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December 2, 2008 9:57:52 AM CST

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GI Gets 10 Years for Iraqi Murder

Posted Feb 11, 08 5:12 AM CST in World,  US 

(Newser) – A US Army sniper was sentenced to 10 years in prison yesterday after a court martial found him guilty of murdering an Iraqi civilian. The Iraqi was shot when he stumbled upon the sniper's hideout, and a weapon was planted on the body to make it appear that the victim was a terrorist, reports the Los Angeles Times.

"When I came to Iraq, I didn't come over to do the wrong thing," testified shooter Sargeant Evan Vela. "My experience in Iraq is with me every day. I have to live with this every day for the rest of my life. I am truly sorry for what happened. "

Source Los Angeles Times

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U.S. Army Sgt. Evan Vela waits for the verdict outside the courthouse in Camp Liberty in Baghdad, Iraq, Sunday, Feb. 10, 2008. Sgt. Vela, an Army sniper, was sentenced to 10 years in prison for the murder...   (Associated Press)
U.S. Army Sgt. Evan Vela waits for the verdict outside the courthouse in Camp Liberty in Baghdad, Iraq, Sunday, Feb. 10, 2008. Sgt. Vela, an Army sniper was sentenced to 10 years in prison for murder...   (Associated Press)
A U.S. soldier holds his sniper position on a rooftop in a Shiite enclave of Sadr City in Baghdad, Iraq, in this April file photo. Army snipers hunting insurgents in Iraq were under orders to "bait" their...   (Associated Press)
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