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| Iraq-Jordan |
| Three US soldiers to face court-martial |
| 2005-06-04 |
| DENVER - Three 3rd Armored Cavalry Regiment soldiers have been ordered to stand trial at Fort Carson for murder in the alleged suffocation death of an Iraqi general. Maj. Gen. Robert Mixon, commander of Fort Carson, ordered a court-martial for Chief Warrant Officer Lewis Welshofer, Chief Warrant officer Jeff L. Williams, and Spc. Jerry Loper, Army spokeswoman Kim Tisor said on Thursday. They are accused in the death of Maj. Gen. Abed Mowhoush, who died during an interrogation on Nov. 26, 2003. The three soldiers also are charged with assault and dereliction of duty during combat operations for their actions at a prison in western Iraq called Blacksmith House. If convicted of all three charges, they face life imprisonment without parole, forfeiture of all pay and dishonorable discharges. No date was set for their court-martial. Through their attorneys, all have denied wrongdoing, saying commanders had sanctioned their actions. Hearing officer Capt. Robert Ayers had recommended dismissal of all charges against a fourth soldier, Sgt. 1st Class William Sommer. Ayers presided over a preliminary hearing for Williams, Loper and Sommer in April. Welshofer waived his right to a preliminary hearing. Welshofer and Williams were interrogators, Loper a prison guard, and Sommer an interpreter. Ayers recommended Sommer receive a reprimand for failing to protect Mowhoush and be given immunity so he can testify against the other soldiers, according to a report obtained last month by The Denver Post. Ayers also recommended that Williams face reduced charges of involuntary manslaughter and assault instead of murder charges. "It is possible his actions were inherently dangerous, but more than likely government counsel will only be able to prove at court-martial that CW2 Williams acted with culpable negligence," Ayers wrote in his report dated May 5. Army prosecutors say Mowhoush had been put headfirst into a sleeping bag, wrapped in electrical cord and knocked down. The soldiers then sat and stood on him, prosecutors said. Previously secret court testimony indicates the Iraqi general's body was badly bruised and he may have been severely beaten two days before he was suffocated to death. |
| Posted by:Steve White |
| #3 Sounds like Murder 1 if proven. |
| Posted by: Shipman 2005-06-04 10:35 |
| #2 Nov. 26, 2003 That's when the insurgency began blowing people up fulltime. |
| Posted by: seriously annoyed 2005-06-04 08:15 |
| #1 saying commanders had sanctioned their actions. Good luck with your blame authority defense. Somehow I think it will be a tough sell that these actions were sanctioned: Mowhoush had been put headfirst into a sleeping bag, wrapped in electrical cord and knocked down. The soldiers then sat and stood on him, ...the Iraqi general’s body was badly bruised and he may have been severely beaten two days before he was suffocated to death. |
| Posted by: 2b 2005-06-04 00:24 |