CORRUPTION IN MILITARY JUSTICE

With lies obviously abundant why does this prosecution continue? What sort of prosecution service gives witnesses incentives to lie? And after all the lies, how can "beyond reasonable doubt" ever be satisfied?

A Soldier convicted of murdering unarmed Iraqis testified Thursday that he falsely implicated his platoon leader in one of the slayings so that he could get a lighter prison sentence. The startling testimony came near the conclusion of a military hearing to determine whether 2nd Lt. Erick J. Anderson should be court-martialed on murder charges. A decision isn't expected until after Thanksgiving. Pvt. Michael Williams said, contrary to his earlier statements and those of other Soldiers, that the Iraqi victim was already dead when Anderson arrived. He said Anderson never gave any order to kill him. "I just felt that pressure of getting a life sentence instead of 25 years," Williams said. "It's just a lot of my fear."

On Wednesday, an Army investigator testified that Williams implicated his platoon leader only after his prison sentence was reduced to 25 years from life. Williams' original statement led to murder charges being filed against Anderson in October. Anderson was charged with ordering Williams and a second Soldier to kill Iraqi civilians while the platoon was conducting missions in August 2004 near Sadr City, outside Baghdad.

Prosecutors said in closing arguments that many of the witnesses changed their stories of the events out of loyalty to Anderson, whom many considered a good leader. Capt. Chuck Neill said the original statements given to investigators in Iraq spoke volumes. "These are the kind of events that would stay in someone's mind," Neill said.

Neal Puckett, Anderson's civilian attorney and former Marine Corps judge, said the government's case was a "used car" that would "never pass go in a courtroom." Puckett characterized Williams as a crazed killer who looked out only for himself. "Who knows what's in his brain? He was looking to send bad guys to Allah," Puckett said. The private was given immunity from being charged with crimes related to his testimony.

Williams testified that after entering a house during a search, he and his team found an Iraqi man with an AK-47 rifle. Williams said he shot the man twice in the chest after the man reached for the gun. Contradicting his own statements and those of other Soldiers in the platoon, Williams said he fired a third shot at the Iraqi to make sure he was dead before Anderson arrived at the house.

Prosecutors argue that after entering the house, Anderson told Williams the man was not dead yet and said to finish him off. In the separate incident, prosecutors allege Anderson ordered two sergeants to kill a wounded teenager during night operations near Sadr City. The two sergeants were convicted; they claimed it was a "mercy killing" authorized by Anderson.

Report here



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