Soldier Gets 5 Life Sentences Iraqi Deaths

(AP)  A former U.S. soldier received five consecutive life sentences Friday for his role in the rape and murder of an Iraqi teenager and the slaying of three of her family members.

"What the defendant did was horrifying and inexcusable," U.S. District Judge Thomas Russell said in sentencing Steven Dale Green, 24. "The court believes any lesser sentence would be insufficient."

A Green in May of raping Abeer Qassim al-Janabi, conspiracy and multiple counts of murder.

Green shot and killed the teen's mother, father and sister, then became the third soldier to rape her before shooting her in the face. Her body was set on fire March 12, 2006, at their rural home outside Mahmoudiya, Iraq, about 20 miles south of Baghdad.

Green was the first person charged under the Military Extraterritorial Jurisdiction Act, a law passed in 2000 that allows U.S. authorities to prosecute former military personnel, contractors and others for crimes committed overseas.

The panel couldn't reach an unanimous decision about whether Green should get a death sentence, automatically making Green's sentence life in prison. Barring a successful appeal or presidential pardon, Green will not be eligible for release from prison.

Green told the judge he merely followed orders from other soldiers involved in the attack.

"You can act like I'm a sociopath. You can act like I'm a sex offender or whatever," Green said. "If I had not joined the Army, if I had not gone to Iraq, I would not have got caught up in anything."

At a hearing in May, Green repeatedly apologized to the al-Janabi family, saying he knew little about Iraqis and realizes now his actions then were wrong. Green described the attacks as "evil" and said when he dies "there will be justice and whatever I deserve, I'll get."

During Green's trial, defense attorneys never contested Green's role in the attacks. Instead, they focused on saving his life by putting on witnesses that testified that the military failed Green on multiple fronts - by allowing a troubled teen into the service, not recognizing and helping a soldier struggling emotionally and providing inadequate leadership.

During the sentencing hearing, defense attorney Patrick Bouldin said Green tried to take responsibility for his role in the attacks, twice offering to plead guilty and serve life in prison. Assistant U.S. Attorney Marisa Ford said one offer came on the eve of jury selection, the other two weeks into jury selection.

Green and four other soldiers with the 101st Airborne Division based at Fort Campbell, Kentucky, were investigated after the killings. Three who went to the family's home, along with Green, received lengthy sentences up to 110 years but will become eligible for parole in seven years. Another who had a lesser role was released from military prison after serving 27 months.

All except Green were charged under the Uniform Code of Military Justice and faced a military trial, known as a court martial. Two of the soldiers who were at the home when Green shot the family pleaded guilty and a military jury convicted a third.

Green said the idea of his co-defendants being out of prison one day is "all right with me."

"They planned it," Green said. "All I ever did was what they told me to do."

By the time the Army pressed charges in June 2006, Green had been honorably discharged with a personality disorder and returned to the United States. Because Green had been discharged, prosecutors filed an indictment against him as a civilian.

[Sloughfoot]

sayfud-deen Find me an impartial book on Islam! Accross the World, China, Indonesia, Central Asia, Mid East, Africa, Islam has been at the root of cowardly evil offenses for How Long? Get off the Holier than thou pulpit you've errected for yourself and those cowardly bastards you defend.

That said, Green should have been hung.

[nextgenman09]

Two failed, quagmire wars all because the RINOtards wet their pants in fear over a few thousand tribal level terrorists.

[Lawyers-Guns-n-Money]

by OneStaticHorizon September 5, 2009 9:04 AM EDT
Some small minded warmonger calls me a socialist? I guess being smart enough to appose a bad war confuses simple, ignorant minds. warmongers are the lowest forms of humanity.

You people who still support this war are s disgrace to your country!
==============================================

You have to agree it's a fair assessment. One broad brush stroke deserves another.

[babooph]

He should have just volunteered to torture suspects-nobody will ever answer for that& his sick mind would be sated.

[toldyouso29]

At a hearing in May, Green repeatedly apologized to the al-Janabi family, saying he knew little about Iraqis and realizes now his actions then were wrong."

Uhm,... the entire Al-Janabi family was murdered. Did they perhaps mean the extended family that was left. And he realizes now, his actions were wrong? prior to that --raping a child then shooting her in the face and killing her 5 year old sister and parents did not seem wrong? Or because they were Iraqis, it did not count?

THIS is what GWB et al have created--and there are more like him who have not been caught. They often come home and kill their wives or girl friends and cut them up and put them in BBQ pits.....or they commit suicide. Green is by no means alone in this kind of atrocity or mind set.

[stryker54]

As a former soldier of Vietnam, I find it difficult to swallow the jury didn't give a death sentence. We are to be soldiers, not out to murder civilians which this scum did. But to also rape a child, shoot her in the face and than burn her, there is no excuse. War is a bad business to be in but this is not what we are suppose to be about. A sad day for all people everywhere.

[stevex47]

Rape, horror, murder, holocaust. boosh/cheney succeeded.

Mission Accomplished.

[ddog88]

Golly-how shocking. Human beings acting like animals in a war. What part of WAR do Americans think is humane and civilized? The act of engaging an enemy and violently killing them is how we are setting these people free. Murder, rape and torture have been a part of war throughout history. Does the quote "War is hell" ring a bell? You can't send 18 year old children in to kill other human beings and not expect them to be warped in ways that our society considers scary. For the love of God, can't we stop already????

[brianbwb-2009]

To Acontradiction

Your point is well made, but omits one important fact, the Iraqis have done nothing to us that makes them our "enemy".

[toldyouso29]

Sure, they did--somehow they had OUR oil, under their sand.

For that crime, we get to invade them based on lies and occupy them and then expect them to thank us and call us heroes for the havoc and mayhem and death we wreaked on them.

[jobear58]

That fool thought that it was his GOD given right to rape that young woman, then kill her and her family members. He thought he could get away with because they were Iraqis and he was a soldier. He should have gotten the death penalty. The only reason why he did not get the death penalty for murdering those people is because he's white and they were Iraqis. Had he been an Iraqi and his victims were white, I sure he would have been slaughtered where he stood. The so-called American majority would have looked the other way while he was tortured, gunned down like a dog, or until he finally put himself out of his misery and end it all.

But it was never meant to be, because he's white. And the court system will do everything within their power to keep this "good ole boy" alive because he's a "real American soldier". YEAH!....right.

[PVperson2]

No, he should have been handed over to the Iraqis to deal with as they wished.

[ffoulkes-2009]

No, you are both wrong. He should have been given a trial and sentenced to what the court saw fit. (as is what happened).

[tayon]

Good for him now u will follow orders the rest of your life

[ffoulkes-2009]

And if the female was a US servicewoman, the guilty ones leaders would label them heroes.