US soldier faces murder charge

From the Associated Press:

Soldier may face murder charge in Afghan death

FORT BRAGG, NC, Aug 5 (AP) - Army prosecutors said Tuesday they plan to seek a murder charge against a Special Forces soldier accused of killing and mutilating the body of a civilian in southern Afghanistan.

Officials at the U.S. Army Special Operations Command said prosecutors believe Master Sgt. Joseph D. Newell killed a resident of Hyderabad, a village in the country's Helmand province, on March 5. He is also accused of cutting off the man's ear, larceny and violating a lawful order...

[Master Sgt. Joseph D.] Newell, who was a team sergeant assigned to the Fort Bragg-based 3rd Special Forces Group, faces an Article 32 hearing, which is similar to a civilian grand jury. The August 12 hearing will determine whether he will be court-martialed on the charges...

Newell's team of Special Forces soldiers was hit by a roadside bomb, and the next day, authorities believe, Newell shot the Afghan civilian and then cut off his ear, according to two Special Forces soldiers with knowledge the investigation...

It is the second time that Special Forces soldiers from Fort Bragg have been accused of killing an Afghan civilian, since the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks.

Last year, Capt. Dave Staffel and Master Sgt. Troy Anderson were accused of killing Nawab Buntangyar in October 2006 in the village of Ster Kalay, near the Pakistan border, in a case that involved questions of decisions made during the height of combat... (link)