Navy SEAL found not guilty of nearly all charges in war crimes trial
WASHINGTON – A Navy SEAL was found not guilty on Tuesday of premeditated murder after being charged with killing a teenage Islamic State prisoner in Iraq.
Navy SEAL Edward Gallagher was accused of stabbing a teenage prisoner in the neck and body. He went on to pose with the prisoner's body and included it as a prop in his re-enlistment ceremony, and bragged that he "got this one with my knife." In addition, he was also accused of shooting two civilians.
Gallagher was found guilty on one of seven charges: posing for a photo with a human casualty. According to CNN, Gallagher faces a maximum sentence of four months. However, he has already served 201 days.
He was found not guilty of premeditated murder, willfully discharging a firearm to endanger human life, retaliation against members of his platoon for reporting his alleged actions, obstruction of justice, and the attempted murders of two noncombatants.
Gallagher had pleaded not guilty to all charges, contending that his accusers, members of his platoon, were "disgruntled subordinates who could not meet his high standards."
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The verdict comes after a tumultuous court-martial.
A SEAL medic who was a key witness initially told prosecutors ahead of the trial that Gallagher had walked up and stabbed the teenage prisoner. The medic said he then tried to revive the prisoner.
However, during the trial, the medic said testified he was the one who killed the teenager, according to the Associated Press. The medic, Corey Scott, testified on June 20 that he suffocated the boy after Gallagher stabbed him, claiming that he did it as an act of mercy. He had previously not told prosecutors that, and his account only changed after he was granted immunity.
In addition, the prosecution had already faced ethics questions ahead of the court-martial, which began in June.
At hearings in May, it was revealed that the prosecution sought to track emails from Gallagher's defense team in an effort to find a leak to the media. Cmdr. Christopher Czaplak, the then-lead prosecutor, and agents of the Naval Criminal Investigative Service sent emails embedded with hidden tracking software to Gallagher's lawyers and a journalist for the Navy Times, according to the New York Times.
Several outlets in May reported that President Donald Trump was considering a pardon for Gallagher. The president in March also moved Gallagher to "less restrictive confinement" due to the "honor of his past service to our country."
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This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Navy SEAL found not guilty of nearly all charges in war crimes trial