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Soldier cries describing rape, slaying
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| Contributor | The Sunset Provision |
| Last Edited | The Sunset Provision Feb 21, 2007 12:31pm |
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| Category | News |
| Media | Website - Yahoo News |
| News Date | Wednesday, February 21, 2007 06:30:00 PM UTC0:0 |
| Description | A second U.S. soldier has pleaded guilty to the gang rape and murder of a 14-year-old Iraqi girl and the slaying of her family, saying he held the girl down and acted as a lookout while others took turns attacking her.
Sgt. Paul E. Cortez, 24, pleaded guilty Tuesday to four murders, rape and conspiracy to rape. If his plea agreement is approved by the judge, Col. Stephen R. Henley, Cortez could avoid the death penalty.
At a hearing Wednesday, Cortez recounted events on the day of the attack, saying at one point that "it wasn't the first time anybody had talked about having sex with an Iraqi female." He broke down in tears during the description and the judge briefly recessed the hearing.
In the plea agreement read in court Tuesday, Cortez said he conspired with three other soldiers — Pfc. Jesse V. Spielman, Spc. James P. Barker and Steven D. Green, who has been discharged — to rape 14-year-old Abeer Qassim al-Janabi.
According to the plea deal, Cortez, Spielman and Barker illegally went into the home of the girl's family in Mahmoudiya, and Cortez held her while Barker raped her. While Cortez raped her, Green shot and killed the girl's parents and younger sister, the agreement said.
Cortez then acted as a lookout while Green raped the girl, and Green shot her, the document said. Cortez helped burn the girl's body and the home, then burned his clothes.
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