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The War Profiteers - War Crimes,
Kidnappings, Torture and Big Money |
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July 29th,
2007 - Court-Martial Near in Iraq Rape-Killing |
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Court-Martial Near in Iraq Rape-Killing By Ryan Lenz Associated Press July 29, 2007, 7:36PM Evansville, Ind. - Spc.
Jesse Spielman crept alongside three soldiers as they cut through wire fences
to enter the home of a 14-year-old Iraqi girl, not knowing about the rape and
murder that awaited, defense attorneys said. It seemed another routine
raid on a home in an area gripped by insurgents, said attorney Craig Carlson,
who will defend Spielman against rape and murder charges at his court-martial
Monday at Fort Campbell, Ky. Spielman is not accused of
raping and killing Abeer Qassim al-Janabi or slaying her family in March 2006
midway through a yearlong deployment for the Fort Campbell-based 101st
Airborne Division. Instead, prosecutors say he
knew of the plan, did nothing to stop it once it began and touched the girl's
nude body before the soldiers left, according to military charging documents
released at the time of his arrest. The documents also said
Spielman was the only soldier wearing a military uniform when they entered
the home. The others had changed into black nylon pants and shirts with cloth
to cover their faces. Attorneys say that
difference illustrates Spielman's ignorance of what the others came to do. Under military law, however,
a soldier present when a crime occurs can be found guilty if prosecutors can
establish the soldier had prior knowledge. "We're confident that
the soldiers (in the jury) will hear the evidence and render a fair and just
verdict," Carlson said. He declined to discuss the specific evidence he
will present during trial. Three soldiers have pleaded
guilty for their roles in the crimes and received sentences ranging from five
to 100 years. During their courts-martial,
Spc. James P. Barker and Sgt. Paul E. Cortez testified they took turns raping
the girl while then-Pfc. Steven D. Green shot and killed her mother, father
and younger sister. Green, who is accused of being the ringleader, shot Abeer
in the head after raping her, they said. The girl's body was then set on fire
with kerosene to destroy the evidence, according to testimony and military
documents. Two of the soldiers told
investigators Spielman, 22, of Chambersburg, Pa., knew of the plan to rape
the girl in Mahmoudiya, a village 20 miles south of Baghdad, and was present
when they hammered out details over swigs on a bottle of Iraqi whiskey. Prosecutors also contend
Spielman had a pattern of hostility toward Iraqis before the slaying. During a hearing last month,
a military judge said he would allow testimony during the court-martial that
Spielman had participated in abusing Iraqi detainees during an earlier
patrol. "I don't care if they
live or die," Pfc. Thomas Doss testified recalling Spielman say of three
detainees. "They will either support insurgents or breed insurgents. I
want them dead." Green was discharged from
the military before being charged and will face the possibility of the death
penalty when he is tried in federal court in Kentucky. He has pleaded not
guilty to charges including murder and sexual assault. No trial date has been
set. Barker, who pleaded guilty
in November to rape and murder, said Spielman came to the home knowing of the
plans. Pfc. Bryan L. Howard, who stayed at the checkpoint to monitor radios,
testified during a hearing in March that he overheard Spielman and the others
discuss the rape beforehand. Howard pleaded guilty to being an accessory to
rape and murder. Cortez also pleaded guilty in the case. © 2007 The Associated Press External link: http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/ap/nation/5009875.html |