GI waives Article 32 hearing in Iraqi deaths

[unhappycamper]

GI waives Article 32 hearing in Iraqi deaths
By Seth Robson, Stars and Stripes
Mideast edition, Thursday, November 13, 2008

VILSECK, Germany — A 172nd Infantry Brigade soldier charged with premeditated murder in two incidents involving the deaths of Iraqi detainees in Baghdad waived his right to a pretrial hearing in Vilseck on Wednesday.

Sgt. Michael P. Leahy Jr., 26, is charged with premeditated murder, conspiracy to commit premeditated murder and being an accessory after the fact in the killing of an Iraqi detainee in January 2007.

In addition, Leahy, who at the time was assigned to 1st Battalion, 18th Infantry Regiment, is charged with premeditated murder, conspiracy to commit premeditated murder and obstruction of justice in the deaths of four detainees in March or April of last year.

By waiving his right to an Article 32 hearing in both incidents, Leahy will face the charges in a court-martial. A date for those proceedings has not been set, according to Joint Multinational Training Command spokeswoman Denver Makle.

A charge sheet released last week stated that Leahy conspired with 1st Sgt. John E. Hatley in the January killing and that the two soldiers removed the detainee from the troop compartment of a Bradley fighting vehicle and Hatley shot the detainee with a firearm.


Rest of article at: http://www.stripes.com/article.asp?section=104&article=58787