First soldier to be court-martialed in Pvt. Danny Chen's death

A soldier will face a court-martial on charges connected to the suicide of Pvt. Danny Chen of the Lower East Side, the Army said Sunday.

Chen, 19, was repeatedly hazed while serving in Afghanistan, his family said. In one incident in October, they said he was forced to crawl across gravel for more than 100 yards as fellow soldiers pelted him with rocks. He was found with a self-inflicted gunshot wound a few hours later.

Sgt. Travis Carden, 25, will face charges including maltreatment, assault and reckless endangerment in Afghanistan in April.

Chen’s family had requested courts-martial take place in the U.S. An Army spokesman said he could not comment on their request, or why it was denied.

Carden, of Fowler, Ind., is the first of eight accused soldiers to be court-martialed, the spokesman said in an email. Two other hearings are awaiting disposition, and three are ongoing.