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The War Profiteers - War Crimes,
Kidnappings, Torture and Big Money |
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September 28th,
2007 - Army Sniper Acquitted of Murder in Iraq |
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Army Sniper Acquitted of
Murder in Iraq By Katarina Kratovac Associated Press September 28, 2007 Baghdad - A military panel acquitted
U.S. Army Spc. Jorge G. Sandoval of two counts of murder Friday, apparently
swayed by testimony from fellow Army snipers that two Iraqi men were killed
on orders from a higher ranking soldier. Sandoval was convicted of a
less serious charge of planting detonation wire on one of the bodies to make
it look like the victim was an insurgent. As a result, he still could face
five years in prison. The seven-member jury deliberated less than two hours
in clearing him of all but one charge. Sandoval, 22, of Laredo,
Texas, had faced five charges in the deaths of the two unidentified Iraqi
men. In dramatic testimony during the two-day court-martial, Sandoval's
colleagues testified they were following orders when they shot the men during
two separate incidents, on April 27 and May 11. The shootings took place near
Iskandariyah, a volatile Sunni-dominated area 30 miles south of Baghdad. Spc. Alexander Flores, of
Hayward, Calif., who was in the same squad as Sandoval on the day of the
April killing, testified their platoon leader said the suspect was "our
guy" and ordered them to "move in," which they interpreted as
"take the target out." The suspect, who wore dark
clothing and used a sickle to cut grass in a field, matched the general
description Iraqi soldiers had given the Americans of one of two insurgents
they had faced earlier in the day, according to testimony. After the killing, Flores
said Staff Sgt. Michael Hensley told him (Flores) to place the detonation
wire on the body and in the man's pocket, which he said he did. But prosecutors cited an
interview with Sandoval immediately after his arrest in which he said he
planted the wire. Outside court, Flores stood by his testimony. "He was just doing his
job, as he was told. It's not his fault," said Flores, who, along with
the rest of Sandoval's sniper platoon, greeted him with hugs and well wishes. In the May shooting, Sgt.
Evan Vela said Hensley told him to shoot a man who had stumbled upon their
snipers' hideout, although he was not armed and had his hands in the air when
he approached the soldiers. "He (Hensley) asked me
if I was ready. I had the pistol out. I heard the word shoot. I don't
remember pulling the trigger. It took me a second to realize that the shot
came from the pistol in my hand," Vela testified, crying. Vela said as the Iraqi man
was convulsing on the ground, "Hensley kind of laughed about it and hit
the guy on the throat and said shoot again." "After he (the Iraqi man)
was shot, Hensley pulled an AK-47 out of his rucksack and said, 'this is what
we are going to say happened,'" said Vela, who testified on Thursday
under a deal that bars his account of events from being used against him when
he goes to trial. Sandoval, who was charged with murder because prosecutors
said he did nothing to stop the killing, also was acquitted Friday of charges
he planted the weapon on the second man's body. Vela of Rigby, Idaho and
Hensley of Candler, N.C., are both charged in the case and will be tried
separately. All three soldiers are part of the Headquarters and Headquarters
Company, 1st Battalion, 501st Infantry Regiment, 4th Brigade (Airborne), 25th
Infantry Division, based at Fort Richardson, Alaska. Lawyers for Sandoval urged on
Friday that he be sentenced only for misplacement of public or private
property, which carries no more than six months in prison. The prosecution
argued Sandoval should be punished for obstruction of justice, which carries
a maximum five-year sentence. The same military panel that reached a decision
on his guilt will sentence Sandoval early Saturday. "Anyone who has been
charged with murder for their first kill on the battlefield on the order of
his superior and is found not guilty is happy," Capt. Craig Drummond, a
defense attorney, said outside court after the verdict. "Today, what the
panel concluded, was justice. This soldier is not guilty." Vela's lawyer Gary Myers
claimed this week that Army snipers hunting insurgents in Iraq were under
orders to "bait" their targets with suspicious materials, such as
detonation cords, then kill those who picked up the items. He said his client
was acting on orders. Asked about the existence of
the "baiting program," Drummond, Sandoval's military defense
attorney, said it was unclear "what programs were going on out there and
when," especially "if there were things that were done that made
the rules of engagement not clear." Copyright © 2007 The
Associated Press.. External link: http://ap.google.com/article/ALeqM5g-zT8WvZY-uYK3d-CARtfDJgnR-wD8RULU4O0 |