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The War Profiteers - War Crimes,
Kidnappings, Torture and Big Money |
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July 20th, 2006 - Judge delays
Iraqi Rape, Murder Case |
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Judge Delays Iraqi Rape,
Murder Case The Associated Press Thursday, July 20, 2006; 5:31 PM Louisville, Ky. - A federal
judge on Thursday granted a three-month delay in the arraignment of a former
soldier, who is charged with raping an Iraqi girl and killing her and three
family members. U.S. District Judge Thomas
B. Russell agreed to delay the arraignment until Nov. 8 after prosecutors
cited logistical concerns in Steven Green's case. "It is unreasonable to
expect that witnesses and evidence from Iraq will be available almost
simultaneously to military prosecutors in Iraq and Department of Justice
prosecutors in the Western District of Kentucky," according to the
motion filed Wednesday. The prosecution involves
coordinated efforts of military prosecutors in Iraq, federal prosecutors in
the U.S. and FBI and Army investigators. In addition to the charges
against Green, who is no longer in the military, five soldiers in Iraq face
military charges in the case. All are members of the 101st Airborne Division,
based at Fort Campbell, Ky. All but one of the
defendants are accused of raping and killing Abeer al-Janabi and killing her
parents and young sister at their home near the town of Mahmoudiya on March
12. One soldier is accused of failing to report the crime. Military judicial
proceedings are scheduled to begin Aug. 6 in Iraq. Green, 21, was arrested June
30 in North Carolina and brought to Louisville for an initial court
appearance, where he pleaded not guilty. Pat Bouldin, a public
defender who is part of Green's defense team, said Thursday that the defense
agreed to the motion. He declined further comment. Green is being prosecuted in
federal court rather than military court because he was discharged from the
Army in May for what military officials called "anti-social personality
disorder." Military officials have said Green was discharged before they
became aware of the rape allegations. © 2006 The Associated Press External link:
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/07/20/AR2006072001192.html |