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The War Profiteers - War Crimes,
Kidnappings & Torture |
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December 3rd,
2008 - US Soldier Faces Hearing in 2007 Deaths of Iraqis |
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US Soldier
Faces Hearing in 2007 Deaths of Iraqis By George Frey Associated Press December 3, 2008 Vilseck, Germany - A
military court heard conflicting testimony Wednesday about whether a U.S.
Army sergeant helped kill four Iraqis who were bound, blindfolded, shot and
dumped in a Baghdad canal last year. One witness said he saw Sgt.
Joseph P. Mayo and two other soldiers - Sgt. Michael P. Leahy Jr. and Sgt.
John E. Hatley - standing behind the four Iraqis facing the canal and saw
them fire their weapons. But other witnesses said they saw no one shot or
didn't know if Mayo was even present. The Article 32 hearing, the
military equivalent of a civilian grand jury to assess the charges against
Mayo and decide whether to refer him for a court-martial, was adjourned and
will resume again Thursday. A decision is not expected this week. The first soldier called to
testify Wednesday, Sgt. Daniel Evoy, told the court he saw the three men with
the four Iraqis - on their knees and facing the canal - and that he saw Leahy
fire the first shot, then a detainee "slump to the ground." Evoy said he told his driver
"I can't believe they shot them." Evoy told the Army judge
that both Mayo and Hatley told him earlier that evening they planned to kill
the four Iraqis. "We didn't believe
them," Evoy testified. "We thought we'd just let them go." Under questioning by Mayo's
civilian lawyer, Evoy's driver, Spc. Justin Lamanna, said he remembered
little about the event, including Evoy's comments. But he told the court he was
"60 percent sure" Mayo, Hatley and Leahy were there. Spc. Jonathan Shaffer, the
machine gunner in Mayo's Humvee, testified that he did not see Mayo at all,
but added he was facing the other way. "I did not see Mayo
shooting the detainees. I have no evidence of Mayo shooting," Shaffer
testified. He also denied Evoy's claims that Mayo asked everyone to keep
quiet about the incident. Mayo, 27, is charged with
one count each of premeditated murder, conspiracy to commit premeditated
murder and obstruction of justice in the spring 2007 incident. He is the
sixth of seven soldiers implicated in the case to face a judge and could
receive a life sentence without parole if convicted. Mayo was implicated by other
soldiers who were on the patrol. All soldiers involved were with the 1st
Battalion, 18th Infantry Regiment, 2nd Brigade of the 1st Infantry Division
in Iraq, which is now part of the Germany-based 172nd Infantry Brigade. According to testimony, four
Iraqis were taken into custody after a shootout. The detainees were then
taken to the U.S. unit's operating base in Baghdad. Later that night,
according to testimony, members of the patrol took the Iraqis to a remote
location and killed them in retribution for attacks against the soldiers'
unit. Witnesses also said they were frustrated and afraid to know that many
detainees taken into custody would be released and attack the unit again. The U.S. military did not
give a specific date, saying only the killings occurred between March 10 and
April 16, 2007. Spc. Steven Ribordy, 25, and
Spc. Belmor Ramos, 23, have pleaded guilty in the case and have been
sentenced to prison. Ribordy was given a bad conduct discharge, and Ramos a
dishonorable discharge. The two, who were in the same Humvee when the
killings took place, agreed to testify for the prosecution. Courts-martial on charges of
conspiracy to commit premeditated murder are planned at an unspecified date
for two other soldiers, Staff Sgt. Jess Cunningham, 27, and Sgt. Charles
Quigley, 28. Both Leahy and Hatley waived
their rights to an Article 32 hearing, but no date has been set for their
separate courts-martial on charges of murder, conspiracy to commit murder and
obstruction of justice stemming from the incident. Leahy also faces additional
charges of murder, conspiracy to commit murder and accessory to murder after
the fact for a separate incident in January 2007. The Army has not provided
further details on that occurrence. In addition, Hatley faces
another murder and conspiracy to commit murder charge stemming from the same
January 2007 incident. External link: http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5hYtcV7GUHRC88uGXnQ8Hl6I5lvbAD94RF3580 |