GI Guilty in Iraqi Detainees' Deaths

March 17, 2007
GI Guilty in Iraqi Detainees' Deaths

FORT CAMPBELL, Ky. - A military panel found a 101st Airborne Soldier guilty of three counts of negligent homicide but not guilty of premeditated murder in the deaths of three Iraqi detainees.

Staff Sgt. Ray Girouard, 24, smiled as he hugged his defense lawyer and family members after the verdict was read. He faced up to life in prison had he been found guilty of premeditated murder.

The panel, which deliberated for four hours, also found Girouard guilty of obstruction of justice for lying to investigators, of conspiracy for trying to conceal the crime and of failure to obey a general order.