GI Pleads Guilty In Iraq Rape-Slay

(AP)  One of four U.S. soldiers accused of raping a 14-year-old Iraqi girl last spring and killing her and her family pleaded guilty Wednesday and agreed to testify against the others.

Spc. James P. Barker agreed to the plea deal to avoid the death penalty, said his civilian attorney, David Sheldon.

The military judge presiding over the case, Lt. Col. Richard Anderson, asked Barker why he participated in the attack in Mahmoudiya, a village about 20 miles south of Baghdad. It was among the worst in a series of alleged attacks on civilians and other abuses by military personnel in Iraq.

"I hated Iraqis, your honor," Barker answered. "They can smile at you, then shoot you in your face without even thinking about it."

Sgt. Paul E. Cortez and Pfc. Jesse V. Spielman, members of the 101st Airborne Division with Barker, also are charged in the case. Cortez deferred entering a plea during his arraignment Wednesday morning. Spielman will be arraigned in December. The fourth soldier, Pfc. Bryan L. Howard, also deferred entering a plea at his arraignment in October.

A fifth person, former Army private Steve Green, 21, pleaded not guilty last week to civilian charges including murder and sexual assault.

Green was discharged from the Army for a "personality disorder" before the allegations became known, and prosecutors have yet to say if they will pursue the death penalty against him.

The defendants are accused of raping the girl and burning her body to conceal their crimes, then killing the girl's father, mother and 6-year-old sister.

After entering his plea Wednesday, Barker gave the court a vivid account of the events.

Barker said he and the others were drinking and playing cards while they manned a traffic checkpoint. Green brought up the idea of raping the girl and killing her family, he said.

"He brought it up to me and asked me what I thought about it. At a couple of points, I told him he was crazy," Barker said.

Barker said he and Green then approached the others with the idea, but there never was a verbal agreement to do it.

"Things just got set in motion, we just started changing (clothes), myself, Cortez and Green," Barker said. "By the time we started changing clothes, it was more or less a nonverbal agreement that we were going to go along with what we were discussing."

Barker said he, Green and Cortez raped the girl, and Green killed the girl, her parents and her sister.

[feelfree1]

These soldiers gang-raped this 14-year-old Iraqi girl, then executed her, and burned her corpse to cover up their crimes.

They executed her parents, and her 7-year-old sister, then they stuck around and prepared themselves a nice chicken dinner. The scene was discovered by the remaining little brothers, of this young Iraqi girl.

As sickening as these acts are, even these "troops" deserve a minimum level of support. They too, are victims of the criminal Bush regime invasion of Iraq. Even these horrific criminals deserve an apology from the Bush regime.

Bush/Cheney 4 Prison in 2008!!!

[courtneyg11]

Rape is rape...however, burning your crime is worse. What did this family do to these soldiers? The people in Iran want to hang Saddam for his crimes but the American Judicial system wants to break a deal with American soldiers? Oh please!

[peacethinker-2009]

These guys were thugs and bullies. They deserve harsh punishment. No telling how many other similar incidents of unnecesarry killings have happened and will never be widely known. This stuff happens when you give certain people guns and allow them control over others.

[angel3inpa]

It sickens me to think that ANYONE would rape a 14 year old girl---irregardless of her nationality. Then to murder her along with her parents and SIX-year-old sister is despicable!! God bless the souls of the individuals who did this to innocent people. They will have to live with this for the rest of their lives. Prison is too good for them!!

[linfinster]

Yeah, well I hope they go to prison where they're raped repeatedly until the death needle is stuck in them!

[kjgal]

These "men" are no better than the sick, sadistic barbarians they were sent there to protect the world against. They should suffer the same fate of any terrorist, because that's exactly what they are. To call them soldiers is a slap in the face to the men and women who are there risking their lives to protect us and the rest of the world. I wouldn't spit on those "men" if they were on fire. Boy are they going to burn, too.

[regkearney]

How can the American government claim to believe that democracy is budding in Iraq and have an agreement that exempts US military personnel from prosecution in an Iraqi court? This concept of extraterritoriality is reminiscent of the unequal treaties imperial powers had with "lesser" nations. Iraqi courts are able to dole out justice for Hussein but not Americans. This is a real indication of what Americans think of the Iraqis.

[theeggman369]

The problem is that evil exists everywhere. Americans are not immune, as no nation or religion is. However, to judge an entire nation by the unsanctiond actions of a few sick people is wrong, but you better believe that Al-Jazeera and CBS will get many miles out of the public trial which will be held. And while the former will falsely claim that this is the true face of America, I can only hope that CBS can at least show this for what it is, mentally sick people doing what mentally sick people sometimes do. It is not a reflection of American policies or procedures any more than the crazed sick people who will slice off the head of a living being truly reflect the entire Islam nation. Since this has become world knowledge, the only thing we can do is to make the trials public. We show the world that we can at least police our own. How many Islamic fundamentalist actively tried to stop the be-headings of American Hostages. Where was their cry of anger over those attrocities? Heck, Al-Jazeera promoted it like it was the second coming, the next best thing since sliced white bread...

[sy2502]

I truly appreciate the effort of the US military in Iraq and putting their lives on the line. But these episodes need to be reported and the perpetrators need to be punished. This is the kind of stuff that Saddam's sons used to do. There are always bad apples in any military, the difference between us and Saddam is that we do not condone them, we don't sweep under the rag. We need to show the Iraqis that we are better than their former regime by denouncing these crimes publically and going after the people responsible for them.

[tinker3478]

Got to agree with you what. Rape is never acceptable, never, never, never! Did you know the Russians raped nearly 100% of the German women on their way to Berlin? American GIs were told they would be court-martialed on the spot.