Unwicked

Private Jesse Spielman / AP

You can read more of this story at both BBC.com and Raw Story.

Private Jesse Spielman was sentenced in military court to 110 years for conspiracy to Private Jesse Spielmanrape and murder.

From the BBC story:

Earlier in the week-long court martial at Fort Campbell in Kentucky, Pfc Spielman of the 101st Airborne Division admitted arson, conspiracy to obstruct justice, wrPrivate Jesse Spielmanongfully touching a corpse and drinking.

Although prosecutors did not accuse Pfc Spielman of taking part in the rape or murders, they argued he had participated in the planning of the attack while drinking whisky and playing cards with the other soldiers.

One of the soldiers convicted of the attack, Sgt Paul Cortez, said that Pfc Spielman had stood within a few feet of them as they held down Abeer Qassim al-Janabi and had done nothing to stop them raping her.

The soldiers then killed Miss Janabi, her parents and her younger sister.

But another, Spc James Baker, testified that several portions of a sworn statement, which he had allowed investigators to draft, had falsely exaggerated Pfc Spielman’s role in the attack.

On Friday evening, the military jury ruled that Pfc Spielman was guilty of conspiracy to commit rape, rape, housebreaking with intent to commit rape and four counts of felony murder.

Spc Barker, Sgt Cortez and another soldier, Pf. Bryan L Howard, pleaded guilty for their roles in the slayings and received sentences of five to 100 years under plea agreements with prosecutors.

The alleged ringleader, former Pvt Steven Green was discharged from the army for a “personality disorder” before being charged. He faces a possible death sentence if found guilty by a civil court in Kentucky.

From Raw Story / AFP:

Spielman had pleaded not guilty Monday of raping and killing Abeer Kassem Hamza al-Janabi and murdering her family, but he pleaded guilty to lesser charges including arson and obstruction of justice.

The trial in Fort Campbell, Kentucky, found that Spielman was among a group of soldiers who raped and killed Janabi, murdered her parents and sister and torched their home in Mahmudiyah, south of Baghdad, in March 2006 .