Ex-soldier gets 5 life sentences for Iraqi deaths

[sabra]

Source: AP



PADUCAH, Ky. – A former soldier has received five consecutive life sentences for his role in the rape and murder of an Iraqi teenager and the slaying of three of her family members.

Barring a successful appeal or presidential pardon, 24-year-old Steven Dale Green of Midland, Texas, will not be eligible for release from prison.

U.S. District Judge Thomas Russell handed down the sentence Friday in federal court in western Kentucky.

A civilian jury convicted Green in May of conspiracy, rape and multiple counts of murder for the deaths of the al-Janabi family on March 12, 2006, at their rural home outside Mahmoudiya, Iraq, about 20 miles south of Baghdad. The panel couldn't reach a unanimous decision about whether Green should get a death sentence, automatically making Green's sentence life in prison.



Read more: http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20090904/ap_on_re_us/us_iraq... ;_ylt=AivmU4IaS8nEu.lnwN03LwWs0NUE;_ylu=X3oDMTM2b3U5OTZ1BGFzc2V0A2FwLzIwMDkwOTA0L3VzX2lyYXFfcmFwZV9zbGF5aW5nBGNwb3MDNwRwb3MDNARwdANob21lX2Nva2UEc2VjA3luX2hlYWRsaW5lX2xpc3QEc2xrA2V4LX

[rollingrock]

1. Good riddance

May he rot in jail forever.

[Judi Lynn]

2. What a shame he ever went to Iraq. Unspeakable evil.

[Rebubula]

4. No...

...then he would have done this sick shit here.

It is a Shame that he was not killed in a training accident before leaving for Iraq...

[gratuitous]

3. Can't he say he was just following orders?

I understand that would have earned him a "get out of jail free" card from David Broder.

[OnyxCollie]

5. Justice for Abeer and her family. nt

[Mari333]

6. how many yrs do Bush and Cheney get for over 1 million dead Iraqi civilians?

oh never mind.

[customerserviceguy]

8. Frankly, I was surprised

that Bush did not issue blanket pardons for anyone convicted of anything connected with his wars.

[Thothmes]

16. The same sentence Johnson got for 3 million Vietnames dead

[dipsydoodle]

7. "consecutive"

good word that - far far better than concurrent.

[Joe Chi Minh]

10. "concurrent" is OK, if you've got more than one body. The blind arrogance of our

respective legislatures, insulting our intelligence in this way, never ceases to outrage me.

If you committed a crime and were sentenced to twelve years, it would seem perfectly rational, on the face of it, to ask the judge if he/she would mind splitting the sentence into 12 years, each to be served concurrently.

[robo50]

9. His Commander in Chief should be sentenced to the same life term

in my opinion, he is just as guilty of conspiring for atrocities like this to happen on his watch.

[Hubert Flottz]

11. The bastid would never had been in Iraq, if Bush and Cheney

and the rest of the neoCONs had't lied to start the war.

[greiner3]

12. When the republicans regain power;

(As soon as 2012?) this guy will get a pardon, be awarded the Freedom Medal and get a ticker tape parade.

Just saying.

[ooglymoogly]

13. Killer of innocent Iraqi's to nailed sex slave.

wonder how long this evil bastard will keep his teeth which, for his type, in prison, are an impediment to good relations.

[alcibiades_mystery]

18. You're a big fan of rape and torture?

[ooglymoogly]

19. grow up and try to think....I am stating a probable fact.

if the past is any kind of rule of thumb. Pug logic escapes me.

[alcibiades_mystery]

20. Who are you kidding?

Your post is a celebration of this kind of evil. You have no standing calling anybody evil if you enjoy that type of shit. Stop pretending otherwise.

[ooglymoogly]

22. Wow such anger....project much?

[Blandocyte]

23. I liked your wondering

you were just sayin'. Sheesh. It's not like you were condoning the reality, just wondering about it.

[ooglymoogly]

25. Thank you, I don't think the other poster got it.

It was a tongue in cheek wondering on some realities of prison life.

[24601]

14. He appears to have merited death, but I'll respect the jury's

failure to reach unanimity on that point.

[ShortnFiery]

15. No worries. When we're not looking they'll knock it down to 10 years like all the other

soldiers who were convicted of offenses/murder in Iraq.

[liberalmuse]

17. All those who voted for Bush AND supported this war...

are also guilty of this unspeakable crime.

[Fire_Medic_Dave]

24. MMMMkay.

[New Dawn]

27. Exactly, especially the members of Congress that voted for it.

They should be sent to jail for launching an illegal war of aggression and committing genocide against the Iraqi people.

[Vidar]

21. Good.

[Odin2005]

26. Life? He should be executed!

IMO if a soldier commits war crimes he or she should die by firing squad.