U.S. Soldier Gets Life Sentence for ‘Thrill-Killings’ of Afghan Civilians
November 11th, 2011Via: AP:
A military jury sentenced an Afghan war veteran to life in prison after the Army staff sergeant was convicted of murder, conspiracy and other charges in the deaths of civilians, in one of the most gruesome cases to emerge from the conflict.
Staff Sgt. Calvin Gibbs, of Billings, Mont., was accused of exhorting his bored underlings to slaughter three Afghan civilians for sport.
The jury for the court martial at Joint Base Lewis-McChord south of Seattle sentenced Gibbs Thursday to life in prison, but he will be eligible for parole in less than nine years.
A pretty light sentence handed out in a nation which has executed more than its share of convicts later proven innocent. Let us hope this is only the beginning and that eventually higher level military personnel up to and including general officers will start paying the penalties for their atrocities.
@Larry Glick: “Let us hope this is only the beginning and that eventually higher level military personnel up to and including general officers will start paying the penalties for their atrocities.”
You’re kidding, right? If you can name one such case in the last 50 years –i.e, where a low-level soldier does something gruesome and his superiors pay for it– I’d love to hear about it. (And yes, Second Lieutenant, as in Second Lieutenant William Calley, is low-level.)