Post by sclcookie on May 31, 2006 2:37:44 GMT -5
U.S. airman to face murder trial
In Keflavik, Iceland, a United States airman will face a court-martial on a murder charge in the killing of a U.S. servicewoman who was scheduled to testify against him in another case, a U.S. Air Force spokesman said Monday. Airman Calvin Eugene Hill, 20, of Warren, Ohio, has been in military custody in Mannheim, Germany, since last summer. He was charged with murder in February in the death of Airman 1st Class Ashley Turner, 20, of the 56th Rescue Squadron.
Air Force spokeswoman Lt. Col. Angela Billings said Air Command Europe commander Lt. Gen. Robert D. Bishop, Jr. decided there was enough evidence in the case to pursue a murder charge by court-martial.
If found guilty of murder, Hill could face life imprisonment or the death penalty under military law.
A pretrial investigative hearing held 3 weeks ago in Iceland was told the court-martial will be held at Bolling Air Force Base in Washington. No date for the hearing has been announced.
"We try to do these things as expeditiously as possible, but certainly Lt. Gen. Bishop gave the matter careful consideration," said Billings. "This is a very important matter."
Turner, of Frederick, Md., died in a hospital in August after being found unconscious with head and neck injuries in a dormitory where Hill also lived at the U.S. Naval Air Station in Keflavik.
Turner had been expected to testify against Hill, who faced three charges of larceny, wrongful appropriation, making false official statements and absence without leave.
Naval Criminal Investigative Service agent Fred Ewell Jr., who is heading the investigation into the murder, told the earlier investigative hearing that forensic reports showed a drop of blood found on Hill's shoelace matched Turner's DNA.
Hill also will face a court-martial for the earlier charges against him.
(source: Associated Press)
In Keflavik, Iceland, a United States airman will face a court-martial on a murder charge in the killing of a U.S. servicewoman who was scheduled to testify against him in another case, a U.S. Air Force spokesman said Monday. Airman Calvin Eugene Hill, 20, of Warren, Ohio, has been in military custody in Mannheim, Germany, since last summer. He was charged with murder in February in the death of Airman 1st Class Ashley Turner, 20, of the 56th Rescue Squadron.
Air Force spokeswoman Lt. Col. Angela Billings said Air Command Europe commander Lt. Gen. Robert D. Bishop, Jr. decided there was enough evidence in the case to pursue a murder charge by court-martial.
If found guilty of murder, Hill could face life imprisonment or the death penalty under military law.
A pretrial investigative hearing held 3 weeks ago in Iceland was told the court-martial will be held at Bolling Air Force Base in Washington. No date for the hearing has been announced.
"We try to do these things as expeditiously as possible, but certainly Lt. Gen. Bishop gave the matter careful consideration," said Billings. "This is a very important matter."
Turner, of Frederick, Md., died in a hospital in August after being found unconscious with head and neck injuries in a dormitory where Hill also lived at the U.S. Naval Air Station in Keflavik.
Turner had been expected to testify against Hill, who faced three charges of larceny, wrongful appropriation, making false official statements and absence without leave.
Naval Criminal Investigative Service agent Fred Ewell Jr., who is heading the investigation into the murder, told the earlier investigative hearing that forensic reports showed a drop of blood found on Hill's shoelace matched Turner's DNA.
Hill also will face a court-martial for the earlier charges against him.
(source: Associated Press)