Soldier Draws 110 Years for Rape, Murder

Coconspirators handed tough sentences for young girl's death
By Sam Biddle,  Newser Staff
Posted Aug 5, 2007 9:00 AM CDT
Soldier Draws 110 Years for Rape, Murder
U.S. Army soldiers from Alpha Company, 1st Battalion, 5th Cavalry Regiment, 2nd Brigade, 1st Cavalry Division handles a detainee that was captured during an operation in search of possible al-Qaida suspects in the Amariyah neighborhood of west Baghdad, Iraq on Thursday, Aug. 2, 2007. (AP Photo/Petr...   (Associated Press)

A military court handed Jesse Spielman a dishonorable discharge and a 110-year prison sentence for raping and murdering an Iraqi girl last year. Spielman and four comrades planned the 2006 assault on a family near Baghdad over a drunken game of cards; they then gang-raped and murdered the girl, her parents and sister, according to the court.

The attacks immediately fueled anti-American sentiment across Iraq, but Spielman's sentence is the sternest so far. Two other soldiers got 90 and 100 year sentences, while a third—an already-discharged private—is facing trial and a possible death sentence in a civilian court. (More war crimes stories.)

Get the news faster.
Tap to install our app.
X
Install the Newser News app
in two easy steps:
1. Tap in your navigation bar.
2. Tap to Add to Home Screen.

X