Navy SEAL Eddie Gallagher not guilty of murder in ISIS detainee's death

[Eugene]

Source: CNN

San Diego (CNN) — Decorated Navy SEAL team leader Eddie Gallagher was found not guilty of premeditated murder in the death of an ISIS prisoner in Iraq.

While Gallagher was serving Mosul in 2017, Navy prosecutors said he killed a young ISIS fighter who was being treated by US medics, posed for photos next to his corpse and then pressured other SEALs not to report him. Fellow SEALs testified that he also shot at noncombatants.

Gallagher was found not guilty of all but one charge, posing for a photo with a human casualty. He faces a maximum sentence of four months, although he has already served 201 days.

Sentencing begins Tuesday afternoon.

-snip-

By Jack Hannah, Nick Watt and Emanuella Grinberg, CNN
Updated 2158 GMT (0558 HKT) July 2, 2019


Read more: https://edition.cnn.com/2019/07/02/politics/eddie-gallagher-navy-seal-trial-verdict/index.html

[Hoyt]

1. Figures. Guess he'll go be a policeman or mercenary now.

[LiberalFighter]

2. Have to wonder if the jurors have committed atrocities.

[ADX]

3. Going strictly on the evidence reportedly introduced at the court-martial...

...the verdict is the right one under the circumstances...

[jmowreader]

4. You mean...

...the evidence where the immunized medic claims he really killed the teenager, and Chief Gallagher stabbing him in the neck had nothing to do with it?

[ADX]

7. Yeah, that evidence...

...and the prosecution's inability to prove that the "stab" wasn't an attempt to perform a tracheotomy.

I don't necessarily think Gallagher is innocent but I agree with the not-guilty verdict. The system worked as designed...

[Roy Rolling]

8. If the verdict is wrong

And the stab was not a tracheotomy—-an easy determination —-then the system did not work. A system does not work if elements of it are corrupt.

War is hell.

[Igel]

11. That's always true.

If the verdict is wrong then by definition the system didn't work.

The question is whether it worked in this case. So we have a person who seems to think that immunity means "freedom to lie to suit somebody." Presumably that's the prosecution--so does this work in the Mueller cases against various Trump surrogates and associates in the last 2 years? I think most would reject that idea, but that's because of bias. We tend to impose our biases on this kind of thing.

I always find it interesting to consider what biases say about individuals and communities.


As for my views on this guy's guilt or innocence, I have none. It's a singleton incident; there are witnesses, many of which have some sort of bias themselves and are more or less trustworthy. Not worth my time to pore over all the evidence and not let my bias-laden quick-thinking module run roughshod over the slow-thinking part of me, esp. since my opinion doesn't just not matter "ultimately," but even "immediately."

[ADX]

13. If the determination as to whether the stab was a tracheotomy or not had been that easy to make...

...it would have been made. When you don't have a body to examine, it makes that conclusion infinitely more difficult to ascertain.

Seven service members listened to the evidence presented at trial and a majority of them failed to find that the prosecution proved Gallagher's guilt beyond a reasonable doubt. Unless you're aware of some evidence that they weren't, casting aspersions on their decision simply because you don't like it is unfair and without any merit whatsoever.

I'll agree with you on this much, however: War is indeed hell, especially for those who have been there and done that...

[LanternWaste]

16. and those who posed with corpses for giggles.

"especially for those who have been there and done that..."

and those who posed with corpses for giggles. It's hell for them, too.

[ADX]

17. Yeah, actually it is hell for them too...

...Sustained exposure to combat sometimes makes good people do strange or bad things that they wouldn't do otherwise do...

[MosheFeingold]

9. Probably more persuasive

was the testimony that the accusers were abject liars.

There were several people, including an Iraqi officer, who said it just didn't happen.

Apparently, the accused was quite the asshole. The defense painted a good story of what was essentially a mutiny-by-false-allegation.

[Blue_Tires]

12. +1

[Bengus81]

6. He could be a cop in Wichita......

Shoot an unarmed person to death in cold blood in some BS "swatting" incident and then have the D.A. let him walk.

[old guy]

10. Wonder if tRump will give him the Medal of Freedom?

Sounds like he is tRumps kinda guy.

[joshdawg]

15. Hmmm. Was thinking the same thing.

[Eugene]

18. Trump congratulates Navy SEAL found not guilty of war crimes: 'Glad I could help!'

together. Glad I could help!” Trump tweeted.

Link to tweet

Gallagher’s case rallied conservatives who argued he was being unfairly prosecuted for his actions in Iraq. Trump intervened in the case in March, ordering that he be freed from pre-trial confinement. Gallagher was reportedly among several war-crime cases Trump for which was considering a pardon.

The Navy SEAL special operations chief was convicted of one charge of posing with the ISIS captive’s body, but was released from custody on time already served.

-snip-

Read more: https://thehill.com/homenews/administration/451522-trump-congratulates-navy-seal-found-not-guilty-of-war-crimes-glad-i

[mahatmakanejeeves]

19. "Glad I could help"?

Ahhh, never mind. You already saw this too.

In what sense?

Congratulations to Navy Seal Eddie Gallagher, his wonderful wife Andrea, and his entire family. You have been through much together. Glad I could help!

Link to tweet

[BlueIdaho]

20. It's not over...

He was found guilty of posing with a dead combatant. He could be dishonorably discharged and lose his pension.

[TexasBushwhacker]

21. He won't get a dishonorable discharge

He will lose a rank though, which will lower his pension.