U.S. soldier who killed servicemen in Iraq gets life in prison
Source: Reuters
By Eric M. Johnson
TACOMA, Washington | Thu May 16, 2013 12:52pm EDT
(Reuters) - A U.S. Army sergeant on Thursday was sentenced to life in prison without parole for killing five fellow servicemen in a shooting spree in Iraq that was one of the worst instances of violence by an American soldier against other American troops.
In a deal that spared him the death penalty, Sergeant John Russell pleaded guilty last month to killing two medical staff officers and three soldiers at the Camp Liberty combat stress clinic, near Baghdad's airport.
The military has said the 2009 shooting might have been triggered by combat stress.
Russell faced an abbreviated court-martial at Joint Base Lewis-McChord in Washington state to determine the level of his guilt, and the military judge in the case ruled on Monday that the 48-year-old Texan had killed with premeditation.
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Read more: http://www.reuters.com/article/2013/05/16/us-usa-iraq-courtmartial-idUSBRE94F0G620130516
on point
(2,506 posts)Seems we have a terrible double standard going on here.
All the cases I know of, of rape, of mass shootings etc that are civilian related the perps got very little to no time
Lasher
(27,500 posts)US male life expectancy = 75 years. Average annual cost of federal incarceration = $25,000.
Octafish
(55,745 posts)While I didn't know Maj. Houseal, I went to high school with one of his younger siblings.
Bush, Cheney, Rumsfeld and all their enablers and liars should be in prison, too. They lied America into an illegal, immoral, unnecessary and disastrous war. My friend's family will never be the same -- nor will those who know them. And our world also will be the poorer for Bush Jr.'s war.
struggle4progress
(118,039 posts)John Russell found guilty of murder in case that raises questions about mental health problems of Iraq war veterans
Associated Press in Washington
Friday 17 May 2013 02.05 EDT
... The 14-year veteran had previously pleaded guilty to unpremeditated murder in exchange for prosecutors removing the possibility of the death penalty. Under the agreement, prosecutors were allowed to try to prove to an army judge at Joint Base Lewis-McChord in Washington state that the killings were premeditated. A streamlined court martial ended on Saturday ...
Russell had long sought help with sleep troubles and was stammering and crying for help in the days before the shooting. His commanders were so alarmed that they disarmed him and sent him for repeated visits to mental health clinics, said attorney James Culp ...
The day before the killings, psychiatrist Michael Jones told him that a mental disability retirement would require "some kind of suicidal psychotic crisis", Major Daniel Mazzone said during closing arguments, according to the Los Angeles Times.
But when Russell saw Jones again the next day, the psychiatrist said he had no intention of giving him "a golden ticket" out of the army ...
http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2013/may/17/us-army-sergeant-john-russell
Selatius
(20,441 posts)Funny how military justice works.