|
The War Profiteers - War Crimes,
Kidnappings & Torture |
|
March 30th,
2009 - US Soldier Guilty in Killing of 4 Iraqis in 2007 News article from the Associated
Press |
|
US Soldier Guilty
in Killing of 4 Iraqis in 2007 By George Frey Associated Press March 30, 2009 Vilseck, Germany - A
military court convicted a second U.S. soldier of murder in the
execution-style slayings of four bound and blindfolded Iraqi detainees in
2007 after the soldier pleaded guilty at his court-martial Monday. Wearing his dress uniform
and speaking crispy and confidently, Sgt. 1st Class Joseph Mayo of Fort
Bragg, N.C., pleaded guilty to charges of premeditated murder and conspiracy
to commit premeditated murder at the proceeding at the U.S. Army's Rose
Barracks in southern Germany. He pleaded not guilty to a
charge of obstruction of justice in the incident, which occurred while he was
deployed to Iraq. Military prosecutors dropped that charge. The 27-year-old will be
sentenced later Monday and faces the possibility of life in prison, along
with a reduction in rank to private, forfeiture of all pay and a dishonorable
discharge. Col. Jeffrey Nance, the
judge overseeing the proceedings, told Mayo that he "entered into an
agreement to commit premeditated murder" that saw the four Iraqi men
shot in the head by the side of a canal in Baghdad between March and April
2007. In February a military court
convicted Sgt. Michael Leahy, 28, of Lockport, Ill., to life in prison with
the possibility of parole after he admitted to the execution-style killing of
one of the detainees and shooting another. He was acquitted of murder over a
separate incident in Baghdad in January 2007. According to testimony at
previous courts-martial, at least four Iraqis were taken into custody in
spring 2007 after a shootout with a patrol. The Iraqis were taken to the
U.S. unit's operating base in Baghdad for questioning and processing,
although there was not enough evidence to hold them for attacking the unit.
Later that night patrol members took the Iraqis to a remote area and shot
them in retribution for the attacks on the unit, according to testimony. Mayo, Leahy and Master Sgt.
John Hatley, 40, are accused of pulling the trigger. "Hatley stated that if
we took (the) individuals to detention they'd be released in a matter of
days," Mayo told the court. "He said we should take care of them. I
agreed." All were with the 1st
Battalion, 18th Infantry Regiment, 2nd Brigade, 1st Infantry Division. The
unit is now part of the Germany-based 172nd Infantry Brigade. Hatley's court-martial on
charges of premeditated murder, conspiracy to commit premeditated murder and
obstruction of justice is scheduled for April. The Army has also not
released a hometown for Hatley. Hatley also faces murder charges from the
separate incident in Baghdad. Two soldiers - Spc. Steven
Ribordy, 26, of Salina, Kansas, and Spc. Belmor Ramos, 24, of Clearfield,
Utah - pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit premeditated murder and were
sentenced to prison last year. Staff Sgt. Jess Cunningham,
29, of Bakersfield, California, and Sgt. Charles Quigley, 28, of Providence,
Rhode Island, had charges of conspiracy to commit premeditated murder dropped
this year. It is unclear whether they will testify in the upcoming courts-martial. Copyright © 2009 The
Associated Press. External link: http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5hYtcV7GUHRC88uGXnQ8Hl6I5lvbAD978AAP80 US soldier pleads guilty to
murder in Iraq From Agence France Presse March 30, 2009 A US Army sergeant has
pleaded guilty to murdering a prisoner in Iraq in 2007, telling a court
martial that he thought carrying out the shooting was in the interests of his
soldiers. Asked by the judge at his
trial in Germany whether he thought he had the authority to shoot the
prisoner, Sergeant First Class Joseph P Mayo replied: "I thought it was
in the best interests of my soldiers." According to media reports,
Mayo and other soldiers allegedly killed four bound and blindfolded Iraqi
prisoners with shots to the head, pushing their bodies into a Baghdad canal
after attacks on a US patrol had killed two troops. Mayo told the court that two
sniper rifles were found in the building where the four men were arrested,
plus AK-47 assault rifles and a duffel bag full of ammunition. Mayo has been charged with
pre-meditated murder, conspiracy to commit pre-meditated murder, and
obstruction of justice, according to an army statement. He is one of seven soldiers
implicated in the case, and one of three non-commissioned officers to be
tried for murder. Co-defendant Sergeant
Michael P. Leahy, an army medic, pleaded guilty and was sentenced in February
to life in prison with the possibility of parole. All the soldiers were with
the 1st Battalion, 18th Infantry Regiment, 2nd Brigade of the 1st Infantry
Division in Iraq, which is now part of the 172nd Infantry Brigade based in
Germany. External link: http://www.abc.net.au/news/stories/2009/03/30/2530390.htm?section=world |