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The War Profiteers - War Crimes,
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August 5th,
2007 - Soldier Gets 110 Years in Rape-Slay Case |
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Soldier Gets
110 Years in Rape-Slay Case By Ryan Lenz Associated Press August 5, 2007; 3:13 AM Fort Campbell, Ky. - A
soldier convicted for his role in the rape and murder of an Iraqi teenager
was sentenced to 110 years in prison, the longest of four soldiers found
guilty in the case. Pfc. Jesse Spielman, who was
sentenced Saturday, has the possibility of parole after 10 years. The
sentence capped a week of opposing views over Spielman's responsibility in
the rape and murder of 14-year-old Abeer Qassim al-Janabi and the slayings of
her family. 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 said he went to the house unaware of any plan. "I don't really blame
my chain of command. I don't really blame anybody," he said quietly in a
statement to the court before he was sentenced. "I could have stopped
it. I take responsibility for my actions." Spielman was convicted late
Friday of rape, conspiracy to commit rape, housebreaking with intent to rape
and four counts of felony murder. In closing arguments, the
military prosecutor, Maj. William Fischbach, said Spielman played a "bit
part" but stressed he shared responsibility. Spielman, 23, of
Chambersburg, Pa., was the only soldier to contest his charges. Three other
soldiers pleaded guilty under agreements with prosecutors for their roles in
the assault and were given sentences ranging from five to 100 years. Spielman's grandmother,
Nancy Hess, collapsed outside the courtroom after the verdict was read;
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 declined
to comment after the sentencing hearing. During the court-martial, they said
that Spielman was implicated in the attack because of aggressive military
investigators who interviewed soldiers for exhaustive periods, yielding conflicting
statements. Spielman had pleaded guilty
on Monday to lesser charges of conspiracy to obstructing justice, arson,
wrongfully touching a corpse and drinking. The 110-year sentence encompasses
those crimes, too. The case stemmed from the
March 12, 2006, rape and slaying of the Iraqi girl and the killings of her
parents and sister. The attack took place in Mahmoudiya, about 20 miles south
of Baghdad. Prosecutors rested their
case Thursday amid struggles to overcome a fellow soldier's recanting of a
story that Spielman acted as a lookout. Spc. James Barker said in
earlier testimony that he had allowed investigators to draft sworn statements
for him that implicated Spielman. 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 Sgt. Paul E. Cortez
testified that Spielman stood guard. Cortez said Spielman was within a few
feet of the others as they held down the screaming girl and did nothing to
stop them. Barker, Cortez and another
soldier, Pfc. Bryan L. Howard, pleaded guilty for their roles. 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. © 2007 The Associated Press External link: http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/08/05/AR2007080500145.html |