Court Martial Attorney – Testimony starts in Iraq murder case of US soldier
By GEORGE FREY
VILSECK, Germany (AP) — Witness testimony began Wednesday in the trial of a U.S. soldier accused of murdering four bound and blindfolded Iraqi prisoners in Baghdad in 2007.
Sgt. Michael Leahy Jr., 26, of Lockport, Illinois, is charged with premeditated murder, conspiracy to commit premeditated murder and obstruction of justice.
He faces possible life in prison and dishonorable discharge if convicted by a jury of seven men and two women at his court-martial at the U.S. Army’s Rose Barracks Courthouse in Vilseck, Germany.
Leahy is one of six soldiers accused of involvement in the prisoners’ slayings sometime between March 10 and April 16, 2007, and one of three alleged to have shot the victims.
All the soldiers were with the 1st Battalion, 18th Infantry Regiment, 2nd Brigade of the 1st Infantry Division in Iraq, which is now part of the Germany-based 172nd Infantry Brigade.
Three other soldiers are scheduled for later court martial. Sgt. Charles Quigley, 28, of Providence, Rhode Island, faces one charge of conspiracy to commit premeditated murder. Sgt. Joseph Mayo, 27, and Sgt. John Hatley, 40 are charged with premeditated murder, conspiracy to commit premeditated murder, and obstruction of justice.
Two more soldiers — Spc. Steven Ribordy, 25, of Salina, Kansas, and Spc. Belmor Ramos, 23, of Clearfield, Utah — pleaded guilty last year to conspiracy to commit premeditated murder and were sentenced to prison.
Leahy and Hatley also face charges, including murder, for a separate incident in January 2007.
Michael Waddington is a court martial lawyer – court martial attorney that defends military personnel worldwide as well as deployed civilian contractors subject to the UCMJ. He defends Army, Navy, Air Force, Marine, Coast Guard, and civilian contractor court martial cases. He has successfully defended military personnel as a court martial lawyer Army Navy Marine & Air Force court martials in Germany, England, Italy, Iraq, Kuwait, Korea, Okinawa, Japan, Yokota, and throughout the United States. military-defense-lawyer-recentcases.htm.
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