Army captain pleads ‘not guilty’ to Iraq murder charges News
Army captain pleads ‘not guilty’ to Iraq murder charges

[JURIST] US Army captain Rogelio Maynulet pleaded not-guilty to charges of murder Monday at his court-martial in Germany. Maynulet, a company commander in the 1st Armored Division [official website], shot an Iraqi male after firing on the vehicle he was fleeing in, mortally wounding him. Maynulet [advocacy petition website] is charged with shooting the man [JURIST report] after the medic on the scene confirmed that he had no chance of survival; a significant portion of the man's skull was already removed following the initial attack. Maynulet maintains that he acted out of mercy [JURIST report] in an effort to end the man's suffering. Colonel James Pohl, presiding over the court martial, dismissed a second charge brought by prosecutors of dereliction of duty, after defense pointed out that prosecutors had not specified what duty it was that Maynulet was supposed to have neglected. AP has more.