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Federal judge sentences ex-US soldier to life in Mahmudiya rape-murder case

By Bernard Hibbitts (editor) and University of Pittsburgh School of Law students.

[JURIST] Former US soldier Steven Green was sentenced Friday to five consecutive life terms in prison for the rape and murder of an Iraqi teenage girl and the murder of her family in Mahmudiya. A federal jury in the US District Court for the Western District of Kentucky, which convicted Green in May, failed to reach a unanimous decision on whether Green should get the death penalty, automatically giving him a life sentence that was confirmed Friday. Prosecutors had sought the death penalty, but Green's defense maintained that he did not deserve capital punishment due to the highly stressful combat situation he was in and a lack of sufficient leadership. Green faced a civilian jury after being discharged from the military for a psychiatric disorder before the charges were brought. He was one of six soldiers charged with involvement in the rape and murders. Three other soldiers pleaded guilty in court-martial proceedings and a fourth was convicted. Spc. James Barker and Sgt. Paul Cortez were sentenced to 90 and 100 years respectively, while Pfc. Bryan Howard, who stayed at the checkpoint and had prior knowledge of the plans, was sentenced to 27 months in jail. The fourth, Pfc. Jesse Spielman, was convicted by a military jury and sentenced to 110 years. Prosecutors dropped charges of dereliction of duty against the sixth member, Sgt. Anthony Yribe, who was other than honorably discharged.

Full post as published by JURIST - The Paper Chase on September 04, 2009 (boomark / email).