Please support 1st LT Behenna's legal appeal

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Reba

Reba

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It's a long story with lots of links to details, so it's better if I just provide the website rather than doing long copies and pastes.

DEFEND MICHAEL
 
Based on this story - I don't think I support 1st Lt. Behenna. This is murder. I don't support murder - no matter who the person is. But please do correct me if I'm wrong in my assessment. Maybe I missed something.

They took Mansur back to the base for questioning by intelligence officers.

Less than two weeks later, orders came down to release Mansur. There was not enough evidence to keep him. Behenna pushed for another interrogation. But the order was final.

On May 16, he got Mansur and another detainee from their cells, and took them to the platoon's living area. A dust storm had to wane before they could leave. With his interpreter, "Harry," Behenna took Mansur into a quiet corner between the trailers and questioned him about the April 21 attack.

Mansur was blindfolded and his hands zip-tied. He didn't answer.

"I'm going to talk to you later on today," Behenna said. "If I don't get that information today, you will die today."

When he got authorization to leave, the platoon loaded the two detainees, did some routine patrolling and stopped at a checkpoint in Mezra. A few of the soldiers noticed that they had freed only one of the Iraqis. They still had Mansur.

Dusk fell blood-red through the dust, and Behenna announced that they would take a direct route through the desert to get back to camp. He stopped along the berm of some defunct railroad tracks, saying he wanted to check the culverts for weapons caches. They had taken fire from there before. He pulled Mansur out of the back of one of the trucks.

Spc. Atkinson had been sitting with the detainee all afternoon. He asked what was going on. Behenna told him to stay put.

Atkinson peered out the window with his night-vision goggles as Behenna, a squad leader, an interpreter and the detainee walked off in the gloaming. Atkinson couldn't see much. After 10 minutes or so, he made out a faint glow for about 30 seconds. He was surprised to see only three figures coming back. "They went over there and . . . killed that dude?" he thought. "OK, that's weird. Who was that guy?"

The next morning, villagers found the partially burned body and two bullet casings.

Behenna was removed from his command a few weeks later in June. On July 31, 2008, he was charged with premeditated murder.
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Reba said:
Yes, you did miss something.

Mansur was lunging toward Behenna when he was shot. The forensics show that.

http://defendmichael.files.wordpress.com/2009/03/2ndmotion-for-new-trial-and-attachment.pdf
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yes I read that part but I'm skeptical about it. He cut the plastic cuff-link and told him to stay there. Mansur probably knew Behenna was going to shoot him but Behenna was waiting for Mansur to act on it.

Reba said:
This has all the details but it's 25 pages long:

http://bobmccarty.com/wp-content/up...enna-Story-by-Carrie-Fatigante-12-05-2009.pdf
Click to expand...

My quick read shows that the stories are not adding up right in Behenna's favor. :dunno: I'll have to completely read it at home. I only read a couple pages.
 
They are basing the appeal on the claim that military prosecutors withheld evidence.
 
Jiro said:
yes I read that part but I'm skeptical about it. He cut the plastic cuff-link and told him to stay there. Mansur probably knew Behenna was going to shoot him but Behenna was waiting for Mansur to act on it.

My quick read shows that the stories are not adding up right in Behenna's favor. :dunno: I'll have to completely read it at home. I only read a couple pages.
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I realize that it's a lot to read, so I totally understand.
 
rockdrummer said:
They are basing the appeal on the claim that military prosecutors withheld evidence.
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Yes, that's the main issue for the appeal.

Right now, all I ask is that Behenna be granted an appeal. Then, we can see where that leads.
 
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