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The War Profiteers - War Crimes,
Kidnappings & Torture |
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April 14th,
2009 - Iraq Murders US Court-Martial Continues in Germany |
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Iraq Murders US Court-Martial
Continues in Germany By George Frey Associated Press April 14th, 2009 Vilseck, Germany - The
lawyer for a U.S. Army master sergeant accused of hatching a plan to kill
four bound and blindfolded Iraqis in 2007 on Tuesday continued to insist that
there was no evidence the killings even happened. At a U.S. Army court-martial
for Master Sgt. John Hatley, David Court questioned two soldiers who insisted
they had not seen anyone shot dead, as alleged, and then dumped in a Baghdad
canal. The bodies of the victims
have never been found. Court argues that for that reason, Army prosecutors
are relying only on circumstantial evidence and testimony from other
courts-martial. Two other soldiers have been
convicted of murder in the killings. Army prosecutor Capt.
Derrick Grace alleged Monday, in his opening remarks, that Hatley oversaw the
shootings of the detainees, telling a jury of eight officers and
non-commissioned officers that the career soldier told his comrades they were
going to "take care" of the Iraqis. But Court has discounted the
claims. On Tuesday, he asked Staff Sgt. Jess Cunningham, who was part of
Hatley's unit, if he witnessed any shootings by Hatley and two others - Sgt.
1st Class Joseph Mayo and then-Sgt. Michael Leahy. Mayo was sentenced to 35
years in prison, and Leahy to life in prison, both with the possibility of
parole, after they were convicted of the murders at separate courts-martial.
Mayo pleaded guilty. "Again, to your
personal knowledge, no one died at the canal that night?" Court asked in
the hearing room at the U.S. Army's Rose Barracks in southern Germany. "No, sir,"
Cunningham said flatly as Army judge Col. Jeffrey Nance listened intently. Court asked a second
soldier, Spc. Jonathan Shaffer, who was a machine gunner in Cunningham's
Humvee the night of the alleged shootings, if he saw anyone shoot the Iraqi
men. "No, sir," he
replied. Hatley, 40, has pleaded not
guilty to charges of premeditated murder, conspiracy to commit premeditated
murder and obstruction of justice in the alleged shootings that took place in
spring 2007 in the Iraqi capital. If convicted, he could be sentenced to life
in prison without the possibility of parole. He also faces charges of
murder stemming from a separate incident in January 2007. That victim had
been involved in a shootout with another U.S. patrol after an improvised
explosive device attack. Neither the Army nor Court
has identified Hatley's hometown. According to testimony at
previous courts-martial, at least four Iraqis were taken into custody in
spring 2007 after an exchange of fire with Hatley's unit and the discovery of
weapons in a building where suspects had fled. The detainees were taken to
the unit's base for questioning and processing, though there wasn't enough
evidence to hold them for attacking the unit. Later that night patrol members
took the men to a remote area and shot them so that they would not be able to
attack U.S. forces again, according to testimony. Two more soldiers pleaded
guilty in the spring incident, one to conspiracy to commit premeditated
murder and one to accessory to murder, and were sentenced to prison last
year. Two others, including Cunningham, had charges of conspiracy to commit
premeditated murder dropped this year. 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. Copyright © 2009 The
Associated Press. External link: http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5hYtcV7GUHRC88uGXnQ8Hl6I5lvbAD97I89B03 |