William B. Hunsaker
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William B. Hunsaker is a Specialist of the 3rd Brigade Combat Team, 101st Airborne Division. A former Army Ranger, SPC Hunsaker was charged with executing three suspected al-Qaida insurgents that were captured during a raid near Samarra, Iraq on 9 May 2006. The Army originally recommended that SPC Hunsaker and his co-defendants receive the death penalty. SPC Hunsaker's legal team was headed by civilian lawyer, Michael Waddington. He was accused along with Private First Class Corey R. Clagett, Staff Sergeant Raymond L. Girouard, and Specialist Juston R. Graber.
The case made international headlines when evidence revealed that SPC Hunsaker's commander, COL Michael D. Steele, gave orders to "kill all military age males" on the objective. The objective was a confirmed al-Qaida training compound, visited by Abu Musab al-Zarqawi. COL Steele is an officer who once commanded a Ranger company sent into Mogadishu, Somalia, on a rescue mission that was recounted in the book and movie "Black Hawk Down."
A team of civilian and military lawyers defended the four soldiers in court proceedings in Tikrit, Iraq and Fort Campbell, KY. After 8 months of legal battles, SPC Juston R. Graber, one of the accused, entered into an agreement with the prosecution to testify against SPC Hunsaker and the other defendants. Facing a mandatory life sentence, SPC Hunsaker and PFC Corey R. Clagett, another defendant, entered plea deals that reduced their maximum sentence to 18 years, making them eligible for parole after 5 1/2 years. At SPC Hunsaker's guilty plea, he told the military judge that by killing three al-Qaida operatives, he believes that he was saving American lives and his actions were a "lesser evil for the greater good."
Meanwhile, COL Steele received a letter of reprimand for his actions and was granted immunity from the 101st Airborne Division Commander.
[edit] References
- ^ The 'Band of Brothers' Unravels - Soldier Accused of Civilian Murders Defends His Actions
- ^ Soldier Pleads Guilty to Iraq Murders
- ^ Officers Allegedly Pushed Kill Counts Investigators believe the leaders of a unit accused in Iraq detainee deaths fueled a climate of hate.
- ^ Army Says Improper Orders By Colonel Led to 4 Deaths.
- ^ Michael Waddington - Criminal Lawyer Military Defense Attorney Law Firm Web Site.
- ^ Complete Article 32 Transcript.
