SAN DIEGO -- A decorated U.S. Navy petty officer faces murder, arson and other criminal charges for allegedly gunning down a fellow sailor at Camp Pendleton and setting fire to his body last month, the Navy announced Thursday.

Jonathan Campos, 32, has been in military custody since July 1, the day after the charred body of 29-year-old seaman August Provost of Houston, Texas, was discovered at a guard shed on the western edge of the northern San Diego County Marine Corps base.

Provost had been shot multiple times while on sentry duty, then set ablaze along with the shack, USN Capt. Matt Brown said this afternoon at a briefing at Naval Base San Diego.

Despite concerns among gay-rights activists, elected leaders and others, military officials have said there is no evidence that Provost, who was homosexual, was killed because of his sexual orientation. Brown repeated that assertion at the news conference announcing charges against Campos.

"No information has been gathered to date to support allegations of a hate crime, nor have there been any ties to special circumstances of gang activity or terrorism," the captain said.

Though Campos, a Lancaster native, has been in custody for more than three weeks, the Navy until Thursday refused to publicly identify him or detail the allegations against him.

According to Brown, the slaying occurred after the victim confronted Campos, a military fuel-system technician, as the latter was trying to get into a landing-craft compound so he could set fire to a hovercraft. The captain said the suspect's motivation for that alleged plan was unknown.

Military investigators contend that Campos shot the victim with a .45-caliber pistol he had stolen during a June 13 burglary at a third sailor's home, then took Provost's sidearm before setting fire to him and the guard shack.

The next day, shortly before his arrest, Campos allegedly contacted a civilian and solicited the murder of another active-duty sailor. The reason for that purported attempt to arrange a second killing was unclear.

Campos enlisted in the Navy in late December 2001. He has deployed to the Western Pacific and Middle East, and is the recipient of several military decorations, including a good conduct medal. He is a member of Assault Craft Unit 5, as was Provost.

Campos, who had been arrested on suspicion of drunken driving on June 20, is being held in the brig at Marine Corps Air Station Miramar pending a military evidentiary hearing.

In addition to murder and arson, he faces charges of wrongful possession of a firearm, unlawful entry to a military base, carrying a concealed weapon and stealing military property.

Brown told reporters the Navy has been working closely with victim's family to "provide support and assistance through this difficult ordeal,"

"It is essential to remember that the Navy lost a well-respected sailor who was (killed while) standing his assigned watch at his appointed place of duty," the captain said.