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Soldier Who Killed Afghans for Sport Gets 24 Years

Jeremy Morlock pleads guilty to 'Kill Team' murders

By Rob Quinn, Newser Staff

Posted Mar 23, 2011 10:44 PM CDT

(Newser) – A soldier who confessed to killing unarmed Afghan civilians for sport has been sentenced to 24 years after entering a guilty plea. Jeremy Morlock, of Wasilla, Alaska, has agreed to testify against four other soldiers involved in the case that's being called the Afghan Abu Ghraib, reports the New York Times. The 22-year-old could be eligible for parole in around seven years as part of the plea bargain, his lawyer says.

Morlock, the first person to be court-martialed in the case, told the judge that he and his fellow soldiers planned the killings and planted weapons near the corpses to make the killings appear justified. The Army prosecutor described the crimes as "unspeakable cruelty" by "a few extraordinarily misguided men," AP reports. "We don't do this," he said. "This is not how we're trained. This is not the Army."

Morlock will be dishonorably discharged as part of his sentence. (AP Photo/U.S. Army)

In this courtroom sketch made Wednesday, March 23, 2011, Spc. Jeremy Morlock is shown during afternoon proceedings in a court martial at Joint Base Lewis-McChord in Washington state. (AP Photo/Lois Silver)

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Soldier Who Killed Afghans for Sport Gets 24 Years

Jeremy Morlock pleads guilty to 'Kill Team' murders

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