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US soldier faces Iraq murder charges
(Agencies)
Updated: 2004-07-29 01:30
The first U.S. soldier charged with murder in Iraq emerged from a military
investigative hearing in Germany on Wednesday confident that he will not have to
face a court-martial after his former commander praised him as "trustworthy and
honest."
Capt. Rogelio M. Maynulet denies the charges of murder and dereliction of
duty stemming from the close-range killing of a wounded "unidentified
paramilitary member" following a car chase May 21 near Kufa, south of Baghdad.
Asked whether he was optimistic as he left the hearing at a barracks in
Hanau, outside Frankfurt, Maynulet said: "Yes, I am."
The hearing, a military version of a U.S. grand jury investigation, is
looking into the shooting of the man during the hunt for Shiite cleric Muqtada
al-Sadr and will determine whether Maynulet is court-martialed.
The court picked up where it had left off June 28 in Baghdad, where the
hearing was suspended after four days as Maynulet's 1st Armored Division
returned home to Germany. Maynulet's command of a tank company was suspended May
25.
Dressed in the Army's green camouflage uniform, the 29-year-old listened
intently to the proceedings in the plain, brown courtroom. His wife, Brooke — a
Black Hawk helicopter pilot — was seated behind him and appeared nervous, at
times chewing on her fingernails.
In the 20-minute session, defense attorney Capt. Will Helixon called
Maynulet's former commander, Col. Michael Ryan, as a character witness.
"He is special, trustworthy and honest," Ryan testified, speaking by
telephone from Washington.
Ryan, who commanded Maynulet at Fort Hood, Texas, and also in Bosnia, said
the Chicago native was an officer on the rise.
"He was able to be sent to virtually every area (in Bosnia). He performed
exceptionally," Ryan said. "I was impressed with him. I had absolutely no
reservations that he would be an excellent officer."
Ryan also saw Maynulet in Iraq and spoke positively of his command
capabilities there as well.
"In all cases, he had perfect interaction with his soldiers," Ryan said.
"They respected him and they liked him."
Following Ryan's testimony, the hearings were put on hold again until Sept. 8
because a number of key witnesses were taking long leaves following their recent
return from Iraq.
In the meantime, Maynulet said he himself planned to take leave, though he
did not say where, and also continue his work with the 1st Armored Division's
operations planning staff.
"I plan to do my job and continue to serve my country," he told The
Associated Press.
On the day of the incident, Maynulet had been leading his tank company on a
mission between Najaf and Kufa to capture or kill al-Sadr, who was wanted on an
Iraqi arrest warrant in connection with the slaying of a rival cleric.
Maynulet's group spotted a speeding BMW and pursued it, the military said
when announcing on July 2 the charges that were filed against Maynulet on June
12.
"A chase began, and U.S. forces shot at the vehicle. The driver and a
passenger were wounded. Shortly thereafter, the wounded driver was shot and
killed at close range," the military said.
Maynulet is accused of the driver's killing.
The military has not released further details of the incident, but a better
picture is expected to emerge from the so-called Article 32 hearings, which
Maynulet requested be open to the press.
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