The Navy Times reports:
The civilian attorney for a cruiser skipper fired for cruelty and mistreatment of her crew told a board of inquiry in his opening statement Tuesday that his client had been the victim of a sexist and vengeful wardroom of incompetent officers and an inspector general’s investigation with a foregone conclusion.
Prior posting about this and other CO firings here and here.
Air Force Times reports:
A U.S. soldier was taken into custody after an Afghan detainee was found dead in his cell, apparently from a gunshot wound, NATO said in a statement Tuesday night.
Military.com reports:
Here SignOn San Diego reports the unusual situation of public release of pretrial agreement “discussions.”
The Coast Guardsman piloting the boat that killed 8-year-old Anthony DeWeese might have served a year or less in prison if his lawyers had pursued a plea deal dangled by the prosecution.
It is unclear how the emails surfaced publically.
the log (California’s Boating & Fishing News) reports:
The Coast Guard has ordered three petty officers to stand trial in a San Diego Bay crash that killed an 8-year-old boy during a holiday boat parade, an official said Oct. 6.
Rear Adm. Joseph R. Castillo, commander of the 11th Coast Guard District, ordered the general court-martial after reviewing a report by the investigating officer, Coast Guard Lt. Cmdr. Rick Foster said. That report concluded there was no legal justification for the Dec. 20, 2009, crash, the Los Angeles Times has reported.
Courtesy of cunninghamreport.com here are links to the Article 32, IO, report and recommendations.
Ramos Charges
Howell Charges
Rasmussen Charges
Couple of interesting points.
AP reports:
Two women testified at a military hearing Tuesday that they would not have had sex with an airman had they known he was HIV positive, and one said she believed him when he said he wasn’t because he was in the Air Force.
Professor Friedman has put up the transcript of argument in Michigan v. Bryant, a Crawford case.
CNN has this report on the Morlock Article 32, UCMJ, hearing.
A U.S. soldier accused of killing civilians in Afghanistan should face a court-martial on murder and other charges, an Army officer has recommended.
The recommendation, included in a document obtained by CNN, comes after prosecutors laid out their evidence against Spc. Jeremy Morlock in a hearing last week. Morlock is one of five members of the Army’s 5th Stryker Brigade who have been accused of premeditated murder in a series of incidents between January and May.
AP reports:
A U.S. Coast Guard investigating officer has found no legal justification for the deadly collision of a Coast Guard boat with a smaller vessel in San Diego Bay that killed an 8-year-old boy, the Los Angeles Times reported Monday.
San Diego 6 reports:
San Diego Online has this short piece on the Coast Guard boating case and the ongoing Article 32, UCMJ, hearing which began today.
Lawyers for the driver of a Coast Guard boat that killed an 8-year-old San Diego boy in December said the Coast Guard is prosecuting Petty Officer 3rd Class Paul Ramos in order to duck responsibility, and a lawsuit.
“The family is rightly suing the Coast Guard,” said Navy Cmdr. Brian Koshulsky, one of Ramos’ military attorneys. “It’s in the Coast Guard’s interest to blame my client.”
San Diego online reports:
Three San Diego Coast Guard boat crew members will face the military version of a preliminary hearing beginning Tuesday for the Dec. 20 crash that killed an 8-year-old Rancho Peñasquitos boy.
The top charge, involuntary manslaughter, is against Ramos. Howell and Rasmussen are charged with negligent homicide. Coast Guard officials have said it may be the first time in modern memory that any member of the Coast Guard has been charged with manslaughter for actions taken in the course of duty.
Court-Martial Trial Practice Blog