Posted on 04/28/2005 10:28:17 AM PDT by SmithL
Fort Bragg -- An Army sergeant convicted of murdering two officers in a grenade attack on his comrades in Kuwait quietly said he was sorry Thursday before a military prosecutor urged the jury to sentence the soldier to death because he was an idealogically driven killer.
"I apologize for my actions. ... When I did that, I felt my life was in jeopardy, and I had other problems," Sgt. Hasan Akbar told the 15-person military jury.
Akbar spoke for less than a minute, making an unsworn statement that could not be cross-examined. He testified in such a low voice that even prosecutors sitting nearby had trouble hearing, with one lawyer even cupping his ear.
The defense rested its case after Akbar addressed the same jury that last week convicted him of two counts of premeditated murder and three counts of attempted premeditated murder. The 34-year-old Akbar faces three possible sentences — death, life with parole or life without parole.
Prosecutors have said Akbar launched the attack on members of the 101st Airborne Division in March 2003 at Camp Pennsylvania because he was concerned about U.S. troops killing fellow Muslims in the Iraq war.
The 101st was waiting to join the U.S. invasion of Iraq that had begun two days earlier.
In closing arguments of the sentencing phase, chief prosecutor Lt. Col. Michael Mulligan urged jurors to sentence Akbar to death and reject claims that the soldier's background caused his actions.
Mulligan described Akbar as a nearly lifelong religious ideologue. "He is a hate-filled, ideologically driven murderer," the prosecutor said, adding that Akbar wrote in his diary in 1997, "My life will not be complete unless America is destroyed."
Defense attorney Maj. David Coombs told jurors that Akbar should get a life sentence without parole so that he can get treatment
(Excerpt) Read more at sfgate.com ...
Nah, save the money. Buy more ammo.
TELL THAT TO THE FAMILY OF THE PEOPLE THAT HE MURDERED.
YOU ARE AN IDIOT.
Hey, sarcasm is not just a river in Egypt, buddy. Turn off your ALL CAPS and turn on your brain. And welcome to FR.
Well, this is 21st century PC America. We convict him, feed him 3 squares a day for 30 years then maybe, just maybe, we hang him.
Hell, we might even give him a kidney or liver transplant ahead of law abiding citizens.
"What a Country!" - Yakov Schmirnoff
not many hangins lately
All too true.
GET A ROPE!
SWISH!
Thank you for sharing that and Welcome to Free Republic.
You don't have to shout - we have people here that can help you figure out how to turn off your Caps Lock.
Lighten up a little on the personal attacks. If my original comment when I posted this article wasn't clear enough, check out my posting history. Unlike you, I actually have one.
Yeah. Sure.
'We, the people', paid for the POPS to serve in our military. THEN, while he's on 'our' payroll, he blows up MANY GOOD men.
I'm sure 'we,the people' are picking up the tab for its defense lawyer.
And now, that lawyer wants 'us' to lock the animal up and CONTINUE to foot the bill for a proven and admitted rabid cretin??????????
I DON'T THINK SO!!!!
Now can we shoot the POS?
Hang the SOB, he can apologize to his victims on the way to hell.
Yeah, I tried to squeeze one out too....
just couldn't manage it!
Sometime, I really, REALLY wish we were barbarians too. Then we could drag his sorry, murderous ass behind a Jeep through the streets of Iraq till his legs came off.
You certainly have my permission.
Now, that's funny.
A firing squad is too honorable, a hemp rope and about a 6 foot drop is better than he deserves. I wonder if they have a secondary MOS for hangman, or do they turn all that over to the Fed prisons.
yeah ,...and,with convicted murderers and all POS,why oh WHY do we give them a forum?????
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