Three soldiers charged with murder

WASHINGTON – The Army charged three U.S. soldiers with the premeditated murder of three male detainees in Iraq last month.

The soldiers also were charged with obstructing justice for allegedly threatening to kill another soldier who was a witness in the case.

A brief Army announcement in Baghdad said the three accused soldiers are currently in pretrial confinement awaiting a hearing to determine if sufficient evidence exists for the case to be referred to court-martial.

The announcement provided no details about the alleged killings, but an official at the Pentagon said the three soldiers are accused of shooting three male detainees as they attempted to flee. The official discussed the matter on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to release details.

The official said the soldiers – members of the 3rd battalion, 187th infantry regiment, 101st Airborne Division – are being held in Kuwait.

The killings were said to have occurred during a military operation near Tharthar Canal in northern Salahuddin province May 9.

The accused soldiers were identified by the Army as Pfc. Corey R. Clagett, Spc. William B. Hunsaker and Staff Sgt. Raymond L. Girouard.

The charges include murder, attempted murder, conspiracy, communicating a threat and wrongfully attempting to influence the testimony of a witness in the investigation.

The maximum penalty for murder is death under the Uniform Code of Military Justice. Life in prison is the maximum penalty for attempted murder and for conspiracy to commit murder. The maximum punishment for wrongfully communicating a threat is five years in prison.

The Army’s official list of charges says each of the three soldiers is accused of premeditated murder of male detainees “of apparent Middle Eastern descent” whose names are unknown.

It says the detainees were shot with an unspecified firearm at or near the Muthana Chemical Complex.