Reply #3: US seeks delay in case of ex-soldier accused of killing, raping Iraqis

[Barrett808]

LOUISVILLE, United States (AFP) - US prosecutors have asked to delay the indictment and arraignment of a former soldier charged with murder and rape in the deaths of four Iraqi family members, according to court documents filed.

Steven D. Green, 21, is accused of being the ringleader of a group soldiers who broke into a house near Mahmudiyah and burned the bodies of their victims after killing them to make it look like sectarian violence on March 12.

The alleged incident only came to light on June 20 after a "combat stress debriefing" of other members of Green's unit.

The former private with the US Army's storied 101st Airborne Division could face the death penalty if convicted over the latest alleged atrocities to taint the image of US soldiers in Iraq.

...

Prosecutors said in a court filing published Thursday that they need more time to coordinate the investigation and avoid scheduling conflicts with a military hearing examining the charges against the five soldiers still in Iraq who have been charged in the case.

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http://news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20060720/pl_afp/iraqunrestusmilitary