They started discussing killing civilians when a Staff Sergeant Calvin Gibbs arrived there last November. Apparently, Gibbs bragged about things he got away with in Iraq and talked about how easy it is to kill someone. Almost like he was looking for soldiers with the same type of mentality.
People investigating the case, found that Gibbs and Jeremy Morlock devised a plan to form a kill team. They allegedly killed three civilians while on patrol over the next few months. The first was killed by a grenade and gunfire in January. Gibbs is 25 and Morlock is 22.
Morlock, Gibbs, and another soldier, Andrew Holmes killed another Afghan while on guard. Gibbs gave Morlock a grenade that he threw at the Afghan and Holmes shot him. Holmes is 19. Later, Morlock told Holmes that they did that for fun and threatened to kill him if he told. A month later, another victim was shot and killed. Gibbs shot him and put a gun next to the body to set it up like the innocent civilian shot at him first.
The Army Times newspaper said that there was one soldier involved in the group that would collect the fingers of victims as some posed for pictures with the dead bodies. Five soldiers out of the kill team Adam Winfield, Gibbs, Michael Wagnon, Morlock, and Holmes are being accused of aggravated assault and murder along with other charges. If they are convicted, they face life in prison or the death penalty.
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| Andrew Holmes, Michael Wagnon, Jeremy Worlock, and Adam Winfield. |
After a soldier was brutally assaulted, the murders were highlighted because he told authorities that some soldiers were smoking hashish and he also told of soldiers drinking smuggled alcohol. Gibbs and Morlock beat him for snitching and told him to shut up. He then told of what he knew about the kill team. He is an unidentified soldier that was straight out of basic training.
After the original five were arrested in June, seven others were charged with covering up the assault on the snitch and covering up the killings. Morlock admitted his involvement in the killings and gave details about the others involved. Now his lawyer is trying to have the confession thrown out saying his client wasn't coherent because of the use of prescription drugs and traumatic brain injury.
I think this is outrageous and puts a big blemish on all of the good things that the U.S. military does. They should definitely be punished to the extent of the law. There is no excuse for killing innocent individuals. What do you think?
