"I thought it was a bear" is unacceptable unless the dead Marine was in a bear suit crawling around in the woods! You have to know!
The inside-scoop on a local hunting website is that the "hiker" was wearing a black hoody sweatshirt with the hood up, and that he was crawling on all fours picking magical mushrooms while trespassing on private property. I don't know if this is fact, but it might explain why the DA hasn't pressed charges, eh?