re: #264 Kragar (Proud to be Kafir)

Key soldier reaches plea deal in Afghan murder case

SEATTLE (Reuters) - A key suspect in the U.S. Army prosecution of soldiers accused of terrorizing unarmed Afghan civilians has agreed to plead guilty to murder charges next week and testify against his co-defendants, his lawyer said on Thursday.

Army Specialist Jeremy Morlock has signed documents stating his intention to plead guilty to three counts of premeditated murder and several other offenses when summoned March 3 for court-martial at Joint Base Lewis-McChord near Tacoma, Washington.

The deal with prosecutors, which is subject to the approval of a military judge, calls for Morlock, 22, from Wasilla, Alaska, to serve no more than 24 years in prison, as opposed to the life term he faced if convicted of all charges in a trial.

He agreed in return to testify if called as a witness against other Stryker Brigade soldiers charged in connection with what has become the most serious prosecution of alleged atrocities by U.S. military in Afghanistan since the war there began in late 2001.

Sarah Palin has been officially replaced as the “worst thing to ever come out of Wasilla”.