
Clayton testified that he met the woman around 6 that morning on Gate 2 Street in Okinawa city. He said he had been drinking but was not intoxicated.
“I literally asked her, ‘Is it all right if I walk and talk with you?’ ” he told Hisaoka.
Clayton said the two walked and talked, visited a convenience store, and sat in her car parked at Koza Music Town. At one point, he testified, she sat on his lap.
This account conflicts with the woman’s testimony on Tuesday. She told assistant prosecutor Rihoko Kosaka that she repeatedly asked Clayton to leave her alone on Gate 2 Street. She said she “barely” remembered getting into her car with him before taking a taxi and could not recall their conversation.
Her testimony was delivered from a separate room and shown by video to the judges, prosecutors, and Ito.
Both testified that they later took a taxi together to Yomitan. Clayton said they held hands while walking to a convenience store and that she used the bathroom for about five minutes while there.
During that time, the woman texted a friend for help, she testified. She also said she repeatedly asked Clayton to leave.
Clayton said the woman invited him to her home, where her dog greeted them at the entrance. He said the dog jumped on him and knocked over bags of bottles and cans. The woman briefly entered another room, he said, then returned and told him the home belonged to her boyfriend.
He said they hugged goodbye and that he left after she declined to give him her phone number or Instagram handle.
The woman testified that Clayton entered the home, discovered her boyfriend sleeping in a bedroom, and said, “I took your girl home,” though the boyfriend did not awaken. She said they then moved back to the entryway, where Clayton put his arm around her neck and strangled her, causing her to lose consciousness several times.
She said Clayton also unbuttoned and tried to unzip her pants but stopped when she resisted. He then masturbated, saying, “If you’re not gonna let me do it, I’m gonna do that [expletive],” according to her testimony.
The woman said the struggle caused the mess in the entryway.
“I thought that he was trying to kill me,” she said. “I thought that people can die easily from this. I thought that he chased me to kill me.”
She broke down crying multiple times during her testimony and vomited while describing the assault.
Her friend, identified as Yuka, corroborated her testimony in court Wednesday.
The airman testified that he did not remember the night or morning of the incident due to intoxication but clearly recalled being woken by her crying and police arriving shortly after.
Clayton said the woman did not appear drunk when they met. She testified that she drank more than usual the previous night and could not clearly remember parts of the evening or following morning.
“I don’t know what’s going on here — I hope we can find out,” Clayton said. “Not to sound rude or anything; I know she suffered. I don’t know what caused it or who did it, but it wasn’t me. She’s not the only one who’s been going through stuff.”
Closing arguments are scheduled for Monday, and a verdict and sentence will be rendered June 24.
