U.S. soldier sentenced to 100 years for rape, murder

[MrsAmera 41]

I guess the whole idea of a transparent legal system is lost within the halls of the DOD. Then again this issue might have more to do with what the US media decides is newsworthy. i.e. Britney Spears shaving her head and what's going to happen to Anna Nicole's body....*gags*

[Trumplestiltskin 5,791]

Ummm... no. I'm just pointing out that your closed-door military court is hardly a transparent forum for trying a crime committed against foreign nationals. As far as justice being seen to be done, I think the memory of the crime will last a good deal longer than the knowledge of 'remote punishment', if even the Iraqis at large know it took place.

and closed door is the way it should be. what are you advocating, tv coverage like the oj trial? sorry, but a military court martial isn't a 3 ring circus. someone wants to learn about the verdict, that's what radio, tv, and newspapers are for, eh?

And that might be fine, if it we weren't talking about a country that has been smashed by 4 years of war, and is undergoing daily sectarian violence.

I'm just wondering if you can possibly understand the perception from the other side of the fence. If your loved ones were raped and murdered, and the accused (whose name/s you don't even know) spirited out of the country to stand trial in an obscure judicial process in which you had little involvement (by which I mean a chance to testify and have your day in court), what would you think?

Edited February 24, 2007 by erekose

[Trumplestiltskin 5,791]

Take that cockpit footage from that 'friendly fire' incident from 2003-2004. Several years after the event, the footage has only just come to light - and the widow of one of the British serviceman killed has only just got to see some of the evidence, after she was all but excluded from the process of inquiry. And it didn't come willingly - it was dragged out of the clutches of the DOD who were more concerned about "national security".

[Ban Hammer 12,863]

And that might be fine, if it we weren't talking about a country that has been smashed by 4 years of war, and is undergoing daily sectarian violence.

I'm just wondering if you can possibly understand the perception from the other side of the fence. If your loved ones were raped and murdered, and the accused (whose name/s you don't even know) spirited out of the country to stand trial in an obscure judicial in which you had little involvement (by which I mean a chance to testify and have your day in court), what would you think?

it's a military justice system, not a civilian one. i still think the ucmj is way better than a one world one government one court system you are advocating.

btw, do you want me to give this idiot the one finger wave when i drive by the usdb for you?

Take that cockpit footage from that 'friendly fire' incident from 2003-2004. Several years after the event, the footage has only just come to light - and the widow of one of the British serviceman killed has only just got to see some of the evidence, after she was all but excluded from the process of inquiry. And it didn't come willingly - it was dragged out of the clutches of the DOD who were more concerned about "national security".

and? if you want to whine about something, let's start with the draconian official secrets act.

[Trumplestiltskin 5,791]

Let's start with the draconian official secrets act.

Sure - its all a bunch of #######, when it concerns issues like this.

[w¡n9Nµ7 §£@¥€r 123]

Anna Nicole's body....*gags*

What a body it was...

[Trumplestiltskin 5,791]

I'm just wondering if you can possibly understand the perception from the other side of the fence. If your loved ones were raped and murdered, and the accused (whose name/s you don't even know) spirited out of the country to stand trial in an obscure judicial in which you had little involvement (by which I mean a chance to testify and have your day in court), what would you think?

it's a military justice system, not a civilian one. i still think the ucmj is way better than a one world one government one court system you are advocating.

btw, do you want me to give this idiot the one finger wave when i drive by the usdb for you?

Charles, I've done you the courteousy of answering your questions - perhaps you can answer mine. If you were the victim of a crime like this, would you honestly be satisfied with a closed door process in which you had absolutely no involvement, least of all the chance to testify against the accused?

[Ban Hammer 12,863]

Charles, I've done you the courteousy of answering your questions - perhaps you can answer mine. If you were the victim of a crime like this, would you honestly be satisfied with a closed door process in which you had absolutely no involvement, least of all the chance to testify against the accused?

i'm just wondering how anna nicole got into this thread too.

to give you that specific answer - i'd have to be satisfied, wouldn't i? understanding that not all court systems allow a family member to testify is the way it is. also knowing that such isn't standard procedure would go a long way towards resolving that issue too.

quite frankly, i'm surprised this idjit didn't get the firing squad. he's lucky in that regard.

Edited February 24, 2007 by charlesandnessa

[Trumplestiltskin 5,791]

In Iraq, I've a feeling people are used to seeing criminals hanging from street lamp-posts.

[Ban Hammer 12,863]

In Iraq, I've a feeling people are used to seeing criminals hanging from street lamp-posts.

are you advocating such?

[Trumplestiltskin 5,791]

In Iraq, I've a feeling people are used to seeing criminals hanging from street lamp-posts.

are you advocating such?

No. I pointing out that those people can only appreciate justice by seeing it done.

Why did they televise the Saddam trial and execution?

[archie07 0]

I hope this hadn't already been posted. I searched and didn't see it. All I can say is wow... U.S. soldier sentenced to 100 years for rape, murder

FT. CAMPBELL, Kentucky (Reuters) - A U.S. soldier who pleaded guilty to raping and murdering a 14-year-old Iraqi girl and killing her family was sentenced to 100 years in a military prison, the U.S. Army said on Thursday.

Sgt. Paul Cortez, 24, was also given a dishonorable discharge under a plea agreement he reached with prosecutors prior to a court-martial that spanned three days, an Army spokesman said.

Cortez, of Barstow, California, was not eligible for the death penalty under his plea agreement, accepted by the court on Wednesday.

Col. Stephen R. Henley, the military judge, found Cortez guilty of conspiracy to commit rape, four counts of felony murder, rape, housebreaking and violating a general order.

Under terms of his plea agreement, Cortez agreed to testify against the three others still facing prosecution in the case.

During the court-martial, a sometimes emotional Cortez recounted how he and his companions drank whiskey, played cards and plotted to attack the family at Mahmudiya, south of Baghdad, in March 2006. The group poured kerosene on the girl's body and lit her on fire in an attempt to cover up the crime.

Cortez testified that Spc. James Barker, who also pleaded guilty in the case, and a since-discharged soldier, Pvt. Steven Green, chose the family to attack because there was only one man in the house and it was an "easy target."

Once at the house, Green, the suspected ringleader, took the girl's mother, father and little sister into a bedroom, Cortez said, while he and Barker took the teenager, Abeer Qassim al-Janabi, to the living room, where they took turns raping her.

He said Green, who has been charged as a civilian and awaits trial in a Kentucky jail, shot the girl's family in another room and then raped the teenager.

The deaths of the girl and her family outraged Iraqis and ratcheted up tension in the war zone.

Barker pleaded guilty in November and was sentenced to 90 years in a military prison. Green was discharged from the Army for a "personality disorder."

Two other soldiers are accused in the case, Pvt. Jesse Spielman and Pvt. Bryan Howard.

(Additional reporting by John Sommers at Ft. Campbell)

I've been following this case also, All I can say is wow too. This is shocking.

[Ban Hammer 12,863]

In Iraq, I've a feeling people are used to seeing criminals hanging from street lamp-posts.

are you advocating such?

No. I pointing out that those people can only appreciate justice by seeing it done.

Why did they televise the Saddam trial and execution?

those people eh? kinda like you people?

[RaspberrySwirl 20]

In Iraq, I've a feeling people are used to seeing criminals hanging from street lamp-posts.

are you advocating such?

No. I pointing out that those people can only appreciate justice by seeing it done.

Why did they televise the Saddam trial and execution?

those people eh? kinda like you people?

Eh? Eh?

Eh?

[Trumplestiltskin 5,791]

In Iraq, I've a feeling people are used to seeing criminals hanging from street lamp-posts.

are you advocating such?

No. I pointing out that those people can only appreciate justice by seeing it done.

Why did they televise the Saddam trial and execution?

those people eh? kinda like you people?