Soldier Pleads Not Guilty in Killing of Iraqis
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Thursday, September 27, 2007
BAGHDAD, Sept. 26 -- A U.S. soldier pleaded not guilty Wednesday to charges of killing Iraqis and then trying to cover it up by planting weapons on their bodies.
Spec. Jorge G. Sandoval of Laredo, Tex., has been charged with premeditated murder, wrongfully placing weapons with the remains of the Iraqis and obstructing justice. He faces a maximum sentence of life in prison if convicted.
Military prosecutors said the deaths occurred separately between April and June near Iskandariyah, a mostly Sunni Arab city about 30 miles south of Baghdad.
The investigation began after military authorities received reports of alleged wrongdoing from fellow soldiers, the Army has said.
Wearing his military uniform, Sandoval sat flanked by two military defense lawyers during the opening day of his court-martial on a U.S. base west of Baghdad.
"War in Iraq is hell," Capt. Craig Drummond, one of the defense attorneys, said in his opening statement. "Battle lines are sometimes unclear. The enemy does not always show itself. The enemy of this war attacks, hides, then attacks again."
Sandoval faces five charges: murder of an unknown Iraqi male on April 27, placing a detonation wire on his body, premeditated murder of another Iraqi male with a 9mm pistol on May 11, placing an AK-47 rifle on his body and failing to ensure humane treatment of a detainee -- the victim.
The prosecutor, Capt. Sarah Rykowski, told the court that it must decide "what was in the accused's mind when he shot an unknown man cutting grass" and killed another "with a 9mm pistol from a few inches away."
Spec. Alexander Flores, who was in the same squad as Sandoval on the day of the April killing, testified that they were acting on orders of their platoon leader, who said the suspect was "our guy" and ordered them to "move in," which they interpreted as "take the target out."
After the killing, Flores said, Staff Sgt. Michael Hensley told him to place a spool of detonation wire on the body and in the man's pocket, which would make him appear to be an insurgent.
"The burden to prove this case is on the government," Drummond said during a recess. "We heard from Flores's own mouth that he placed the command wire on the body, not Sandoval."
Hensley and another soldier, Sgt. Evan Vela, are also charged in the case.
