Amid a raft of Pentagon initiatives to slow its suicide crisis, a new Army report Thursday showed the pace of self-inflicted deaths among soldiers — and all service members — has barely budged so far this year from the record rate the military suffered during 2012. 

Through April, the U.S. military has recorded 161 potential suicides in 2013 among active-duty troops, reservists and National Guard members — a pace of one suicide about every 18 hours. The Army, the largest contingent of the armed forces, sustained 109 reported suicides during the first four months, according its latest report.

Last year, when self-inflicted military deaths outstripped the number of troops killed in combat, there was one suicide every 17 hours among all active-duty, reserve and National Guard members, according to figures gathered from each branch. 

"We are still continuing to fight this problem with the same intensiveness," said Cynthia O. Smith, a Pentagon spokeswoman. "We are still focused on preventing suicides from occurring in the Department of Defense. We are doing everything we can to ensure that service members are getting the proper health care they need to prevent this type of event from happening. 

"It concerns us deeply." 

The number of suicides the military has suffered in recent years has brought new initiatives and programs aimed at stemming the epidemic. But advocates fear the rate will climb in coming years as more troops are drawn down in Afghanistan.

And research published last week has experts concerned that American troops who survived multiple nearby IED blasts while in Afghanistan and Iraq now are at greater jeopardy for harming themselves.

People who have suffered numerous mild traumatic brain injuries — or concussions — carry a higher suicide risk, according to the first study to make that connection. 

"We’re starting to see now: It’s the build up, it’s the accumulation of brain injuries that increases the risk for suicide,” said Craig Bryan, the study’s lead author, assistant professor of psychology at the University of Utah, and associate director of the National Center for Veterans Studies.

The research team made that correlation by surveying 161 troops who served in Iraq, were evaluated for TBIs — some reporting as many as 15 — and who acknowledged later enduring suicidal thoughts or behaviors, according to the study, published last week in the medical journal JAMA Psychiatry.

Courtesy of Jeremy Lattimer

Marine Sgt. Jeremy Lattimer, far left, stands with members of his squad in Iraq. Lattimer received a mild TBI from an IED blast. He has not struggled with suicidal thoughts but he is working through the symptoms of his TBI at a military hospital.

One in five surveyed veterans who had sustained more than one TBI also experienced thoughts about — or preoccupation with — suicide, the study found. For patients who received one TBI, 6.9 percent reported having suicidal thoughts. And the soldiers surveyed who never were diagnosed with a TBI reported no suicidal ideations, the study showed.

Marine Sgt. Jeremy Lattimer, 26, who earned a Bronze Star for his 2009 actions in Afghanistan, can count at least three concussions he’s sustained through sports and combat — moments when he briefly lost consciousness. 

Military doctors believe he sustained a mild TBI in 2005 during an IED detonation. Six years later, he developed speaking, hearing and sleep problems often affiliated with mild brain injuries. A brain scan later confirmed that Lattimer had suffered a past TBI, he said.

But some of “the biggest blasts” that he and his fellow unit members experienced in combat came from their own outgoing rockets, added Lattimer, an outpatient at Walter Reed National Military Medical Center where he’s receiving TBI treatment and therapy.

Courtesy Jeremy Lattimer

Marine Sgt. Jeremy Lattimer, right, receives the Bronze Star in 2011. He earned the award for his 2009 actions in Afghanistan: While under machine gun fire, he maneuvered his squad in a position to help other troops escape an enemy ambush.

“They put out a tremendous blast wave. One (firing episode) was close enough to ring my bell more intensely than the IEDs that went off in my vicinity,” Lattimer said. “To get back into my train of thought, to read my GPS, it took a minute or two before my brain kicked back in. It’s like you’re in a daze.”

The Pentagon’s own tally shows 266,810 service members received a traumatic brain injuries between 2000 and 2012. More than 80 percent of those TBIs were not deployment-related cases. Many occurred amid crashes of privately owned cars and military vehicles. 

In March, more than 50 members of Congress formally asked Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel to investigate whether mild TBIs sustained in American troops may be fueling the military’s suicide crisis.

In tear-filled statements, the brother and sister of the man Jodi Arias was convicted of murdering told jurors Thursday that his brutal killing had ripped the heart out of the family.

Jurors were hearing arguments over whether Arias deserves to die for killing Travis Alexander in 2008. The same jurors found Wednesday that she had been "especially cruel" in his slaying, which could justify the death penalty under Arizona law.

"Travis was our strength, our constant beacon of hope, our motivation, and his presence has been ripped from our lives," Samantha Alexander, a police officer and one of Alexander's seven brothers and sisters, said in a 15-minute statement, during which she repeatedly had to stop to choke back tears.

Steven Alexander said he continues to suffer nightmares since his brother's death.

"I've had dreams of my brother curled up in the shower, groaning and left to wait for days," he said. "I don't want to have to see my brother's murderer anymore."

Arias, 29 — who stabbed Alexander 27 times, slashed his throat and shot him after he was already dead, all of which she said she did in self-defense — put her hand to her mouth and appeared to wipe away tears as Alexander's siblings struggled their way through the victim impact statements.

Arias' lead attorney, Kirk Nurmi, told the jurors that they could no longer consider the issue of whether to sentence her to die a "hypothetical," because "she's right here. This is the girl right here."

Nurmi reminded jurors that they had pledged to "consider giving life" even if they found aggravating circumstances.

"That is what you committed to do, and ladies and gentlemen, that is what we expect you to do," he said.

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The Phoenix jury that convicted Jodi Arias of first-degree murder last week needed only a few hours Wednesday to decide that her conduct was so extreme that it could merit the death penalty.

Jurors announced that they had found that Arias had been "especially cruel" in killing Travis Alexander in 2008. That would constitute an aggravating factor that Arizona law says could justify the death penalty.

The jury will return to court Thursday to hear new testimony and arguments as it begins deciding whether Arias should die or should spend the rest of her life in prison.

"The last thing that Mr. Alexander felt as he lay there and as he was looking up was this knife and this woman and this blade coming towards him," Deputy Maricopa County Atorney Juan Martinez, the prosecutor, told jurors. 

"And it was only death that relieved that pain, and it was only death that relieved that anguish," he said. "And that is especially cruel."

Arias' attorney, Kirk Nurmi, argued that Arias' conduct wasn't "a matter of cruelty" on its own. Instead, he said, jurors had to be convinced that Arias went "beyond (the) normal cruelty that's inherent in any first-degree murder."

The sentencing phase of the trial had been scheduled to begin last Thursday, but it was postponed without an official explanation. Sheriff's deputies arrested an 18-year-old man the same day and charged him with threatening to bomb the courthouse where Arias was tried.

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Pool / Reuters

Jodi Arias listens during closing arguments in her murder trial Friday, May 3.

Jodi Arias is off suicide watch after an evaluation established that she wasn't a threat to herself — even though she said she hoped a Phoenix jury would sentence her to death for killing her former boyfriend — authorities said Monday.

Arias, 32, was convicted of first-degree murder last week for killing Travis Alexander in 2008. In an interview afterward with KSAZ-TV of Phoenix, she said she would "rather get death than life" and that death was the "ultimate freedom."

Maricopa County sheriff's officials said Monday that Arias had been transferred back to the inmate population at the county's Estrella Jail for women after having been observed on suicide watch for five days in a psychiatric ward, The Arizona Republic reported.

The jury that convicted Arias is scheduled to reconvene on Wednesday to determine whether she should face death or life in prison. 

That phase of the trial was supposed to have started last Thursday, but it was postponed without an official explanation. Sheriff's deputies also arrested an 18-year-old man that day and charged him with threatening to bomb the courthouse where Arias was tried.

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Courtesy Adam Legg

Navy veteran Adam Legg said a long jobless spell after tours of duty in Iraq and Afghanistan left him feeling hopeless and led him to "go weeks without smiling, walking around like a shadow, like you're not there."

By Bill Briggs, NBC News contributor

Hundreds of thousands of Iraq and Afghanistan veterans have been flying home to a fresh fox hole: A debt crater that’s sucking in entire military families and could be helping to fuel the veteran suicide crisis.

Courtesy Adam Legg

"I was a watch commander where I had 25 to 30 people working beneath me, in charge of millions of dollars worth of ammunitions, weapons, vehicles, computers," said Adam Legg, a Navy veteran. "And then when I come home, not only can I not find a job, I can't take care of my family."

A bad job market, a long backlog for federal disability benefits, and occasionally unwise spending habits have been conspiring to strain the financial and mental health of many veterans, experts say.

"We keep hearing of suicides rising. How much pressure do you think one person can take?" asks Christopher Fitzpatrick, deputy director of VeteransPlus, a nonprofit that has fielded more than 170,000 calls from ex-service members with imminent financial concerns. 

"No one wants to talk about the fact that there are other reasons, besides PTSD, for suicide at 2 in the morning. You know how we know? We have an online form people use to contact us, and we get those emails — they’re sent at 1, 2, 3, 4 in the morning. People are reaching out, literally: 'Can you please help me? I’m losing everything.'"

It's a problem that could get even worse in coming years, with more than one million service members expected to make the transition to civilian life.

Navy veteran Adam Legg, 30, ran into financial trouble following two tours in Iraq and one in Afghanistan. A jobless and hopeless period that began after his service separation in 2009 led him to "go weeks without smiling, walking around like a shadow, like you're not there," he said.

He couldn't secure a job at his local McDonald's or at dozens of other companies to which he applied in Central Florida. With a wife, Melissa, and a young daughter to feed, he maxed out a credit card that he was able to pay off with money he'd saved during his eight years in the Navy. 

'Very, very dark place'
But bigger bills — like the mortgage — went untouched. After losing his Florida home to foreclosure and two cars to repossession, Legg said he began to consider suicide. 

"When you feel like you can’t take care of your family, feed them, shelter them, it’s a very, very dark place. A feeling of uselessness that maybe they would be better off if you’re not around," Legg said. 

"We've been below the poverty line, absolutely. I was a watch commander where I had 25 to 30 people working beneath me, in charge of millions of dollars worth of ammunitions, weapons, vehicles, computers. And then when I come home, not only can I not find a job, I can’t take care of my family. If it weren’t for my wife, if she was not supportive the way she was, I really don’t think I’d be here right now."

According to VeteransPlus, fewer than 20 percent of their clients have stockpiled a six-month savings cushion while serving in Iraq or Afghanistan despite untaxed, hazardous-duty wages that fattened paychecks.

Some returning veterans planned to live off their credit cards until landing civilian work, even though the veteran unemployment rate is two points higher than the civilian rate, Fitzpatrick said. Some expected to support themselves via VA benefits, apparently unaware that average wait time for that money approaches — and sometimes eclipses — one year.  

The Pentagon urges military personnel and their families to bank some money while in the service. This year, during “Military Saves Week," service members were reminded to “set a goal, make a place and save automatically.” Service members also can take advantage of the Thrift Savings Plan, a federally sponsored retirement savings and investment program resembling a civilian 401(k).

But even some of those who build up savings while serving abroad find their stash exhausted after buying gifts for family and plucking shiny toys, like motorcycles, for themselves when they come home from war, according to VeteransPlus.

"We don’t like using the word ‘entitlement,’ but often that’s what it really is for these young men and women who feel like they’ve served their country and are coming home with some money and ‘now it’s my turn,’" Fitzpatrick said. 

Move west, young man
For Legg, the way out was to escape Florida, not his life. He and his wife packed up their daughter, dog, cat and remaining belongings and recently drove to the Pacific Northwest. Two things lured the Legg family to Baker City, Ore.: a lower cost of living and its proximity to a military-friendly college, Eastern Oregon University. 

He's now a full-time student, living off of his GI Bill and his VA benefits for a diagnosed anxiety disorder (not PTSD), damaged knees, a bad back, and an injured left arm — combat baggage that requires daily Vicodin consumption. They live in a small, rented house.

Melissa was scheduled to deliver their second child last Wednesday. Soon, Legg plans to file for bankruptcy. 

Courtesy Adam Legg

Navy veteran Adam Legg and his family moved to Oregon from Florida.

"I have no choice. We're at that rock bottom line," he said. "I'm not the only one. Of the (veteran) friends I've kept up with, most are struggling." 

Many veterans panic when they face getting kicked out of their homes, or must decide between buying food or diapers, said Kristy Kauffman, executive director of Code of Support, an Alexandria, Va.-based nonprofit that proclaims to "bridge the gap between civilian and military America."

"It happens far too often. We get at least one call, email, or referral every week," she said.

Kaufmann agrees with Fitzpatrick that poverty is one factor behind the veteran suicide rate, adding: "It does increase the risk." 

"The vast majority of those who have worn the uniform," she said, "are imbued with a strong sense of mission and pride in 'getting it done.' For those who have trouble reintegrating into the civilian world — whether due to physical or mental health issues, or lack of employment opportunities — it's that loss of mission that seems most debilitating."

Related:

• Companies honored for hiring and supporting veterans
• Pentagon looks to cut up to 50,000 civilians over 5 years
• Hiring Our Heroes job fair part of week-long, national hiring push

Pott family via Zuma Press / file

The parents of a 15-year-old California girl who committed suicide after pictures of her being sexually assaulted were posted onlineplan to sue the three teenage boys accused of attacking her, the family's attorney said Monday.

Audrie Pott of Saratoga, near San Jose, hanged herself Sept. 10, a week after she was assaulted while she was intoxicated and unconscious. The family's lawyer, Robert Allard, said Audrie felt she was being bullied after photos of the assault were disseminated through text messages and email at Saratoga High School.

Allard said he was filing the wrongful death lawsuit to force more information to be made public, NBC Bay Area reported.

NBC News usually doesn't name the alleged victims of sexual assault, but Audrie's parents have asked that her story be told. 

At a news conference Monday in San Jose, Audrie's mother, Sheila Pott, said she and her ex-husband, Larry Pott, were working to persuade lawmakers to stiffen penalties in California for cyber-bullying and to treat juveniles as adults in some cases of sexual assault. 

"If this could happen to my daughter, this could happen to anyone," Sheila Pott said.

Related: California case another three-part tragedy of rape, cyber bullying and suicide

The three boys, whose names haven't been released because they are juveniles, were arrested last week and are expected to appear in court Tuesday. In a statement, their attorneys said: 

"Much of what has been reported over the last several days is inaccurate. Most disturbing is the attempt to link Audrey's suicide to the specific actions of these three boys." 

Audrie's name is misspelled in the statement.

On a website started by her family, Audrie is described as a gifted art student who played the viola and the piano. She was part of a middle school band that played for at Barack Obama's presidential inauguration, it says.

A candlelight vigil is scheduled Friday at Saratoga High School.

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Pott Family / Zuma Press, file

Audrie Pott in an undated photo provided by her family.

Three boys accused of sexually assaulting a 15-year-old California girl who took her own life after pictures of the attack were posted online are due in court this week, as authorities ramp up their investigation into the latest case involving rape and cyber bullying.

NBC Bay Area reported that three 16-year-olds from Saratoga, a town of about 30,000 that is 13 miles west of San Jose, were arrested last week in connection with the September 2012 sexual assault of Audrie Pott.

Pott, 15, hanged herself eight days after the alleged assault, apparently despondent after photos of the attack were posted online and shared among classmates at Saratoga High School.

Pott's parents have said they did even not know about the attack until after their daughter's death. The parents have been in seclusion since the three boys were arrested, but they plan to speak publicly about the case at a news conference scheduled for Monday, according to NBC Bay Area.

"We're talking about, other than murdering someone, the highest degree of a crime you could possibly do, which is to violate them in the worst of ways ... and then to effectively rub her face in it afterwards," Robert Allard, the attorney representing the girl's mother, father and step-mother, told the Associated Press on Friday.

Allard said Pott was intoxicated and unconscious when the assault occurred, and that "there were multiple boys in the room with her."

Lawyers for the boys, whose names have not been released because they are minors, released a statement on Friday asking for the public to withhold judgement until their clients can tell their side of the story, the San Jose Mercury News reported.

"Much of what has been reported over the last several days is inaccurate. Most disturbing is the attempt to link (Audrie's) suicide to the specific actions of these three boys," the statement from San Jose attorneys Eric Geffon, Alan Lagod and Benjamin Williams reads. "We are hopeful that everyone understands that these boys, none of whom have ever been in trouble with the law, are to be regarded as innocent."

The boys are currently in a juvenile hall, although no charges have been formally filed, and are expected to appear in court on Tuesday, according to NBC Bay Area.

The incident occurred over Labor Day weekend last year in a prosperous Silicon Valley suburb on the west side of the Santa Clara Valley  that is known for its wineries and high-end boutiques.

The AP said Pott was at a sleepover at a friend's house when the unaccompanied teens got into liquor.

At some point, Pott went upstairs to sleep and "woke up to the worst nightmare possible," Allard told the AP.

The attorney said Pott soon "found an abundance of material online about that night, including pictures and emails." She also determined that the alleged attackers were boys she had considered friends. Pott then wrote on Facebook that the whole school  knew what happened and that her life was ruined, Allard said.

Members of the Pott family recently accused the alleged attackers of destroying evidence in the case, writing on Facebook that the "the boys who we believe responsible for Audrie's death took deliberate steps to destroy evidence and interfere with the police investigation." The family asked students with information about the case to come forward.

Santa Clara Country Sheriff Laurie Smith confirmed to NBC Bay Area that her department believes they're missing a key piece of evidence, which she described as a "critical electronic device" that has not been turned over.

The arrests of the three boys Thursday pushed the Saratoga case into the national spotlight, coming on the heels of the rape trial in Steubenville, Ohio, and the news that authorities in Canada are reopening their investigation in the case of 17-year-old suicide victim Rehtaeh Parsons.

Parsons, of Halifax, Nova Scotia, was photographed during a sexual assault in November, 2011, then allegedly bullied online. Parson was taken off life support Sunday, April 7 — three days after hanging herself.

The Audrie Pott Foundation announced on Saturday it would hold a candlelight vigil at Saratago High School next Friday night.

The Associated Press contributed to this story