Fort Carson Soldier Accused Of Killing Prisoner

From the AP and Yahoo News:

Ft. Carson soldier accused of killing prisoner



By DAN ELLIOTT, Associated Press Dan Elliott, Associated Press – 46 mins ago

FORT CARSON, Colo. – A Fort Carson soldier was so eager to fight "the bad guys" in Afghanistan that he shot and killed a Taliban member who was sleeping in a jail cell, military prosecutors said Tuesday.



Prosecutors wrapped up a hearing to determine whether Pfc. David Lawrence should be court-martialed on the charge of premeditated murder in the Oct. 17 slaying of the prisoner.



The presiding officer will recommend to commanders whether the 20-year-old Indiana native should be tried. It's not clear when that recommendation will come.



Lawrence's lawyer said the soldier is taking medication for schizophrenia and isn't mentally fit to stand trial.



During testimony, two soldiers who guarded Lawrence after his arrest in Afghanistan said he told them that he and his lawyer might "play the crazy card."



Lawrence appeared to repeatedly nod off during the hearing, prompting prosecutors to ask a sergeant to sit next to him to make sure he stayed awake. At one point, he stood up and started to walk away before an officer pulled him back.



One of the soldiers from Lawrence's platoon, Pfc. Dimitri Andre Jenkins, testified by speaker phone from Afghanistan about Jenkins' unsettling behavior before the prisoner was shot.



Jenkins, a medic, said Lawrence acted strangely, saying sometimes he was upset about a friend who had died back home and sometimes he laughed and joked with other soldiers.



Jenkins testified that he reported his concerns to superiors about Lawrence, who was serving with the 1st Brigade Combat Team of the 4th Infantry Division in Afghanistan. Jenkins said he feared the prisoner would be killed when "for the most part, he said he was going to do something that had to be done."



Jenkins also said that before the prisoner was shot, "I felt like it was going to be some kind of murder-suicide deal."



Lawrence's guards, Sgt. John Miller and Pvt. Aaron Rederstorf, also both testified that Lawrence told them that the bullet that killed the detainee — who hasn't been identified — had ricocheted off something before it struck him.



They said that before Lawrence had his first judicial hearing in Afghanistan, he was smiling and laughing, with Miller saying he appeared "almost cocky".



After the hearing, they said Lawrence became more subdued and at one point appeared to be crying. Both guards said they were not at the hearing and didn't know what had transpired.



Both guards, who also testified by phone from Afghanistan, said Lawrence had asked them about how long a prison term he might get.



"Well, if I get 20 years, I'll get out when I'm 40 and that wouldn't be too bad," Miller quoted Lawrence as saying.



Sgt. Jaroslab Diaz, who had served as Lawrence's platoon leader at one time, also testified that two other soldiers told him that Lawrence had reported having homicidal and suicidal thoughts before the shooting. Diaz testified that Lawrence said he shot the leader.



The Army says it's not sure of the name of the Taliban leader killed, saying he had a number of aliases.