|
The War Profiteers - War Crimes,
Kidnappings, Torture and Big Money |
|
January 11th,
2007 - Soldier Pleads Guilty to Murder Charges in Deaths of Detainees |
|
Soldier Pleads Guilty to Murder
Charges in Deaths of Detainees in Iraq Last Year By Ryan Lenz Associated Press January 11, 2007 Fort Campbell, Ky. – A
soldier pleaded guilty Thursday to murdering three detainees during a raid on
a suspected al-Qaeda compound last year in Iraq. Spc. William B. Hunsaker,
24, pleaded guilty to murder, attempted murder and obstruction of justice
during a hearing at Fort Campbell. As part of a plea agreement,
charges that Hunsaker had threatened another soldier's life if he told authorities
of the killings were dropped. Hunsaker, 101st Airborne
Division, was one of four soldiers charged in the killings that followed a
raid at the Muthana chemical complex near Samarra, about 60 miles north of
Baghdad. The soldiers originally told
investigators that they shot detainees because they were attempting to flee –
a story they now say they made up – and that commanders told them to kill all
military-age males. The maximum sentence for the
charges Hunsaker faces is life in prison. Military judge Col. Theodore Dixon
said Hunsaker's pretrial agreement includes a lesser sentence. Details of the plea
agreement were to be announced later Thursday. Three other soldiers were
charged in the case. Pfc. Corey R. Clagett, 21,
and Staff Sgt. Raymond L. Girouard, 24, are awaiting courts-martial in the
coming months. An e-mail to Paul Bergrin,
Clagett's attorney, was not returned, and his voicemail was too full to
accept messages. Girouard's military attorneys have declined to discuss the
case with the media. Spc. Juston R. Graber, 21,
pleaded guilty on Tuesday to a lesser charge of aggravated assault as part of
an agreement to cooperate with prosecutors. He was sentenced to nine months
in military jail. Graber told a military judge
that at least one of the detainees appeared to still be alive when he
approached. He testified that Girouard suggested they put one man “out of his
misery.” Graber said he shot the man in the head. The case is one of two
involving soldiers from the 101st Airborne Division accused of killing Iraqis
during a deployment to Iraq that ended in September. Four other soldiers from the
division's 2nd Brigade Combat Team are accused of raping and killing an Iraqi
teenager and killing three others in her family last March. A former Army
private also faces federal murder and rape charges. External link: http://www.signonsandiego.com/news/nation/20070111-1138-soldiercharged.html |