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The War Profiteers - War Crimes,
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April 22nd,
2008 - Accused Soldier Claims Harassment News article by the Honolulu Star
Bulletin |
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Accused Soldier Claims Harassment By Gregg Kakesako The Honolulu Star Bulletin April 22, 2008 A Schofield Barracks soldier
accused of murdering an unarmed Iraqi civilian last year wants his confession
tossed out because Army investigators ignored his request to speak with a
lawyer. Sgt. 1st Class Trey
Corrales' attorney, Frank Spinner, tried to show that two Army criminal
investigators violated Corrales' rights by questioning him at Forward
Operating Base Warrior after he asked several times for an attorney during a
seven-hour interrogation - hours after a June 23 late-night raid near Kirkuk,
Iraq. At a pretrial hearing
yesterday, Corrales entered a plea of not guilty to the charges of murder,
ordering Spc. Christopher Shore to shoot an unarmed Iraqi detainee and
planting an AK-47 rifle next to the body. If Corrales, 35, is found guilty at
his court-martial, he faces the maximum sentence of life without parole. Two months ago, Shore was
found guilty of aggravated assault. He is completing a 120-day sentence in
the Ford Island brig. Corrales and Shore are assigned to Headquarters and
Headquarters Company, 2nd Battalion, 25th Infantry, 3rd Brigade Combat Team,
and were in Iraq for 15 months before returning in October. After the hearing, Spinner
said Corrales' statement can be disputed because the investigators made no
audio or video recording when they interviewed him. On the witness stand,
Corrales said he was first questioned by Jesse Whaley, an Army criminal
investigator, on the morning of June 24 after only three hours of sleep.
Later, when agent Mark Dunham took over the questioning, the session become
more "confrontational" and was like a "verbal attack,"
Corrales said. "He was in my
face," said Corrales, noting that at times Dunham was only "six
inches" from his face. Corrales said Dunham yelled
at him, "You shot him. Don't bull---- us." Corrales said Dunham twisted
his statements. At one point, Corrales told
Wright that the interrogation was like the game show "Jeopardy,"
where he was given the answers. Corrales, in his statement,
allegedly admitted shooting the Iraqi national but denied ordering Shore to
"finish" him. Corrales said that several
times during the seven-hour interrogation, he told investigators that he
wanted to consult with Army lawyers, including at one point when he was asked
what role Lt. Col. Michael Browder, his battalion commander, played in the
nighttime raid. Last year an Army officer
who presided over a pretrial investigation and hearing into Shore's
involvement recommended that the Army examine Browder's role. That was
because Corrales allegedly was considered Browder's "wrecking
ball," according to testimony in Shore's court-martial. Maj. Gary Johnson, legal
officer for the 25th Division's 3rd Brigade Combat Team, said yesterday that
Army criminal investigators did look into the matter and closed the case without
any charges. Browder was relieved as
commander of the 3rd Brigade's 2nd Battalion following the June 23 incident.
He is stationed at Fort Benning, Ga., as deputy commander of a basic-training
brigade. He has been granted immunity to testify at Corrales' court-martial. Also called to testify will
be Essa Ahmed, who served as an interpreter during the raid on the village of
Al Saheed. During Shore's court-martial
In February, Ahmed submitted written testimony in which he said he was asked
by Corrales to translate the word "run" in Arabic, which Corrales
used several times in instructing the victim. Ahmed also wrote that he heard
Corrales tell his soldiers, "I killed that mother ." External link: http://starbulletin.com/2008/04/22/news/story02.html Schofield sergeant pleads
not guilty in killing of Iraqi man By William Cole The Honolulu Advertiser April 22, 2008 Wheeler Army Airfield - A
Schofield Barracks platoon leader charged with the June 2007 premeditated
murder of an unarmed Iraqi admitted yesterday that he told investigators he
shot the man. "They said, 'Did you
shoot the guy?' and I said, 'Yes, I did,' " Sgt. 1st Class Trey Corrales
said on the witness stand yesterday. Yet Corrales yesterday
pleaded not guilty to the charges against him, including premeditated murder;
wrongfully soliciting another soldier to murder the unarmed, wounded Iraqi;
and wrongfully impeding an investigation by causing an AK-47 rifle to be
placed near the victim. A military court yesterday
heard pretrial motions, with Corrales' jury trial expected to start tomorrow
morning. The San Antonio man faces a maximum sentence of life without parole
if he is convicted of the murder charge. Corrales yesterday wore his
green "Class A" uniform in court, snapped his right arm up to swear
the oath to tell the truth, and answered questions readily. His wife, Lily,
sat behind him in the spectator gallery. The shooting came in a year
of increased casualties for U.S. forces. An attorney for another Schofield
soldier accused in the case had said Corrales wanted revenge that night
because a buddy had burned to death in an attack shortly before the mission. Corrales, 35, yesterday was
called as a witness as part of a defense motion to restrict the testimony of
two agents from the Army's Criminal Investigation Command. The agents
interviewed Corrales at Kirkuk Air Base in Iraq. Defense attorney Frank
Spinner questioned the recollections of the two CID agents, who did not
videotape or audiotape their interview with Corrales. "It's pretty much
standard," Spinner said later. "I've been practicing 30 years, and
unfortunately, the military just doesn't seem to want to record interviews of
subjects." The judge in the case, Col.
Donna Wright, had not decided as of last night whether to restrict the two
agents' testimony. Corrales, who was questioned
for about seven hours in Kirkuk, said Special Agent Mark Dunham "was in
my face, about six inches," and was yelling. "He said, 'I know what
you f---ing did. You gave the guy (the Iraqi) the weapon, and you took him
out back and shot him,' " Corrales said. "I said that's not the way
it went down." Corrales, a 14-year Army
veteran and father of three, did not elaborate. Corrales said Dunham engaged
in "word trickery," and mixed up and rearranged facts as he
interviewed Corrales. On the stand yesterday, Corrales gave an example of
Dunham's questioning, and his answer. "The (Iraqi) man told
you, 'No mister, no mister, no mister.' Did he not?" Corrales quoted
Dunham as saying. Corrales finished the exchange by saying the Iraqi had
uttered those words. Corrales and Spc.
Christopher Shore, 26, were accused of shooting the Iraqi on June 23, 2007,
after a raid outside Kirkuk. The Army accused Shore of shooting the Iraqi
after being ordered to do so by Corrales. Shore was convicted of
aggravated assault and was sentenced in February to 120 days confinement, and
was given a reprimand and reduction in rank. A Schofield official said
that time may be reduced to about 75 days with good behavior. Shore, who is
finishing up his sentence in the brig at Ford Island, is on the witness list
to testify at Corrales' trial. Army CID Special Agent Jesse
Whaley, who also interviewed Corrales in Iraq, yesterday said Corrales
initially was cooperative, but then became apprehensive and cried. Corrales yesterday said he
cooperated because "I wanted to clear my name, and I wanted to get
things done as quickly as possible." Corrales subsequently said
he asked to speak to a lawyer, and Dunham told him, "The only attorneys
that are here are the prosecutors, and I don't think you want to f---ing talk
to them, do you?" Corrales said he persisted
in asking for an attorney as the interview continued. Whaley, the special
agent, said Corrales did not ask about legal representation until after seven
hours, at which time he said he ended the interview. At hearings and at trial for
Shore, fellow soldiers described Corrales as mercurial and out of control. Shore's defense attorney,
Michael Waddington, had said Corrales told his soldiers to shoot anyone in
the village on the night of June 23 as they looked for insurgents. Schofield soldiers quickly
secured a target house, and said there were no gunshots, and no weapons were
found. Tests were administered to check for explosives residue. Corrales
tried to get the Iraqi man to take an AK-47 rifle, Waddington said. Spc. Franklin Hambrick
testified at Shore's trial that the Iraqi had his hands up as Corrales ordered
him to run. Hambrick thought it was a
scare tactic, but as Corrales raised his rifle, he thought, "This is
really going to happen," and as he turned away he heard shots fired. A military official said the
Iraqi man had five gunshot wounds: one in each arm, one in the back and two
in the face. Shore said Corrales ordered
him to "finish" the wounded Iraqi, but instead fired two shots next
to the detainee's head. Shore previously said
Corrales had a close relationship with the battalion commander, Lt. Col.
Michael Browder, and Shore thought the shooting would be swept under the rug. Browder was relieved of
command in Iraq. He was assigned as deputy commander for a basic training
brigade at Fort Benning, Ga., officials said, and testified at Shore's trial
under a grant of immunity. Browder is expected to
testify at Corrales' trial under similar immunity. Maj. Gary Johnson, the judge
advocate for the 3rd Brigade at Schofield, said Browder was investigated in
the June 23 shooting in Iraq, but there was insufficient evidence to charge
him under military law. External link: http://tinyurl.com/64wptg |