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The War Profiteers - War Crimes,
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April 23rd,
2008 - Soldier to Testify Against Leader News article by the Honolulu Star
Bulletin |
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Soldier to Testify Against Leader By Gregg K. Kakesako Honolulu Star Bulletin April 23, 2008 A Schofield Barracks
soldier, already convicted as an accessory in the murder of an unarmed Iraqi
citizen in June, is expected to take the stand this week in the court-martial
of his platoon sergeant, who is charged with engineering the crime. The court-martial of Sgt.
1st Class Trey Corrales, 35, was slated to begin this morning in a Wheeler
Army Airfield courthouse. Corrales, of San Antonio, is charged with the
murder of a suspected Iraqi insurgent, ordering Spc. Christopher Shore to
shoot the wounded Iraqi and planting an AK-47 rifle next to the body. If
convicted, Corrales could get the maximum sentence of life in prison without
parole. In February, Shore was
convicted of aggravated assault, but was allowed to remain in the Army. He is
now serving a 120-day sentence in the Ford Island brig. Corrales, a 14-year
decorated veteran, has asked that his case be heard by a military jury of at
least five soldiers. Shore, 26, is expected to
take the witness stand as part of the government's case following jury
selection. During investigative
hearings last year and at his court-martial two months ago, Shore testified
that he was the sole witness to the shooting that occurred during an
early-morning raid on June 23 on the village of Al Shaheed near Kirkuk. He said Corrales ordered him
to "finish" the Iraqi, whom Corrales allegedly had shot. Shore said
he purposely aimed at the ground near the detainee's head. The Iraq died of
gunshot wounds in each of his arms, in his back and in his face. Shore and other members of
his scout platoon testified that Corrales, who wanted revenge for the death
of a close friend, ordered his troops before the raid to kill all
military-age men in the village. The platoon was assigned to
Headquarters and Headquarters Company, 2nd Battalion, 3rd Brigade Combat
Team. The 25th Infantry Division brigade returned home in October, but will
redeploy to Iraq this fall. External link: http://starbulletin.com/2008/04/23/news/story05.html Court-martial
judge allows soldier’s statement as evidence By Associated Press April 23, 2008 Honolulu - Statements a
Hawaii-based soldier made to Army investigators can be used as evidence in
his murder trial. The ruling comes from a court-martial judge. Sergeant First Class Trey
Corrales of San Antonio is being court-martialed at Wheeler Army Airfield
this week. He's charged with premeditated murder in the shooting death of an
unarmed Iraqi near Kirkuk in northern Iraq last June. Corrales' defense attorney
had asked the judge to disallow statements Corrales made to Army
investigators three days after the incident. But Colonel Donna Wright
says she will deny the motion. Her ruling clears the way
for Army investigators to tell the court what Corrales told them during a
seven-hour interrogation session in Iraq. The trial phase of the
court-martial begins today. External link: http://www.kpua.net/news.php?id=14613 |