Post by Anja on Jun 22, 2006 18:15:47 GMT -5
Military law expert doubts death penalty, if Hamdania case comes to that
The charges include murder, and a Camp Pendleton spokesman says there's
enough evidence for them to be premeditated murder.
That could eventually lead to the death penalty for the eight
servicemembers charged in an Iraqi civilian's death in April.
But one military law expert says any legal result is well off in the
future. National Institute of Military Justice President Eugene Fidell
says the U-S hasn't executed a military member in more than 40 years, even
though several are on the military's version of death row.
Fidell is also warning against prejudging the case based on allegations of
what happened. A senior Pentagon official has said the servicemembers
pulled an unarmed man out of his home, shot him to death and then planted
evidence near him to make it seem as if he was planning a bombing.
(source: Associated Press)
**********************
The charges include murder, and a Camp Pendleton spokesman says there's
enough evidence for them to be premeditated murder.
That could eventually lead to the death penalty for the eight
servicemembers charged in an Iraqi civilian's death in April.
But one military law expert says any legal result is well off in the
future. National Institute of Military Justice President Eugene Fidell
says the U-S hasn't executed a military member in more than 40 years, even
though several are on the military's version of death row.
Fidell is also warning against prejudging the case based on allegations of
what happened. A senior Pentagon official has said the servicemembers
pulled an unarmed man out of his home, shot him to death and then planted
evidence near him to make it seem as if he was planning a bombing.
(source: Associated Press)
**********************