WaPo: Iraq rape/murder victim was 15 years old

The military says she was 20. The neighbors told the Post she was quite a bit younger than that.

Four killed: the rape victim, her parents … and her seven-year-old sister. All of them shot to death and one, the rape victim herself, reportedly partially burned. The surviving family members have consented to exhumation of the bodies so there should be resolution one way or another.

CNN says the prime suspect, who was discharged several months ago due to a “personality disorder,” was arrested today in North Carolina and charged. The Justice Department’s statement suggests he did the shootings but three more joined in the rape. Two other soldiers, neither of whom was there when it happened, say they heard the suspects talking about it.

It’s just about as bad as it can be, in other words. From the standpoint of criminal law, in fact, it’s worse than Haditha: assuming the latter turns out in fact to have been a rampage/massacre, arguably it’s a case of voluntary manslaughter. There’s no argument about a murder-rape.

He’s eligible for the death penalty. If he did it, he should get it. Hard.

Update: Bad info. According to other court documents, he didn’t act alone in the killings:

An affidavit filed in connection with the charges raises the possibility that others will be charged, since the document states that “members” of the 101st Airborne Division killed the Iraqis and that “the same individuals” raped and killed one of the women. The others were not identified by name.

The affidavit, by an F.B.I. special agent, Gregor J. Ahlers, said details of the crime emerged during a “combat stress debriefing” on June 20. Private Green and at least three others planned the rape and told another soldier to monitor the radio while they went to the house near Mahmudiya, south of Baghdad, according to the affidavit. Some of the participants changed clothes before going to the house and had blood on their clothes when they returned, the affidavit said.

After the murder-and-rape rampage, the affidavit states, the soldiers burned their clothes and told the comrade who had been left to monitor the radio that “this is never to be discussed again.”

Update: Sgt. T.F. Boggs interviews Iraqi general Ali.

Have you liked working with the American soldiers?

General Ali: Yes, yes, yes. They believe me and I believe them. All the soldiers that have worked here know General Ali. I invite them to my house to eat with me and to train with me. I know they came to help the Iraqi people. That is why I work with them, that is why I tell my people the truth about the coalition. Before they might have disliked the US army because they did not have the real picture of the soldiers. I told the people though how the US army fought for us and also how they did projects for us. They fixed the schools, made roads, and made many things for the people of Iraq. The people see how we caught the terrorists, how we made it safe, they see that is more comfortable then under Saddam’s regime.

Update: Here’s the complaint, via Dan Riehl. Note the testimony of “SOI2.” He claims he was there — and that he watched Green rape and kill the woman.

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