Print

Email story

Comment

Email editor

Three U.S. soldiers charged with murder in Iraq

By ASSOCIATED PRESS
Published June 20, 2006

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 in pretrial 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 accused soldiers were identified by the Army as Pfc. Corey R. Clagett, Spc. William B. Hunsaker and Staff Sgt. Raymond L. Girouard of the 3rd Battalion, 187th Infantry Regiment, 101st Airborne Division. The killings were said to have occurred during a military operation in northern Salahuddin province on May 9.

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. In the Army's official list of charges, 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.

In its announcement from Baghdad, the U.S. military said that on the day of the incident 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, "I will kill you if you tell anyone." Girouard is accused of wrongfully communicating a threat by telling Mason, "I will kill you if you tell anyone" and "You better not talk or I will kill you." Clagett is accused of telling Mason: "Staff Sgt. Girouard will not have to kill you because I will kill you if you say anything."

[Last modified June 20, 2006, 07:02:03]