| William Kreutzer, Jr. | |
|---|---|
William Kreutzer Jr. |
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| Born | 1969 (age 42–43) |
| Allegiance | United States of America |
| Service/branch | United States Army |
| Years of service | 1992-2009 (incarcerated since 1995) |
| Rank | Former sergeant, reduced in rank to private and discharged at sentencing |
| Unit | Former member of the 325th Infantry Regiment, 82nd Airborne Division |
William J. Kreutzer, Jr. (born 1969) is a former United States Army soldier who was convicted of killing one officer and wounding 18 other soldiers when he opened fire on a physical training formation on October 27, 1995 at Fort Bragg, North Carolina.[1] Kreutzer was sentenced to death, but his sentence was later commuted to life in prison by the Army Court of Criminal Appeals in connection with concerns regarding mental illness.
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At trial, Kreutzer's high school vice principal Ms. Witczak testified that he was an "above average" student. He graduated from the University of Maryland. At the time of the shootings, Kreutzer's father was facing criminal charges for sex crimes against a teenage girl a decade earlier.[1]
Kreutzer entered the Army in February 1992. By March 1993, Kreutzer was assigned to the 325th Airborne Infantry Regiment of the 82nd Airborne Division, and the following January followed the unit to deployment in the Sinai.
During his time in the military, Kreutzer reported being the butt of practical jokes, and teasing from fellow soldiers. In the past, Kreutzer had reportedly told a friend that he knew what the record number of people killed in a rampage shooting was, and earned himself the nickname "Crazy Kreutzer".
In June 1994, Kreutzer broke down in tears while on guard duty in the Sinai, and spoke of killing several other soldiers. He was disciplined, and sent to see the division's social worker, Darren Fong, who said he suffered from low self-esteem and anger management problems. He was deemed to not be a threat, but was disallowed weapons for two weeks following the incident.
In October 1994, Kreutzer attended the Primary Leadership Development Course to become a non-commissioned officer, and was promoted to the rank of sergeant.
The day before the shooting, Kreutzer confided in his former roommate Spc. Robert Harlan that he needed to talk to Fong again. When Harlan tried to calm him down, he replied "No, Harlan, it’s not going to be all right."[2]
After the discussion, Kreutzer telephoned Spc. Burl Mays to inform him that he would be opening fire on the calisthenics field the next morning. Mays noticed Kreutzer missing at 5 am, and alerted his superiors who dismissed the claim, saying that Kreutzer was a "pussy", but gave Mays permission to check Kreutzer's room, where he found a copy of his will.
Kreutzer was hiding in the tree line, adjacent to a housing area, alongside Towle Stadium APF field, and eventually wounded 18 soldiers with a .223 caliber/5.56 Ball NATO AR-15/ M-16 A1, a .22 caliber Ruger rifle, and a 9 mm Glock semi-automatic pistol, and killed Major Stephen Mark Badger.[1] Three Special Forces soldiers, SFC Tony Minor, SFC Bob Howes, and another managed to get behind Kreutzer during the shooting, and tackled him to the ground; the soldiers were awarded the Soldier's Medal.
By the time Military Police arrived on the scene, Kreutzer was insisting that he had given plenty of warnings that he was going to snap one day and start killing, but that they had ignored him, and said that it was "God's way".
After arriving at the Criminal Investigation Division office, Kreutzer waived his rights and again asked to speak with Fong, who had since been reassigned. A psychiatrist, Dr. Diamond, was provided instead, since Kreutzer had invoked his right to silence and an attorney and refused to speak to the military police. Diamond interviewed Kreutzer and reported that he seemed delusional and severely distraught.
The following day, Lt. Cmdr Messer (also a doctor of psychiatry) performed a suicide assessment, and declared that there were "definite mental health issues" involved. The following week, Kreutzer asked to speak to a private civilian psychiatrist, for which he would pay. Dr. Rollins attended Kreutzer until he was unable to continue paying the psychiatric bills.
On December 8, a board of doctors from the military hospital deemed Kreutzer mentally fit to stand trial.
Colonel Peter Brownback presided over the trial.[3] During the trial, Kreutzer claimed, "I wanted to send a message to the chain-of-command that had forgotten the welfare of the common soldier."
Kreutzer was assigned as prisoner 76651-95-01 on the US Military's death row at the United States Disciplinary Barracks Fort Leavenworth, one of eight prisoners at the time, and the only Caucasian. He remained the only Caucasian inmate until the addition of Andrew Witt to Death Row. Colonel James Currie of the Army Court of Criminal Appeals commuted Kreutzer's death sentence, citing that his lawyer had not properly informed the courts of his client's mental illnesses. Colonel Michael Chapman participated as one of the appellate judges who heard the appeal.[3]
On March 10, 2009, Kreutzer re-pleaded guilty to one count of premeditated murder and attempted premeditated murder and 16 counts of aggravated assault. The plea deal will spare him the death penalty, and he now faces up to life in prison. Military justice, as a rule, does provide for parole of prisoners, though it is unclear whether Kreutzer will qualify for parole within his natural life span. Part of this is contingent upon whether the new sentences are ordered to be served concurrently (all of them at the same time) or consecutively (one would be completed before beginning to serve the time of the next sentence).[4]
On March 24, 2009, after a trial at Fort Bragg, North Carolina, Kreutzer was convicted of one specification of premeditated murder, 18 specifications of attempted murder, one specification of violating a general order by transporting weapons on post, and one specification of larceny of government property (theft of government ammunition). Prior to his sentencing, Kreutzer stood at attention while a member of his defense team read his unsworn statement to members of the court:
According to the Army News Service, in Kreutzer's unsworn statement he closed with saying he can't change the past, so his heartfelt and sincere desire was to provide any measure of help, closure, and comfort he can to all of his victims. Another member of Kreutzer's defense team made brief remarks, suggesting clemency in the sentencing since Kreutzer had been a role model prisoner for the past 13 years. Colonel Patrick Parrish, the military judge at Fort Bragg, then ruled that in addition to life in prison, Kreutzer should be reduced in rank to E-1, forfeit pay and allowances, and be given a dishonorable discharge.[3][5]