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The War Profiteers - War Crimes,
Kidnappings, Torture and Big Money |
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September 2nd, 2006 - Death
Penalty Recommended in Iraq Raid |
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Death Penalty Recommended in
Iraq Raid By Alicia A. Caldwell Associated Press Sep 2, 6:34 PM ET An Army investigator has
recommended that four soldiers accused of murder in a raid in Iraq should
face the death penalty if convicted, according to a report obtained Saturday
by The Associated Press. Lt. Col. James P. Daniel Jr.
concluded that the slayings were premeditated and warranted the death
sentence based on evidence he heard at an August hearing. The case will now
be forwarded to Army officials, who will decide whether Daniel's
recommendation should be followed. The soldiers, all from the
Fort Campbell, Ky.-based 101st Airborne Division's 187th Infantry Regiment,
are accused of killing three Iraqi men taken from a house May 9 on a marshy
island outside Samarra, about 60 miles north of Baghdad. Staff Sgt. Raymond L.
Girouard, Spc. William B. Hunsaker, Pfc. Corey R. Clagett and Spc. Juston R.
Graber have claimed they were ordered to "kill all military age
males" during the raid on the island. According to statements from some
of the soldiers, they were told the target was an al-Qaida training camp. Hunsaker told investigators
that he and Clagett were attacked by the three men, who were being
handcuffed, and shot them in self-defense. Clagett said he was hit in the
face, and Hunsaker claimed he was stabbed during the attack. Prosecutors argue the
soldiers conspired to kill the men and then altered the scene to fit their
story. They contend Girouard stabbed Hunsaker as part of the killing plot. Clagett, Girouard and
Hunsaker also are accused of threatening to kill another soldier who
witnessed the slayings. Girouard, the most senior soldier charged, faces
several additional charges, including sexual harassment and carrying a
personal weapon on duty. Paul Bergrin, Clagett's
civilian attorney, said he was surprised that Daniel recommended the case be
taken to trial at all. "I'm extremely
disappointed and disheartened," Bergrin said Saturday. "They are
being used as pawns in the war on terror. They followed the rules of
engagement. They were confronted with violence by a known al-Qaida training
camp member." Other lawyers in the case,
several of whom are deployed to Iraq, did not immediately respond to e-mail
requests for comment. The soldiers are expected to
be tried at Fort Campbell. They have been jailed in Kuwait since their
arrests this year. The U.S. military has not
executed a soldier since the 1960 hanging of a soldier convicted rape and
attempted murder. Associated Press writer
Alicia A. Caldwell, the El Paso, Texas, correspondent, reported this story
from Glendale, Ariz. Copyright © 2006 The
Associated Press. All rights reserved. External link: http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20060902/ap_on_re_us/iraq_soldiers_charged |