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The War Profiteers - War Crimes,
Kidnappings & Torture |
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February 28th,
2009 - Ky. Army Officer Gets 25 Years for Detainee Murder |
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Ky. Army Officer Gets 25 Years
for Detainee Murder From the Associated Press February 28, 2009 Fort Campbell, Ky. - An Army
officer was sentenced to 25 years in prison by a military jury Saturday for
shooting and killing an Iraqi detainee during an interrogation. First Lt. Michael Behenna of
Edmond, Okla., was convicted a day earlier of murder and assault, but
acquitted of making a false statement. He had faced up to life in prison. "We are disappointed at
the jury's verdict and the sentence," Behenna's attorney Jack Zimmermann
said. Zimmermann said he has filed
a motion for a mistrial, claiming prosecutors withheld evidence that could
help Behenna's defense. The judge has scheduled arguments on the motion
Monday, Zimmermann said. Behenna testified he was
trying to defend himself when he shot Ali Mansour Mohammed and that the
detainee reached for the officer's gun in a secluded railroad culvert near
Beiji, Iraq, in May. Prosecutors said the
detainee was defenseless against Behenna and the officer's threats and other
actions showed he had planned to kill the man. Zimmermann said Behenna
wouldn't have brought along an Iraqi translator if he had planned to kill the
detainee. Behenna testified that he
threatened Mohammed and pointed his gun at him to scare out information about
a roadside bombing that killed two members of his platoon. Behenna said he
believed Mohammed was involved in the bombing and could provide names of the
insurgents responsible. After the detainee was shot
twice, once in the head and once in the chest, another Fort Campbell soldier
testified that he tossed an incendiary grenade on the body. Staff Sgt. Hal Warner,
pleaded guilty this month to charges of assault, maltreatment of a
subordinate and making a false statement. Warner, from Braggs, Okla., was
sentenced to 17 months in prison and testified against Behenna. As part of his sentence,
Behenna received a dismissal and forfeiture of pay and allowances, said 101st
Airborne Division spokesman Maj. Johnpaul Arnold. Copyright © 2009 The
Associated Press. External link: http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5jzuwkhrcOZ-H5K2HgCBMz-ICJ0nwD96KVB6O2 |