Difference between revisions of "Steven Dale Green"

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{{Person
 
{{Person
 +
| constitutes = Soldier, War criminal, rapist
 
| name        = Steven Dale Green
 
| name        = Steven Dale Green
 
| image      = Steven Green.jpg
 
| image      = Steven Green.jpg
Line 11: Line 12:
 
| other_names =
 
| other_names =
 
| victim_of  = premature death
 
| victim_of  = premature death
| known_for  = raping and murdering a 14 year old Iraqi girl and her family
+
| criminal_charges = War crimes, rape, 3 counts of murder
 +
|criminal_status = Life sentence without parole, deceased in prison.
 
| occupation  = US soldier
 
| occupation  = US soldier
 +
|description = A US soldier convicted of raping and murdering an Iraqi girl.
 +
|employment={{job
 +
|title=Private First Class
 +
|start=2005
 +
|end=2006
 +
|employer=US Army
 
}}
 
}}
'''Steven Dale Green''' (born 2 May 1985) was a former Private First Class in the [[United States Army]] who was convicted of gang-[[rape|raping]] and murdering a 14-year-old [[Iraq]]i girl, Abeer Qassim Hamza al-Janabi and murdering her family inside their house in the village of Mahmudiyah. He then set fire to the house before leaving with his 4 accomplices.  
+
}}
 +
'''Steven Dale Green''' was a former Private First Class in the [[United States Army]] who was convicted of gang-[[raping]] and [[murder]]ing a 14-year-old [[Iraq]]i girl, Abeer Qassim Hamza al-Janabi and murdering her family inside their house in the village of Mahmudiyah. He then set fire to the house before leaving with his 4 accomplices.  
  
Green was charged, and sentenced by the [[US civilian justice system]] to life sentences without parole. Found dead in his cell in February 2014, he was adjudged to have committed suicide.
+
Green was charged, and sentenced by the US civilian justice system to life sentences without parole. Found dead in his cell in February 2014, he was adjudged to have committed [[suicide]].<ref>http://www.cbsnews.com/news/steven-dale-green-soldier-convicted-of-killing-iraqi-family-dies-in-prison/</ref>
<ref name=CbsNews2014-02-19>
 
{{cite news
 
| url        = http://www.cbsnews.com/news/steven-dale-green-soldier-convicted-of-killing-iraqi-family-dies-in-prison/
 
| title      = Soldier convicted of killing Iraqi family hanged himself in prison
 
| publisher  = [[CBS News]]
 
| date        = 2014-02-19
 
| location    = [[Louisville, Kentucky]]
 
| archiveurl  =
 
| archivedate =
 
| accessdate  = 2014-02
 
| deadurl    = No
 
| quote      = Green was the first American soldier charged and convicted under the Military Extraterritorial Jurisdiction Act. Signed in 2000, that law gives the federal government jurisdiction to pursue criminal cases against U.S. citizens and soldiers for acts committed in foreign lands.
 
}}
 
</ref>
 
 
Green was the first former GI to be charged under the 2000 Act.
 
Green was the first former GI to be charged under the 2000 Act.
  
 
==Biographical details==
 
==Biographical details==
  
Green grew up in [[Seabrook, Texas]] and moved to [[Midland, Texas]] when he was 14. According to school officials, he dropped out of high school in 2002 after completing the 10th grade and moved to [[Denver City, Texas]], where he earned his high school equivalency in 2003.  Days after a January 2005 arrest for alcohol possession, Green enlisted in the [[United States Army|U.S. Army]]. In doing so, he was granted a moral character waiver for prior drug and alcohol related offenses that might have otherwise disqualified him. Green graduated from [[Infantry Training Brigade]] and was assigned to the 1st Battalion, [[502nd Infantry Regiment]], 2nd Brigade, [[101st Airborne Division]] (Air Assault), [[Fort Campbell]], [[Kentucky]]. According to a military spokesperson and a criminal complaint filed in connection with the charges, Green was honorably discharged from the military "due to [[antisocial personality disorder]] but before the military was aware of the incident."<ref>{{cite news
+
Green grew up in Seabrook, Texas and moved to [[Midland, Texas]] when he was 14. According to school officials, he dropped out of high school in 2002 after completing the 10th grade and moved to Denver City, Texas, where he earned his high school equivalency in 2003.  Days after a January 2005 arrest for alcohol possession, Green enlisted in the [[United States Army|U.S. Army]]. In doing so, he was granted a moral character waiver for prior [[drug]] and alcohol related offenses that might have otherwise disqualified him. Green graduated from [[Infantry Training Brigade]] and was assigned to the 1st Battalion, 502nd Infantry Regiment, 2nd Brigade, 101st Airborne Division (Air Assault), Fort Campbell, Kentucky. According to a military spokesperson and a criminal complaint filed in connection with the charges, Green was honorably discharged from the military "due to [[antisocial personality disorder]] but before the military was aware of the incident."<ref>http://www.cnn.com/2006/LAW/07/05/iraq.charge.ap/index.html</ref>  Green was stationed in [[Iraq]] from September 2005 to April 2006 and discharged in May 2006.<ref>http://www.foxnews.com/printer_friendly_wires/2006Jul05/0,4675,ExSoldierCharged,00.html</ref>
  |first=
 
  |last=
 
  |author=
 
  |url=http://www.cnn.com/2006/LAW/07/05/iraq.charge.ap/index.html
 
  |title= Officials: Soldier was discharged for 'antisocial personality'
 
  |work=
 
  |publisher=CNN
 
  |pages=
 
  |page=
 
  |date=2006-07-05
 
  |accessdate=2006-07-05
 
}}</ref>  Green was stationed in [[Iraq]] from September 2005 to April 2006 and discharged in May 2006.<ref>{{cite news
 
  |author=Allen G. Breed
 
  |url=http://www.foxnews.com/printer_friendly_wires/2006Jul05/0,4675,ExSoldierCharged,00.html
 
  |title= Ex-GI Accused in Iraq Rape Had Rocky Past
 
  |publisher=Fox News (AP)
 
  |date=2006-07-05
 
  |accessdate=2009-06-29
 
}}</ref>
 
  
 
==Mahmudiyah killings==
 
==Mahmudiyah killings==
  
{{Main|Mahmudiyah killings}}
 
 
[[File:Steven Dale Green shotgun.jpg|thumb|upright|Green in Iraq]]
 
[[File:Steven Dale Green shotgun.jpg|thumb|upright|Green in Iraq]]
 
On 30 June 2006, the [[FBI]] arrested Green, who was held without [[bail bond|bond]] and transferred to [[Louisville, Kentucky]]. On 3 July 2006, [[United States Federal Court]] prosecutors formally charged him with raping and killing [[Abeer Qassim Hamza al-Janabi]], a 14-year-old girl, and with killing her six-year-old sister Hadeel, her father, Qassim Hamza Rasheed, and her mother, Fakhriya Taha Muhasen in Mahmoudiyah, on 12 March 2006. On July 10, the U.S. Army charged four other active duty soldiers with the same crime. A sixth soldier, Sgt. Anthony Yribe, was charged with failing to report the attack, but not with having participated in the rape and the murders.
 
On 30 June 2006, the [[FBI]] arrested Green, who was held without [[bail bond|bond]] and transferred to [[Louisville, Kentucky]]. On 3 July 2006, [[United States Federal Court]] prosecutors formally charged him with raping and killing [[Abeer Qassim Hamza al-Janabi]], a 14-year-old girl, and with killing her six-year-old sister Hadeel, her father, Qassim Hamza Rasheed, and her mother, Fakhriya Taha Muhasen in Mahmoudiyah, on 12 March 2006. On July 10, the U.S. Army charged four other active duty soldiers with the same crime. A sixth soldier, Sgt. Anthony Yribe, was charged with failing to report the attack, but not with having participated in the rape and the murders.
  
Green and four other soldiers, Sgt. Paul E. Cortéz, Spc. James P. Barker, Pfc. Jesse V. Spielman, and Pfc. Brian L. Howard, had planned raping Abeer Qassim Hamza. Pfc. Howard was ordered to monitor radio traffic while the others entered the Hamza family's house. Green ordered the father, mother, and younger daughter to a bedroom and shot them, saying: "I just killed them; all are dead." Green, and at least one other soldier, raped Abeer Qassim Hamza, after which Green shot her in the face two or three times. Five soldiers, including Green, were formally charged with raping the girl and murdering her parents and little sister. Cortéz, Barker, Spielman, and Howard accepted plea bargains.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.cnn.com/2006/LAW/07/10/soldiers.charged/index.html |title= U.S. military names soldiers charged in rape, murder probe |accessdate=2006-10-20}}</ref>
+
Green and four other soldiers, Sgt. Paul E. Cortéz, Spc. James P. Barker, Pfc. Jesse V. Spielman, and Pfc. Brian L. Howard, had planned raping Abeer Qassim Hamza. Pfc. Howard was ordered to monitor radio traffic while the others entered the Hamza family's house. Green ordered the father, mother, and younger daughter to a bedroom and shot them, saying: "I just killed them; all are dead." Green, and at least one other soldier, raped Abeer Qassim Hamza, after which Green shot her in the face two or three times. Five soldiers, including Green, were formally charged with raping the girl and murdering her parents and little sister. Cortéz, Barker, Spielman, and Howard accepted plea bargains.<ref>http://www.cnn.com/2006/LAW/07/10/soldiers.charged/index.html</ref>
  
Reportedly, Fakhariya Taja Muhassain worried that her daughter, Abeer, had attracted the unwanted attention of U.S. soldiers at the checkpoint near their home. She asked her neighbor, Omar Janabi, if she could sleep in his daughter's room at his house. Janabi agreed, but the Hamza family were murdered the next day.<ref>{{cite news
+
Reportedly, Fakhariya Taja Muhassain worried that her daughter, Abeer, had attracted the unwanted attention of U.S. soldiers at the checkpoint near their home. She asked her neighbor, Omar Janabi, if she could sleep in his daughter's room at his house. Janabi agreed, but the Hamza family were murdered the next day.<ref>http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/news/archive/2006/07/03/international/i100326D59.DTL</ref> Janabi, who said he discovered the Hamza family bodies, found the husband, the wife, and the younger, six-year-old daughter in one room, all shot dead. In another room of the Hamza house, Janabi found Abeer Qassim Hamza's burned body.
  |first=
 
  |last=
 
  |author=Kim Gamel
 
  |url=http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/news/archive/2006/07/03/international/i100326D59.DTL
 
  |title=At Least 12 Killed in Attacks Across Iraq
 
  |work=
 
  |publisher=SFGate.com
 
  |pages=
 
  |page=
 
  |date=2006-07-03
 
  |accessdate=2006-07-03
 
}}</ref> Janabi, who said he discovered the Hamza family bodies, found the husband, the wife, and the younger, six-year-old daughter in one room, all shot dead. In another room of the Hamza house, Janabi found Abeer Qassim Hamza's burned body.
 
  
 
==Trial==
 
==Trial==
On 6 July 2006, Green entered a plea of not guilty through his public defenders. U.S. Magistrate Judge [[James Moyer]] set an arraignment date of August 8 in [[Paducah, Kentucky|Paducah]], [[Kentucky]].<ref name=Cnn060706>{{cite web |url=http://www.cnn.com/2006/LAW/07/06/iraq.charge.ap/index.html |title=Ex-soldier pleads not guilty to rape, murder: Former Army private accused of raping woman, killing family |author=[[CNN]] |accessdate=2006-07-06}}</ref>
+
On 6 July 2006, Green entered a plea of not guilty through his public defenders. U.S. Magistrate Judge [[James Moyer]] set an arraignment date of August 8 in [[Paducah, Kentucky|Paducah]], [[Kentucky]].<ref name=Cnn060706>http://www.cnn.com/2006/LAW/07/06/iraq.charge.ap/index.html</ref>
  
On 11 July 2006, his lawyers requested a [[gag order]]. "This case has received prominent and often sensational coverage in virtually all print, electronic and [[Internet]] news media in the world." "Clearly, the publicity and public passions surrounding this case present the clear and imminent danger to the fair administration of justice," said the motion.<ref>
+
On 11 July 2006, his lawyers requested a [[gag order]]. "This case has received prominent and often sensational coverage in virtually all print, electronic and [[Internet]] news media in the world." "Clearly, the publicity and public passions surrounding this case present the clear and imminent danger to the fair administration of justice," said the motion.<ref>http://www.kywd.uscourts.gov/3-06-00230/pdf/entry14MainDocument.pdf</ref>
{{cite web
+
Prosecutors had until 25 July to file their response to the request.<ref>http://www.cnn.com/2006/LAW/07/11/gag.order/index.html</ref>
|title=MOTION TO RESTRAIN PARTIES AND OTHER TRIAL PARTICIPANTS FROM MAKING EXTRAJUDICIAL STATEMENTS OF INFLAMMATORY OR PREJUDICIAL NATURE
 
|url=http://www.kywd.uscourts.gov/3-06-00230/pdf/entry14MainDocument.pdf
 
|publisher=[[United States District Court for the Western District of Kentucky]]
 
|format=PDF
 
|date=2006-07-11
 
|accessdate=2009-05-23
 
}}</ref>
 
Prosecutors had until 25 July to file their response to the request.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.cnn.com/2006/LAW/07/11/gag.order/index.html |title= Gag requested in Iraq rape-murder case |author=[[CNN]] |accessdate=2006-10-20 |date=2006-07-11}}</ref>
 
  
On 31 August 2006, a federal judge rejected a gag order. U.S. District Judge Thomas Russell said there is "no reason to believe" that Green's [[right to a fair trial]] would be in jeopardy. Furthermore he added, "It is beyond question that the charges against Mr. Green are serious ones, and that some of the acts alleged in the complaint are considered unacceptable in our society."<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.military.com/NewsContent/0,13319,112183,00.html |title=Judge in Rape-Murder Case Denies Gag Order |author=[[Associated Press|AP]] |date=2006-09-01 |accessdate=2006-10-20}}</ref>
+
On 31 August 2006, a federal judge rejected a gag order. U.S. District Judge Thomas Russell said there is "no reason to believe" that Green's [[right to a fair trial]] would be in jeopardy. Furthermore he added, "It is beyond question that the charges against Mr. Green are serious ones, and that some of the acts alleged in the complaint are considered unacceptable in our society."<ref>http://www.military.com/NewsContent/0,13319,112183,00.html </ref>
  
 
In July 2007, federal prosecutors, led by Brian Skaret of the [[United States Department of Justice]]'s [[Domestic Security Section]], announced they will be seeking the death penalty for Green. This is based on the fact that prosecutors believe the rape and killings were premeditated, and were committed using a firearm.
 
In July 2007, federal prosecutors, led by Brian Skaret of the [[United States Department of Justice]]'s [[Domestic Security Section]], announced they will be seeking the death penalty for Green. This is based on the fact that prosecutors believe the rape and killings were premeditated, and were committed using a firearm.
Line 98: Line 53:
 
The prosecution of this case is unique in that although the alleged crimes were committed by an active member of the United States military, which normally would fall under the jurisdiction of the military court system, Green was [[indictment|indicted]] and arrested after he had been discharged from the Army. Thus, the case is being tried instead by the United States Department of Justice's [[Domestic Security Section]].
 
The prosecution of this case is unique in that although the alleged crimes were committed by an active member of the United States military, which normally would fall under the jurisdiction of the military court system, Green was [[indictment|indicted]] and arrested after he had been discharged from the Army. Thus, the case is being tried instead by the United States Department of Justice's [[Domestic Security Section]].
  
Opening arguments in Green's trial were heard on April 27, 2009.<ref>
+
Opening arguments in Green's trial were heard on April 27, 2009.<ref>http://www.dailymail.com/ap/ApTopStories/200904270606</ref> The prosecution rested its case on May 4, 2009.<ref>http://www.armytimes.com/news/2009/05/ap_iraq_slaying_trial_050409w/</ref>
{{cite web
+
On May 7, 2009, a federal jury convicted Green of rape and murder, for which he could have received the death penalty.<ref>http://www.cnn.com/2009/WORLD/meast/05/08/kentucky.iraq.soldier.rape/</ref>
|first=Brett
+
However, on May 21, 2009, Green was spared the death penalty when the jury of nine men and three women couldn't come to unanimous agreement on a penalty; as a result, he will receive life without parole.<ref>http://www.nytimes.com/2009/05/22/us/22soldier.html</ref>
|last=Barrouquere
+
Formal sentencing is scheduled for September 4, 2009.<ref name=TelegraphPenalty>http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/middleeast/iraq/5365100/US-soldier-escapes-death-penalty-over-Iraqi-rape-and-murder.htm</ref>
|title=Ex-soldier trial for rape, murder in Iraq opens
 
|url=http://www.dailymail.com/ap/ApTopStories/200904270606
 
|publisher=[[AP]]
 
|date=2009-04-27
 
|accessdate=2009-05-23
 
}}</ref> The prosecution rested its case on May 4, 2009.<ref>
 
{{cite web
 
|url=http://www.armytimes.com/news/2009/05/ap_iraq_slaying_trial_050409w/
 
|title=Prosecution rests in trial for Iraq crimes
 
|publisher=AP
 
|date=2009-05-04
 
|accessdate=2009-05-23
 
}}</ref>
 
On May 7, 2009, a federal jury convicted Green of rape and murder, for which he could have received the death penalty.<ref>
 
{{cite web
 
|title=Ex-soldier could face death over Iraq murders, rape
 
|url=http://www.cnn.com/2009/WORLD/meast/05/08/kentucky.iraq.soldier.rape/
 
|publisher=CNN
 
|date=2009-05-08
 
|accessdate=2009-05-23
 
}}</ref>
 
However, on May 21, 2009, Green was spared the death penalty when the jury of nine men and three women couldn't come to unanimous agreement on a penalty; as a result, he will receive life without parole.<ref>
 
{{cite web
 
|first=James
 
|last=Dao
 
|title=Ex-Soldier Gets Life Sentence for Iraq Murders
 
|url=http://www.nytimes.com/2009/05/22/us/22soldier.html
 
|publisher=[[The New York Times]]
 
|date=2009-05-21
 
|accessdate=2009-05-23
 
}}</ref>
 
Formal sentencing is scheduled for September 4, 2009.<ref name=TelegraphPenalty>
 
{{cite web
 
|title=US soldier escapes death penalty over Iraqi rape and murder
 
|url=http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/middleeast/iraq/5365100/US-soldier-escapes-death-penalty-over-Iraqi-rape-and-murder.html
 
|publisher=[[The Daily Telegraph]]
 
|date=2009-05-22
 
|accessdate=2009-05-23
 
}}</ref>
 
  
Some said the jury's indecision may indicate that the public is becoming increasingly aware of combat stress and its effects on soldiers.<ref>
+
Some said the jury's indecision may indicate that the public is becoming increasingly aware of combat stress and its effects on soldiers.<ref>http://abcnews.go.com/US/wireStory?id=7650889</ref> Green's defense attorneys argued against the death penalty, presenting military witnesses who testified that Green's unit suffered unusual stress and heavy casualties, and had insufficient Army leadership.<ref name=TelegraphPenalty/>
{{cite web
 
|first=Kristin M.
 
|last=Hall
 
|title=Iraq Slaying Verdict Highlights Combat Stress
 
|url=http://abcnews.go.com/US/wireStory?id=7650889
 
|publisher=AP
 
|date=2009-05-22
 
|accessdate=2009-05-23
 
}}</ref> Green's defense attorneys argued against the death penalty, presenting military witnesses who testified that Green's unit suffered unusual stress and heavy casualties, and had insufficient Army leadership.<ref name=TelegraphPenalty/>
 
  
Green's Army comrades, who were charged in the [[US military justice system]], also received heavy sentences, Cortez being sentenced to 110 years -- but, unlike Green they were eligible for parole in 2015.<ref name=YahooNews2014-02-18>
+
Green's Army comrades, who were charged in the [[US military justice system]], also received heavy sentences, Cortez being sentenced to 110 years but, unlike Green they were eligible for parole in 2015.<ref name=YahooNews2014-02-18>https://web.archive.org/web/20140219124900/http://news.yahoo.com/ex-soldier-convicted-killing-iraqi-family-dies-222833951.html</ref>
{{cite news
 
| url        = http://news.yahoo.com/ex-soldier-convicted-killing-iraqi-family-dies-222833951.html
 
| title      = Ex-soldier convicted of killing Iraqi family dies in prison
 
| publisher  = [[Yahoo News]]
 
| author      = Brett Barrouquere
 
| date        = 2014-02-18
 
| location    = [[Louisville, Kentucky]]
 
| archiveurl  = https://web.archive.org/web/20140219124900/http://news.yahoo.com/ex-soldier-convicted-killing-iraqi-family-dies-222833951.html
 
| archivedate = 2014-02-19
 
| accessdate  = 2014-03-06
 
| deadurl    = No
 
| quote      = Three other soldiers. Jesse Spielman, Paul Cortez and James Barker, are serving lengthy sentences in the military prison at Fort Leavenworth, Kan., for their roles in the attack. Each is eligible for parole in 2015.
 
}}
 
</ref>
 
 
Green told the ''Associated Press'' that he felt he was being punished more severely than his comrades, since he faced multiple life sentences without parole, whereas they could be released on parole after serving less than a decade.
 
Green told the ''Associated Press'' that he felt he was being punished more severely than his comrades, since he faced multiple life sentences without parole, whereas they could be released on parole after serving less than a decade.
  
 
==Green's cultural impact==
 
==Green's cultural impact==
  
According to ''Acts of War'', the play ''[[9 circles]]'' was inspired by Green's life.<ref>
+
According to ''Acts of War'', the play ''[[9 circles]]'' was inspired by Green's life.<ref> http://books.google.ca/books?id=6WAzWek9PYQC&pg=PR25&dq=Steven+Dale+Green&hl=en&sa=X&ei=hNAYU5uHMub4yQHxjYH4Aw&redir_esc=y#v=onepage&q=Steven%20Dale%20Green&f=false</ref>
{{cite book
+
''[[CBS News]]'' quoted Green's lawyers, after his death, reportedly of [[suicide]], that Green had been looking forward to being interviewed by a documentary film-maker.
| url        = http://books.google.ca/books?id=6WAzWek9PYQC&pg=PR25&dq=Steven+Dale+Green&hl=en&sa=X&ei=hNAYU5uHMub4yQHxjYH4Aw&redir_esc=y#v=onepage&q=Steven%20Dale%20Green&f=false
+
{{SMWDocs}}
| title      = Acts of War: Iraq and Afghanistan in Seven Plays
 
| editors    = Karen Malpede, Michael Messina, Bob Shuman
 
| publisher  = [[Northwestern University Press]]
 
| author      =
 
| date        = 2011
 
| page        =
 
| location    =
 
| isbn        = 9780810127326
 
| accessdate  = 2014-03-06
 
| deadurl    = No
 
| quote      = The antihero of Bill Cain's ''9 Circles'' has a character which is "undone" before the play begins.  Daniel Edward Reeves was granted a special "moral" waiver to join the army.
 
The play was suggested by the true story of Steven Dale Green, a high school dropout with a trouble emotional history who was in prison on his third misdemeanor charge just days before
 
he was allowed  to enlist in an army desperate for recruits.
 
}}
 
</ref>
 
''[[CBS News]]'' quoted Green's lawyers, after his death, apparently of suicide, that Green had been looking forward to being interviewed by a documentary film-maker.<ref name=CbsNews2014-02-19/>
 
 
 
==See also==
 
{{portal|United States Army|United States Department of the Army Seal.svg}}
 
*[[Human rights in post-Saddam Hussein Iraq]]
 
*[[Mahmudiyah incident]]
 
*[[Abeer Qassim Hamza]]
 
*[http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/1/10/FBI_affidavit_in_support_of_an_arrest_warrent_for_Steven_Dale_Green.pdf Affidavit by F.B.I. related to Steven D. Green's arrest]
 
 
 
 
==References==
 
==References==
 
{{reflist|2}}
 
{{reflist|2}}
Line 214: Line 83:
 
*[http://www.expose-the-war-profiteers.org/DOD/iraq_II/mahmudiya.htm#Background The Massacre of Mahmudiya: A full detail of the case with court documents]
 
*[http://www.expose-the-war-profiteers.org/DOD/iraq_II/mahmudiya.htm#Background The Massacre of Mahmudiya: A full detail of the case with court documents]
 
*[https://en.wikinews.org/wiki/US_soldier_arrested_for_rape_and_four_murders_in_Iraq US soldier arrested for rape and four murders in Iraq]
 
*[https://en.wikinews.org/wiki/US_soldier_arrested_for_rape_and_four_murders_in_Iraq US soldier arrested for rape and four murders in Iraq]
 
{{DEFAULTSORT:Green, Steven Dale}}
 
[[Category:American rapists]]
 
[[Category:American mass murderers]]
 
[[Category:American murderers of children]]
 
[[Category:Living people]]
 
[[Category:People from Gaines County, Texas]]
 
[[Category:People from Harris County, Texas]]
 
[[Category:People from Yoakum County, Texas]]
 
[[Category:People from Midland, Texas]]
 
[[Category:Recipients of the Combat Infantryman Badge]]
 
[[Category:United States Army soldiers]]
 
[[Category:American military personnel of the Iraq War]]
 
[[Category:1985 births]]
 
[[Category:Americans convicted of murder]]
 
[[Category:People convicted of murder by the United States federal government]]
 
[[Category:American people convicted of war crimes]]
 

Latest revision as of 13:22, 15 January 2022

Person.png Steven Dale GreenRdf-entity.pngRdf-icon.png
(Soldier, War criminal, rapist)
Steven Green.jpg
Born1985-05-02
Midland, Texas
Died2014-02-18 (Age 28)
Lexington, Kentucky
NationalityUSA
OccupationUS soldier
Criminal charge
War crimes, rape, 3 counts of murder
Criminal status
Life sentence without parole, deceased in prison.
Victim ofpremature death
A US soldier convicted of raping and murdering an Iraqi girl.

Employment.png Private First Class

In office
2005 - 2006
EmployerUS Army

Steven Dale Green was a former Private First Class in the United States Army who was convicted of gang-raping and murdering a 14-year-old Iraqi girl, Abeer Qassim Hamza al-Janabi and murdering her family inside their house in the village of Mahmudiyah. He then set fire to the house before leaving with his 4 accomplices.

Green was charged, and sentenced by the US civilian justice system to life sentences without parole. Found dead in his cell in February 2014, he was adjudged to have committed suicide.[1] Green was the first former GI to be charged under the 2000 Act.

Biographical details

Green grew up in Seabrook, Texas and moved to Midland, Texas when he was 14. According to school officials, he dropped out of high school in 2002 after completing the 10th grade and moved to Denver City, Texas, where he earned his high school equivalency in 2003. Days after a January 2005 arrest for alcohol possession, Green enlisted in the U.S. Army. In doing so, he was granted a moral character waiver for prior drug and alcohol related offenses that might have otherwise disqualified him. Green graduated from Infantry Training Brigade and was assigned to the 1st Battalion, 502nd Infantry Regiment, 2nd Brigade, 101st Airborne Division (Air Assault), Fort Campbell, Kentucky. According to a military spokesperson and a criminal complaint filed in connection with the charges, Green was honorably discharged from the military "due to antisocial personality disorder but before the military was aware of the incident."[2] Green was stationed in Iraq from September 2005 to April 2006 and discharged in May 2006.[3]

Mahmudiyah killings

Green in Iraq

On 30 June 2006, the FBI arrested Green, who was held without bond and transferred to Louisville, Kentucky. On 3 July 2006, United States Federal Court prosecutors formally charged him with raping and killing Abeer Qassim Hamza al-Janabi, a 14-year-old girl, and with killing her six-year-old sister Hadeel, her father, Qassim Hamza Rasheed, and her mother, Fakhriya Taha Muhasen in Mahmoudiyah, on 12 March 2006. On July 10, the U.S. Army charged four other active duty soldiers with the same crime. A sixth soldier, Sgt. Anthony Yribe, was charged with failing to report the attack, but not with having participated in the rape and the murders.

Green and four other soldiers, Sgt. Paul E. Cortéz, Spc. James P. Barker, Pfc. Jesse V. Spielman, and Pfc. Brian L. Howard, had planned raping Abeer Qassim Hamza. Pfc. Howard was ordered to monitor radio traffic while the others entered the Hamza family's house. Green ordered the father, mother, and younger daughter to a bedroom and shot them, saying: "I just killed them; all are dead." Green, and at least one other soldier, raped Abeer Qassim Hamza, after which Green shot her in the face two or three times. Five soldiers, including Green, were formally charged with raping the girl and murdering her parents and little sister. Cortéz, Barker, Spielman, and Howard accepted plea bargains.[4]

Reportedly, Fakhariya Taja Muhassain worried that her daughter, Abeer, had attracted the unwanted attention of U.S. soldiers at the checkpoint near their home. She asked her neighbor, Omar Janabi, if she could sleep in his daughter's room at his house. Janabi agreed, but the Hamza family were murdered the next day.[5] Janabi, who said he discovered the Hamza family bodies, found the husband, the wife, and the younger, six-year-old daughter in one room, all shot dead. In another room of the Hamza house, Janabi found Abeer Qassim Hamza's burned body.

Trial

On 6 July 2006, Green entered a plea of not guilty through his public defenders. U.S. Magistrate Judge James Moyer set an arraignment date of August 8 in Paducah, Kentucky.[6]

On 11 July 2006, his lawyers requested a gag order. "This case has received prominent and often sensational coverage in virtually all print, electronic and Internet news media in the world." "Clearly, the publicity and public passions surrounding this case present the clear and imminent danger to the fair administration of justice," said the motion.[7] Prosecutors had until 25 July to file their response to the request.[8]

On 31 August 2006, a federal judge rejected a gag order. U.S. District Judge Thomas Russell said there is "no reason to believe" that Green's right to a fair trial would be in jeopardy. Furthermore he added, "It is beyond question that the charges against Mr. Green are serious ones, and that some of the acts alleged in the complaint are considered unacceptable in our society."[9]

In July 2007, federal prosecutors, led by Brian Skaret of the United States Department of Justice's Domestic Security Section, announced they will be seeking the death penalty for Green. This is based on the fact that prosecutors believe the rape and killings were premeditated, and were committed using a firearm.

The prosecution of this case is unique in that although the alleged crimes were committed by an active member of the United States military, which normally would fall under the jurisdiction of the military court system, Green was indicted and arrested after he had been discharged from the Army. Thus, the case is being tried instead by the United States Department of Justice's Domestic Security Section.

Opening arguments in Green's trial were heard on April 27, 2009.[10] The prosecution rested its case on May 4, 2009.[11] On May 7, 2009, a federal jury convicted Green of rape and murder, for which he could have received the death penalty.[12] However, on May 21, 2009, Green was spared the death penalty when the jury of nine men and three women couldn't come to unanimous agreement on a penalty; as a result, he will receive life without parole.[13] Formal sentencing is scheduled for September 4, 2009.[14]

Some said the jury's indecision may indicate that the public is becoming increasingly aware of combat stress and its effects on soldiers.[15] Green's defense attorneys argued against the death penalty, presenting military witnesses who testified that Green's unit suffered unusual stress and heavy casualties, and had insufficient Army leadership.[14]

Green's Army comrades, who were charged in the US military justice system, also received heavy sentences, Cortez being sentenced to 110 years — but, unlike Green they were eligible for parole in 2015.[16] Green told the Associated Press that he felt he was being punished more severely than his comrades, since he faced multiple life sentences without parole, whereas they could be released on parole after serving less than a decade.

Green's cultural impact

According to Acts of War, the play 9 circles was inspired by Green's life.[17] CBS News quoted Green's lawyers, after his death, reportedly of suicide, that Green had been looking forward to being interviewed by a documentary film-maker.

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References

External links