The Associated Press reports that jury selection began in the trial of Steven Dale Green, the former Army soldier being tried as a civilian for the rape of a 14-year-old girl and the killing of her family in Iraq.
Green is being tried as a civilian for alleged crimes that occurred overseas while he was a member of the 101st Airborne Division pursuant to the Military Extraterritorial Jurisdiction Act. This law was enacted by Congress in 2000 to address a “juridictional gap” that can leave American military personnel unpunished for crimes committed overseas. In Green’s case, he was honorably discharged from the military before the Army brought charges. As such, he will not have to face an Iraqi or military jury. Instead, he will have to face a jury of his peers in Paducah, Kentucky.
The Army investigated Green along with four other soldiers after an Iraqi girl was raped, her body was set on fire and her family killed. The four other soldiers faced court-martials under the Uniform Code of Military Justice. Three soldiers pleaded guilty and one was convicted by a jury. They received sentences ranging from 5 to 110 years depending on their level of participation in the crime.
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