US Soldier Court Martialed For "Mercy Killing"

[Aaron]

CBC.CA

BAGHDAD - A U.S. soldier pleaded guilty at his court martial Friday to killing a critically injured 16-year-old Iraqi, the military says.

Staff Sgt. Johnny Horne, 30, of Winston-Salem, N.C., was charged with the death on Aug. 18 in Baghdad's Sadr City, the site of heavy fighting between coalition forces and militants loyal to Shia cleric Muqtada al-Sadr.

Witnesses described the incident at previous military court hearings as a mercy killing.

Court heard that several U.S. soldiers fired on Iraqi men who were placing homemade bombs along a road. They moved closer to find a blazing truck surrounded by injured people.

Witnesses said Horne and other soldiers tried to rescue an Iraqi teenager inside the truck who had gaping wounds in his abdomen and serious burns.

A military investigator told court that the soldiers thought he was too ill to survive and decided that "the best course of action was to put [the victim] out of his misery."

Horne also pleaded guilty to a charge of trying to get a colleague to commit murder.

The U.S. military said Horne would be sentenced Friday.

This raises some interetsting questions. Is a "mercy killing" in a theatre of war murder? Although they probably should have waited for medics to check this kid out first. Who knows if the kid had made it to an aid station he may have made it.

[Sea Skimmer]

This raises some interetsting questions. Is a "mercy killing" in a theatre of war murder? Although they probably should have waited for medics to check this kid out first. Who knows if the kid had made it to an aid station he may have made it.

The people who know that best are probably the soldiers involved and the man who saw the wounds and shot him. There are a damn lot of wounds, which you could not survive if you received them inside a top western hospital, let alone on the battlefield where such things as organ transplants are not even on the table.

[The Duchess of Zeon]

In a just world he would be let off the hook. "Gaping wounds in his abdomen" calls to mind for me stories of wounded men on older battlefields trying to stuff their intestines back into their bodies after they spilled out, and "serious burns" makes me think of people who have been found alive with the flesh of their arms melted into that of their torso. Not to mention that, but the truck was on fire and the poor kid was probably being burned alive before their eyes. Since they couldn't get him out, it was probably the only thing a moral person could do.

[Robert Walper]

I'd need to know a little more on the specifics, but I'm not immediately opposed to a mercy killing of this nature. The soldier may very well have acted prematurely, but I'd be more disgusted with someone who'd allow a human being to die a agnozing and prolonged death because help "might" be on the way, never mind if said help eventually came along and pronouced "he's a goner" anyway.

[Robert Walper]

In a just world he would be let off the hook. "Gaping wounds in his abdomen" calls to mind for me stories of wounded men on older battlefields trying to stuff their intestines back into their bodies after they spilled out, and "serious burns" makes me think of people who have been found alive with the flesh of their arms melted into that of their torso. Not to mention that, but the truck was on fire and the poor kid was probably being burned alive before their eyes. Since they couldn't get him out, it was probably the only thing a moral person could do.

My sentiments exactly. If I were in that position, I'd be begging for a mercy killing, assuming I was able.

[Aaron]

Are such actions covered under the UCMJ? It doesn't state what the soldier is being charged with. But I would imagine that it would be murder. Hopefully the Court Martial will find him not guility, it would be hard to reconcile him being jailed for this when their are soldiers still walking free from far more serious offences. IE: The General that was in command of the Abu Garib(?) prison, Karpinksi I believe her name is.

[frigidmagi]

Hell in my unit we were ready to give mercy killings to each other if it was needed. Would this guy be up for it if he had done it to a fellow American? Would the media give a damn?

[Aaron]

Hell in my unit we were ready to give mercy killings to each other if it was needed. Would this guy be up for it if he had done it to a fellow American?

It probably never would have made the news.

Would the media give a damn?

I think the media only cares about this because they know that people will percieve it as a murder. In their eyes it's yet another unjustified and illegal killing of an Iraqi. That this kid had massive abdominal wounds and severe burns will be over looked.

The abdominal wounds aside, severe burns cause extreme pain. The kid, if he was even lucid could very well have been praying for death.

[Beowulf]

The media only cares because it makes the administration look bad.

[frigidmagi]

The media only cares because it makes the administration look bad.

Sick thing is that the Administration honestly does not need a helping hand in this area.

[GySgt. Hartman]

Since you can't have soldiers going around "mercy killing" every wounded in their way, there must be some guidelines on this. I'd like to know what they are and whether they've been followed. "Gaping wounds" and "serious burns" can mean a lot of things. Was he qualified to assess the boys condition and his chances? There are procedures for everything, surely there are some for this case. Did the soldier decide this rationally or was he in shock and thought he needed to so something?
Even if the boy had asked the soldier to kill him, it still may not have been right. But if he did wrong, his sentence should be light since he acted out of compassion.

[kheegster]

Hell in my unit we were ready to give mercy killings to each other if it was needed. Would this guy be up for it if he had done it to a fellow American? Would the media give a damn?

I may be too naive, but I can't really imagine an American soldier 'mercy killing' another one, no matter how grievously injured.

[HemlockGrey]

So, uh, what's this about the media latching onto it because it "makes the administration look bad?" Can anyone turn up an example of any legitemite news outlet portraying it in a way that makes the administration look bad?

Anyone?

[GySgt. Hartman]

Of course not, that's just the right wing "blame the media" reaction, coupled with the "everybody is against us". I tend to ignore these content-free one-liners.

[Aaron]

So, uh, what's this about the media latching onto it because it "makes the administration look bad?" Can anyone turn up an example of any legitemite news outlet portraying it in a way that makes the administration look bad?

Anyone?

Then why do we never here of any success stories regarding the Iraqi operation. There must be some, but all I see reported is negative information. If the media is truely objective as it claims to be, than they should be running stories that showcase both sides of the Iraqi occupation.

I will admit that the article that I posted didn't protray the incident in either a positive or negative light.

Just saw this on the BBC:

A US soldier has been jailed for three years in a plea bargain following the murder of a severely wounded 16-year-old Iraqi, the military says.
Staff Sgt Johnny Horne Jr had pleaded guilty to the unpremeditated murder of the civilian youth in Baghdad's Sadr City suburb on 18 August.

He also pleaded guilty to soliciting another soldier to commit murder.

His defence said the death of the injured Iraqi was a "mercy killing" in collusion with another soldier.

The seven-man panel reached a decision on Friday evening after four hours of deliberation.

Horne was also reduced to the rank of private and given a dishonourable discharge.

'Out of his misery'

The charges stem from an incident in Sadr City when coalition forces were locked in fierce fighting with supporters of Shia cleric Moqtada Sadr.

The court heard that members of Horne's unit fired on a rubbish truck they suspected of laying roadside bombs.

However, inside the lorry was a crew of teenage boys hoping to make some extra money on a night shift.

The soldiers, including Horne, tried to rescue one of the injured youths, according to witness testimony.

Several witnesses described the injured Iraqi as having severe abdominal wounds and burns. Some thought the casualty was beyond medical help.

Witnesses say Horne shot and killed one of the badly injured boys.

The US soldiers decided that "the best course of action was to put [the Iraqi] out of his misery", the criminal investigator told the court.

This is one of about a dozen cases in which American soldiers are facing trial over the killing or abuse of Iraqi civilians.

Three other soldiers from Horne's regiment, the 41st Infantry, have been charged over killings - Staff Sgt Cardenas J Alban is facing court martial in the same case as Horne, while Sgt Michael Williams and Specialist Brent May attended hearings on another Sadr City killing.

An army captain, Rogelio Maynulet, was ordered earlier this week to face a court martial over the killing of an Iraqi man near the holy city of Najaf in May.

But high-profile cases also include those of several US military police reservists charged with abuse of prisoners at Iraq's Abu Ghraib jail.

The charges came amid international outrage at the publication of photographs showing naked, hooded and bound prisoners being taunted and humiliated.

It was announced on Friday that the trial of one of those charged, Pte Lynndie England, will be moved from North Carolina to Fort Hood, Texas.

The move means that it will held alongside those of three other reservists in January. Three have already received jail sentences.

BBC article

[CmdrWilkens]

As an aside to my understanding since the official US policy is against euthenasia these mercy killings would still be seen as manslaughter though generally of a relatively low degree (which certianly jives with him getting 3 years).

[Trogdor]

So, uh, what's this about the media latching onto it because it "makes the administration look bad?" Can anyone turn up an example of any legitemite news outlet portraying it in a way that makes the administration look bad?

Anyone?

TV news media has been getting more and more biased as of late, largely became most people seem to prefer having their own viewpoints reinforced over getting unbiased news. Therefore, it's really no surprise that the more left leaning anti-war news networks were all over this.

There are also very rightist, conervative networks, of course. I don't watch Foxnews, but it's supposed to be REALLY pro-Bush. Also, :shudder: the 700 Club is an ultraconservative news program. I remember watching the anchors bitching about the nitpicking athieists who were mad over the diclaimer on the bio books in Georgia about evolution.

Trust me, if not for the PATRIOT act, the media would probably be making the war and the adminstartion look one hell of a lot worse than they are now.

[Howedar]

Hell in my unit we were ready to give mercy killings to each other if it was needed. Would this guy be up for it if he had done it to a fellow American? Would the media give a damn?

I may be too naive, but I can't really imagine an American soldier 'mercy killing' another one, no matter how grievously injured.

If memory serves, in steel mills the general rule is that if someone falls in, you push them under with poles and the like. When they hit the steel they're dead, period, and there's no reason to prolong their suffering.