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The War Profiteers - War Crimes,
Kidnappings, Torture and Big Money |
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December 8th,
2006 - Attorneys for Soldier Accused of Rape, Murder Ask for Donations |
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Attorneys for Soldier
Accused of Rape, Murder Ask for Donations By Ryan Lenz Associated Press December 8, 2006 The family of a Pennsylvania
soldier who could be executed if convicted in the rape and murder of a 14-year-old
Iraqi girl wants help paying his legal bills, his defense attorneys said
Friday. Pfc. Jesse V. Spielman has
been told he must provide experts and investigators at his own expense, but
only if a judge decides to let them testify, attorneys said. Nancy Hess, Spielman's
grandmother, told the Associated Press on Friday that family members remain
supportive of Spielman and believe strongly in his innocence. "I know he didn't do
this," Hess said through tears. "He's a good kid." Spielman, a 22-year-old
native of Chambersburg, Pa., has received numerous offers for assistance,
said attorney Craig Carlson. His law firm plans to launch a Web page soon
called spielmandefense.com that will give people a place to donate. The request for donations
comes after the military declined to provide witnesses, including independent
investigators and combat stress experts, that could be critical to Spielman's
defense, Carlson said. "Many of the things
that you'd normally be able to do in a defense, if Jesse wants it, he's going
to have to pay for it himself," Carlson said. The military is not
obligated to provide such witnesses, and a judge can reverse the order. But
even then Spielman would be responsible for paying the bill. Spielman, one of four
soldiers charged in the March 12 assault in Iraq, is expected to plead
innocent during an arraignment next week. A fifth person, former Army private
Steven Green, is being tried in federal court on similar rape and murder
charges. One soldier, Spc. James P.
Barker, pleaded guilty to the rape and murder charges last month in exchange
for a lesser sentence. He was sentenced to 90 years in prison. The killings in Mahmoudiya,
a village about 20 miles south of Baghdad, were among the worst in a series of
alleged attacks on civilians and other abuses by military personnel in Iraq. The soldiers - all members
of the 101st Airborne Division's 502nd Infantry Regiment - are accused of
planning the attack after noticing the teenage girl at a checkpoint near the
family's home. External link: http://www.contracostatimes.com/mld/cctimes/news/nation/16197544.htm |