U.S. soldier sentenced to 18 years after pleading guilty to murder in Iraqi detainees' deaths

January 25, 2007
U.S. soldier sentenced to 18 years after pleading guilty to murder in Iraqi detainees' deaths

FORT CAMPBELL, Kentucky: A 101st Airborne Division soldier was sentenced to 18 years in prison after pleading guilty Thursday to murdering an Iraqi detainee and taking part in the killings of two others, saying he went along with a plan to make it look like they were escaping.

Pfc. Corey R. Clagett, 22, was one of four soldiers from the division's 3rd Brigade "Rakkasans" who were accused in the detainees' deaths during a May 9 raid on the Muthana chemical complex in Samarra, about 60 miles (96 kilometers) north of Baghdad.