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The War Profiteers - War Crimes,
Kidnappings, Torture and Big Money |
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October 18th, 2006 - Troops to
Face Courts-Martial on Charges |
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Troops to Face
Courts-Martial on Charges Eight Soldiers to Be Court-Martialed on Murder Charges Stemming From
Their Service in Iraq By Ryan Lenz The Associated Press October 18, 2006 Evansville, Ind. - Eight
soldiers from the 101st Airborne Division will be court-martialed on murder
charges stemming from their service in Iraq, including two who face a death
sentence for allegedly raping a 14-year-old girl and killing her and her
family, the military ordered Wednesday. The Fort Campbell soldiers
facing the death penalty are Sgt. Paul E. Cortez and Pfc. Jesse V. Spielman.
Both are accused of raping Abeer Qassim al-Janabi in her family's home in
Mahmoudiya, about 20 miles south of Baghdad, then killing her along with her
parents and younger sister. Spc. James P. Barker and
Pfc. Bryan L. Howard are also accused in the rape and murders but will not
face the death penalty, the military said in a statement. Former Pvt. Steven Green,
who was discharged for a personality disorder and arrested in North Carolina,
will be tried in federal court in Kentucky. Green has pleaded not guilty to
one count of rape and four counts of murder. Military prosecutors have
said the five all from the division's 502nd Infantry Regiment planned the
attack from a checkpoint near the family's home, changed their clothing to
hide their identities and set the girl's body on fire to destroy evidence. Four soldiers from the
division's 3rd Brigade also will be tried in a separate court-martial on
charges of murdering Iraqi detainees in northern Iraq's Salahuddin province
during a raid on a village. Pfc. Corey R. Clagett, Spc.
William B. Hunsaker, Staff Sgt. Raymond L. Girouard and Spc. Juston R. Graber
are accused of murdering three Iraqi men taken from a house May 9 on a marshy
island outside Samarra, about 60 miles north of Baghdad. Copyright 2006 The
Associated Press. All rights reserved. External link:
http://abcnews.go.com/US/wireStory?id=2582520 |