WASHINGTON - The Army charged three U.S. soldiers with the premeditated murder of three male detainees in Iraq last month.
The soldiers also were charged with obstructing justice for allegedly threatening to kill another soldier who was a witness in the case.
A brief Army announcement in Baghdad said the three accused soldiers are currently in pre-trial confinement awaiting a hearing to determine if sufficient evidence exists for the case to be referred to court-martial.
The maximum penalty for murder is death, under the Uniform Code of Military Justice.
The announcement provided no details about the alleged killings, but a defense official at the Pentagon said the three soldiers are accused of shooting three male detainees as they attempted to flee. The official discussed the matter on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to release details.
The official said the soldiers - members of the 3rd battalion, 187th infantry regiment, 101st Airborne Division - are being held in Kuwait. The killings were said to have happened during a military operation near Thar Thar Canal in northern Salahuddin province on May 9.
The accused soldiers were identified by the Army as Pfc. Corey R. Clagett, Spc. William B. Hunsaker and Staff Sergeant Raymond L. Girouard.
The charges include murder, attempted murder, conspiracy, communicating a threat and wrongfully attempting to influence the testimony of a witness in the investigation.
Life in prison is the maximum penalty for attempted murder and for conspiracy to commit murder. The maximum punishment for wrongfully communicating a threat is five years in prison.
The Army's official list of charges says each of the three soldiers is accused of premeditated murder of male detainees “of apparent Middle Eastern descent” whose names are unknown. It does not say they were Iraqis. It says the detainees were shot with an unspecified firearm at or near the Muthana Chemical Complex.
In its announcement from Baghdad, the U.S. military said that on the day the alleged murders were committed the unit commander ordered an inquiry. It said a criminal investigation began on May 17 and is continuing.
Girouard is charged with three counts of murder, one count of conspiring with Hunsaker and Clagett to commit premeditated murder and one count of attempted premeditated murder. Clagett and Hunsaker are each charged with two counts of murder, one count of conspiracy to commit murder and one count of attempted murder.
In specifying the charges against the soldiers, the Army said Clagett, Hunsaker and Girouard also are accused of interfering with the investigation by threatening to kill Pfc. Bradley L. Mason if he testified against them.
The Army accused Hunsaker of telling Mason on May 10 - the day after the shootings - “I will kill you if you tell anyone.” It said Hunsaker also threatened Mason during a period between May 10 and June 15 by telling him, “Don't tell anyone because if I go to jail I will kill you.”
Girouard is accused of wrongfully communicating a threat by telling Mason the day after the shootings, “I will kill you if you tell anyone” and “You better not talk or I will kill you.”
Clagett allegedly told Mason on May 29 while traveling by vehicle to an Army Criminal Investigation Command office in Iraq, “Staff Sergeant Girouard will not have to kill you because I will kill you if you say anything.”
AP-ES-06-19-06 1902EDT
A brief Army announcement in Baghdad said the three accused soldiers are currently in pre-trial confinement awaiting a hearing to determine if sufficient evidence exists for the case to be referred to court-martial.
The maximum penalty for murder is death, under the Uniform Code of Military Justice.
The announcement provided no details about the alleged killings, but a defense official at the Pentagon said the three soldiers are accused of shooting three male detainees as they attempted to flee. The official discussed the matter on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to release details.
The official said the soldiers - members of the 3rd battalion, 187th infantry regiment, 101st Airborne Division - are being held in Kuwait. The killings were said to have happened during a military operation near Thar Thar Canal in northern Salahuddin province on May 9.
The accused soldiers were identified by the Army as Pfc. Corey R. Clagett, Spc. William B. Hunsaker and Staff Sergeant Raymond L. Girouard.
The charges include murder, attempted murder, conspiracy, communicating a threat and wrongfully attempting to influence the testimony of a witness in the investigation.
Life in prison is the maximum penalty for attempted murder and for conspiracy to commit murder. The maximum punishment for wrongfully communicating a threat is five years in prison.
The Army's official list of charges says each of the three soldiers is accused of premeditated murder of male detainees “of apparent Middle Eastern descent” whose names are unknown. It does not say they were Iraqis. It says the detainees were shot with an unspecified firearm at or near the Muthana Chemical Complex.
In its announcement from Baghdad, the U.S. military said that on the day the alleged murders were committed the unit commander ordered an inquiry. It said a criminal investigation began on May 17 and is continuing.
Girouard is charged with three counts of murder, one count of conspiring with Hunsaker and Clagett to commit premeditated murder and one count of attempted premeditated murder. Clagett and Hunsaker are each charged with two counts of murder, one count of conspiracy to commit murder and one count of attempted murder.
In specifying the charges against the soldiers, the Army said Clagett, Hunsaker and Girouard also are accused of interfering with the investigation by threatening to kill Pfc. Bradley L. Mason if he testified against them.
The Army accused Hunsaker of telling Mason on May 10 - the day after the shootings - “I will kill you if you tell anyone.” It said Hunsaker also threatened Mason during a period between May 10 and June 15 by telling him, “Don't tell anyone because if I go to jail I will kill you.”
Girouard is accused of wrongfully communicating a threat by telling Mason the day after the shootings, “I will kill you if you tell anyone” and “You better not talk or I will kill you.”
Clagett allegedly told Mason on May 29 while traveling by vehicle to an Army Criminal Investigation Command office in Iraq, “Staff Sergeant Girouard will not have to kill you because I will kill you if you say anything.”
AP-ES-06-19-06 1902EDT
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