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| Girouard acquitted of murder, convicted on other charges | ||
| 2007-03-18 | ||
| FT. CAMPBELL, KY. — An Army squad leader accused of ordering his soldiers to kill three unarmed Iraqi detainees in May was acquitted Friday of premeditated murder and murder conspiracy. A court-martial panel convicted him of three counts of negligent homicide as well as obstruction of justice and conspiracy to obstruct justice. Staff Sgt. Raymond L. Girouard, 24, had faced a maximum sentence of life in prison without parole if convicted on the murder charges. His attorney said he now faced a maximum of 21 years in prison, with the opportunity to argue for a lower penalty at a sentencing hearing scheduled for Monday. Girouard, who had maintained a military bearing during his four-day court-martial, smiled and hugged his lawyers and sister moments after the verdict was announced by an Army lieutenant colonel who served as president of the seven-member panel. His lawyer, Anita Gorecki, said Girouard told her it was the first night he would return to his cell with hope for the future. "I have something to look forward to," she said he told her.
Girouard also was found guilty of violating a military regulation by not turning over a handgun his squad confiscated from a house 60 miles northwest of Baghdad, where the detainees were captured during an air assault mission May 9. His convictions carry an added penalty of dishonorable discharge and forfeiture of pay and allowances. The handgun charge carries a maximum penalty of two years. The three counts of negligent homicide carry a maximum sentence of three years each, and the obstruction of justice counts a maximum of five years each. There is no minimum sentence for any of the counts. Girouard will receive credit for 368 days served — more than he actually has been confined because some of those days were in solitary confinement or under other restrictions.
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| Posted by:Steve White |