Soldiers face Article 32 over detainee deaths

[unhappycamper]

Soldiers face Article 32 over detainee deaths
By Michelle Tan - Staff writer
Posted : Friday Aug 1, 2008 14:50:48 EDT

Four soldiers charged with conspiracy to commit premeditated murder in connection with detainee deaths in Iraq in spring 2007 will have an Article 32 hearing Aug. 26 in Vilseck, Germany, officials have announced.

The hearing, which is similar to a civilian grand jury proceeding, will help the investigating officer and convening authority determine if the soldiers should be court-martialed.

The four soldiers are Staff Sgt. Jess Cunningham, Sgt. Charles Quigley, Spc. Stephen Ribordy and Spc. Belmor Ramos. They are assigned to D Company, 1st Battalion, 2nd Infantry Regiment, 172nd Infantry Brigade, in Grafenwoehr, Germany.

According to the charge sheets, each soldier is accused of conspiring with his fellow soldiers to kill male detainees of apparent Middle Eastern descent on or around March 10, 2007, and April 16, 2007, by taking them to a canal in or near Baghdad and shooting them. The names of the detainees are unknown, according to the charge sheets.

No other details, including the number of detainees involved and whether the detainees were wounded or killed, were available.


Rest of article at: http://www.armytimes.com/news/2008/08/army_detainee_080108w/