JAG CENTRAL

Army CPT Rogelio Maynulet (Washingtonpost.com)

From the Washington Post, U.S. Soldier Tells Court He Shot Iraqi Out Of Mercy:

A U.S. Army tank company commander told a military court Wednesday that he shot a gravely wounded, unarmed Iraqi man "to put him out of his misery," saying the killing was "honorable."

Taking the stand for the first time at his court-martial, Capt. Rogelio Maynulet, 30, described the events that led him to fire twice on the Iraqi, who he maintained was too seriously injured to survive.

"He was in a state that I didn't think was justified -- I had to put him out of his misery," Maynulet said. He argued that the killing "was the right thing to do, it was the honorable thing to do."

Prosecutors say Maynulet violated military rules of engagement by shooting an Iraqi who was wounded and unarmed.

In other news, Fragger Tries to Escape ("A soldier charged in a fatal grenade attack on two officers in Kuwait in March 2003 tried to overpower one of his military guards, causing the postponement of a planned pretrial hearing until Friday. Army Sgt. Hasan Akbar turned against one of his military police escorts at Fort Bragg's courts building around 7 a.m., two hours before the scheduled start of the hearing, the Army said in a statement. "The MPs quickly regained control of Akbar," the statement said.").

From USA Today, U.S. Soldier: Shooting Iraqi was "Honorable" (another story on CPT Maynulet).