US soldier charged with murder heads to court

US soldier charged with murdering Iraqi civilians heads to court

The Associated Press

A U.S. soldier accused of murdering and assaulting Iraqi civilians was scheduled to appear in military court Tuesday in a hearing aimed at determining whether he should face a court martial.

Sgt. Leonardo Trevino, 30, is charged with premeditated murder, attempted murder, assault and obstruction of justice for in connection with the incidents in the volatile Iraqi city of Muddadiyah in June 24. Authorities maintain Trevino shot two detained civilians — killing one, and allegedly assaulted another civilian who was lying on the floor.

The incidents were detailed in an Army document obtained by the San Antonio Express-News through the Freedom of Information Act.

Army officials have not commented on the case. But family members and Trevino’s attorney said the sniper with the Fort Hood-based1st Cavalry Division has been falsely accused.

The Article 32 hearing Tuesday is similar to a civilian grand jury hearing and aims at determining whether sufficient evidence exists to move the case forward.

His is the latest of several cases in which U.S. troops have been accused of assaulting or killing Iraqi civilians. Among the most high profile cases were the killing of 24 Iraqi civilians in the town of Haditha by a Marine squad and the rape-slaying of an Iraqi girl and the murder of her family in Hamandia, also allegedly by Marines.

The charge sheet also alleges that Trevino tried to force a soldier to murder a detainee and told a soldier to “drop a pistol” near a detainee who had been shot. The Army accuses Trevino tried to hamper the investigation into the incident.

Trevino’s attorney told the newspaper for its Tuesday edition that the allegations are connected to an incident in a house in a “hostile neighborhood.”

Relatives said Trevino was on his second tour of duty in Iraq this summer and had lost a close comrade in a roadside bomb explosion less than one month before the alleged crime.

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