Jury deliberating Afghan slaying case

[unhappycamper]

Jury deliberating Afghan slaying case
The Associated Press
Posted : Wednesday Feb 25, 2009 13:56:46 EST

FORT BRAGG, N.C. — A military jury has begun deliberating the fate of a veteran Green Beret charged with premeditated murder and mutilating a body in the shooting of an Afghan man.

The 10 jurors at Fort Bragg began hearing testimony Feb. 19. They heard closing arguments earlier Wednesday.

The Army charged 39-year-old Master Sgt. Joseph Newell in the March 5, 2008, incident that occurred during a convoy in the desert of Helmand province in southern Afghanistan. If convicted of premeditated murder, Newell will face life in prison.

Newell testified that the shooting was self-defense because the man lunged at him during questioning. Prosecutors argued that the man wasn’t a threat.


Article at: http://armytimes.com/news/2009/02/ap_newell_court_martial_022409/%2e

[Chulanowa]

1. Not too many years ago this would have been headline news...

With up-to-the-minute coverage. People would be outraged at the thought of a green beret murdering and mutilating someone. It would engender speculation, editorials, shock, and disbelief.

Nowadays? We're just sort of "meh." Whether it's because of the victim in question being a "them" or because we just don't set our standards as high as we used to... Either way, it's rather saddening, isn't it?

[unhappycamper]

2. This reminds me of the Phoenix project in Vietnam.

That's te one we used to terrify the Vietnamese population.