Behenna, who was an Army Ranger in the 101st Airborne Division, was convicted of unpremeditated murder in a combat zone and sentenced to 25 years after killing Ali Mansur, a detainee and suspected al-Qaeda member. Behenna, who stripped Mansur naked, interrogated him without authorization and then shot him twice, has claimed repeatedly that he was acting in self-defense…

U.S. forces took Mansur into custody in 2008 shortly after a roadside bomb struck a convoy traveling north of Baghdad, killing two of Behenna’s friends and platoon members. An intelligence report linked Mansur to the attack, but he was later freed when the military couldn’t find conclusive evidence of his involvement, according to Behenna’s pardon application.

Behenna was then ordered to transport Mansur back to his village. Instead, Behenna took him to a secluded railroad culvert and demanded more information from him. At his 2009 court-martial, Behenna said Mansur had lunged for his weapon during the impromptu interrogation.