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The War Profiteers - War Crimes,
Kidnappings, Torture and Big Money |
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August 4th,
2007 - Fort Campbell Soldier Found Guilty |
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Fort Campbell Soldier Found Guilty By Ryan Lenz Associated Press August 4, 2007, 2:04AM Fort Campbell, Ky. - A
military jury found a soldier guilty of rape and murder in the slayings of a
14-year-old Iraqi girl and her family, despite testimony that cast doubt on
his involvement. Jurors deliberated much of
Friday evening before convicting Army Pfc. Jesse Spielman, 22, of conspiracy
to commit rape, rape, housebreaking with intent to commit rape and four
counts of felony murder. He faces a mandatory life
sentence when a sentencing hearing begins Saturday. The jury will decide if
he will be eligible for parole. Spielman, of Chambersburg,
Pa., was charged in connection with the March 12, 2006, rape and slaying of
Abeer Qassim al-Janabi and the killings of her family. The attack took place
in Mahmoudiya, a village about 20 miles south of Baghdad. Military prosecutors did not
say Spielman took part in the rape or murders, but alleged he went to the
house knowing what the others intended to do and served as a lookout. Spielman had pleaded guilty
on Monday to lesser charges of conspiracy to obstructing justice, arson,
wrongfully touching a corpse and drinking. Spielman's grandmother,
Nancy Hess, collapsed outside the courtroom after the verdict was read and
prosecutor Maj. William Fischbach ran to her side and called 911. Soldiers in
Spielman's unit fanned the woman with napkins. Spielman's sister, Paige
Gerlach, screamed: "I hate the government. You people put him (in Iraq)
and now, this happened." Defense attorneys left the
courthouse immediately following the verdict and could not immediately be
reached for comment. Prosecutors rested their
case Thursday amid struggles to overcome a fellow soldier's recanting of a
story that Spielman acted as a lookout during the attack last year. Spc. James Barker, who has
admitted his own role in the assault, said in earlier testimony that he had
allowed investigators to draft sworn statements for him that implicated
Spielman in the crime. Barker testified Wednesday
that several portions of the document were untrue, including references to
Spielman's role in the conspiracy to attack the family and his knowledge of
plans to rape the girl. But another soldier
convicted in the attack, Sgt. Paul E. Cortez, testified that Spielman stood
guard as his fellow soldiers raped the girl. Cortez said Spielman was within
a few feet of the others as they held down the screaming girl but did nothing
to stop them. Barker, Cortez and another
soldier, Pfc. Bryan L. Howard, pleaded guilty for their roles in the slayings
and received sentences of five to 100 years under plea agreements with
prosecutors. Steven D. Green, who was
discharged from the Army before being charged, faces a possible death
sentence when he is tried in federal court in Kentucky. He has pleaded not
guilty to charges that include murder and sexual assault. Barker and Cortez have given
investigators conflicting statements about whether Spielman knew of the plan
to rape the girl and was present when they discussed it over swigs from
bottles of whiskey and gin mixed with energy drinks, according to testimony. During their courts-martial,
Barker and Cortez testified they took turns raping the girl while Green shot
and killed her mother, father and younger sister. Green shot the girl in the
head after raping her, they said. The girl's body was set on
fire with kerosene to destroy the evidence, according to previous testimony. Fort Campbell is a sprawling
military post on the Kentucky-Tennessee border. © 2007 The Associated Press External link: http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/ap/nation/5027063.html |