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Posted by: kwflatbed

Sunday, April 20, 2008
By AUDREY McAVOY, Associated Press Writer

HONOLULU — A platoon sergeant accused of shooting an unarmed Iraqi and then ordering another U.S. soldier to "finish him" faces a court martial this week for premeditated murder.

Sgt. 1st Class Trey Corrales, of San Antonio, faces a minimum of life with parole if convicted.
The Iraqi man was shot multiple times in the head and chest near the town of Kirkuk when Corrales' platoon raided a suspected insurgent hide out on June 23. The U.S. military hasn't been able to identify the man by name.
Pvt. Christopher Shore, the soldier Corrales allegedly ordered to fire additional shots at the man, was found not guilty of third-degree murder in a February court-martial but convicted of aggravated assault. He was sentenced to 120 days in prison and a two-grade reduction in rank.
Shore, 26, admitted he shot at the man but said he intentionally missed. The Winder, Ga., native said he fired his weapon because he was afraid of outwardly disobeying Corrales, a soldier his defense team portrayed as abusive and prone to violence.
Shore is expected to testify at Corrales' court-martial.
Besides premeditated murder, the Army is charging Corrales, 35, with wrongfully soliciting another soldier to shoot an unarmed, wounded Iraq. A third charge alleges Corrales planted an AK-47 rifle next to the victim after he was shot.
Frank Spinner, Corrales' lawyer, did not return a phone call seeking comment.
A jury _ called a "panel" in the military justice system _ of at least five soldiers will determine Shore's guilt or innocence. They would also sentence Corrales if they convict him.
Corrales is due to be arraigned on Monday, while the trial is expected to start Wednesday and last three or four days.
The prosecution and the defense are expected to argue several motions before Wright on Monday, including one submitted by the government to prevent the introduction of evidence related to post-traumatic stress disorder.
Corrales and Shore deployed to Iraq for 15 months starting in mid-2006 with the 25th Infantry Division's 3rd Infantry Brigade Combat Team based outside Honolulu.


http://www.foxnews.com/wires/2008Apr...harged,00.html

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Posted by: kwflatbed

Jury Acquits Soldier Charged in Killing of Unarmed Iraqi

Saturday, April 26, 2008


WHEELER ARMY AIRFIELD, Hawaii — A court-martial panel on Friday found a Hawaii-based soldier not guilty in the killing of an unarmed Iraqi during a raid on a suspected insurgent hideout last year.

Sgt. 1st Class Trey Corrales' friends and family erupted in cheers when the head of the military panel, or jury, read the verdict.
The jury of nine soldiers acquitted Corrales of all three charges, including premeditated murder, after more than seven hours of deliberation.
Corrales would have faced a minimum sentence of life in prison if he had been convicted.
Corrales said it feels like a 200-pound weight had been lifted from his shoulders.
"I felt confident. I know this is going to sound weird but I wasn't surprised," Corrales said. "But it was just a long time coming."
Corrales' wife, Lily, told their daughter Victoria, 7, "Your daddy's free! He's OK" moments after the verdict was read.
The sergeant held his 10-year-old son, Trey II, in a long embrace.
Corrales, 35, admitted to shooting the man after his platoon burst into a house in the village of Al Saheed near Kirkuk last June. The platoon was looking for insurgents they suspected of firing at U.S. helicopters and planting roadside bombs.
But Corrales argued the killing fell within the rules of engagement governing the use of deadly force. He pleaded not guilty to all three charges.
The prosecution argued the Army platoon sergeant deliberately shot and killed the man after he was subdued and securely in the custody of U.S. soldiers. Prosecutors said Corrales told the man to run and then shot him.
But Frank Spinner, Corrales' defense lawyer, cast doubt on the credibility of the prosecution witnesses and said the government failed to prove the bullets from Corrales' M4 killed the man.
"There are pieces of the puzzle that are missing," Spinner said during his closing argument. He said the prosecution failed to prove its case beyond a reasonable doubt.
Spinner said Corrales fired his weapon because he reasonably believed the man posed a threat to the platoon.
"This was a dynamic environment, an intense mission and he believed he was acting to protect his men," Spinner said.
The incident came about 11 months into a 15 month deployment for Corrales' 3rd Brigade Combat Team, 25th Infantry Division based at Hawaii's Schofield Barracks.

http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,352684,00.html

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