|
The War Profiteers - War Crimes,
Kidnappings, Torture and Big Money |
|
December 8th,
2007 - Prosecutors Seek Trial Date for Ex-Soldier |
|
Prosecutors Seek
Trial Date for Ex-Soldier By Associated Press December 8, 2007 Louisville, Ky. - Federal
prosecutors have asked that a former Kentucky soldier stand trial next summer
on charges of raping a 14-year-old Iraqi girl and killing her and her family. In a motion filed late
Friday, U.S. Attorney David Huber asked that Steven Green's trial be set for
Aug. 4, 2008. Huber said Green's attorneys
argue the trial should not be scheduled prior to April 2009. He said such a
timetable "unduly burdens the public's right to a speedy trial,"
noting it would be 30 months after Green's indictment and 21 months after
prosecutors said they intend to seek the death penalty. Huber said the two sides
can't reach agreement on a trial date, and asked a judge to set the trial for
next Aug. 4. Huber said the government's
case relies mostly on the testimony of other soldiers accused of
participating with Green in the crime. "In a case which is
based almost entirely on testimonial evidence, delay inures only to the
benefit of the defendant as memories begin to fade," he said. Green is charged with rape
and murder in the deaths of Abeer Qassim al-Janabi and three others in her
family. The former private in the
Fort Campbell-based 101st Airborne Division has pleaded not guilty. Four
others who served with Green have been convicted in the March 2006 attack. External link: http://www.kentucky.com/471/story/253089.html |