SAN DIEGO (AP) — A Navy SEAL acquitted of killing a wounded war prisoner in Iraq says he’s “happy and grateful.”
Special Operations Chief Edward Gallagher spoke briefly with reporters Tuesday after a military jury in San Diego found him not guilty of murder and all but one other charge.
The jury is scheduled to sentence him Wednesday in San Diego.
Gallagher could face up to four months confinement after being convicted of a single charge of posing for photographs with a dead war casualty.
But he could receive credit for the more than six months he served awaiting trial.
A defense lawyer for a decorated Navy SEAL says his client cried tears of “joy” and “freedom” after being acquitted of murder.
Attorney Marc Mukasey said the jury verdict Tuesday that cleared Special Operations Chief Edward Gallagher of all but one charge had lifted a huge weight from the SEAL and his family.
Friends of Gallagher emerged from the courthouse and yelled “Free Eddie” while his attorneys high-fived each other.
Gallagher could face up to four months confinement for being convicted of posing for photographs with a dead war casualty.
But he could be given credit for the more than six months he served awaiting trial.
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2:30 p.m.
A military jury in San Diego has found a Navy SEAL not guilty of committing murder in Iraq.
The jury Tuesday also found Special Operations Chief Edward Gallagher not guilty of all other counts except for the violation of posing for photographs with a dead war casualty.
Gallagher was accused of fatally stabbing an Islamic State prisoner who had been wounded by an airstrike in Iraq in 2017 and other crimes.
He had also been accused of attempted murder.
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10:50 a.m.
A military jury in San Diego has resumed deliberating murder and other charges against a Navy SEAL after a partial review of testimony.
The panel listened Tuesday to a recording of Lt. Thomas MacNeil, the first witness in the court-martial of Special Operations Chief Edward Gallagher, who is accused of fatally stabbing an Islamic State prisoner in Iraq in 2017 and other crimes.
MacNeil described hearing Gallagher say “he’s mine” on the platoon radio after learning there was a prisoner who had been wounded in an airstrike.
MacNeil testified about seeing the prisoner alive and then returning later when he was dead.
MacNeil also testified about a custom knife that Gallagher always carried or would hang on the wall of the room they shared.
Gallagher has pleaded not guilty to all charges.
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9:55 a.m.
A military jury deliberating murder and other charges against a Navy SEAL has requested a review of testimony by another SEAL.
The request came about an hour after the jury resumed deliberations Tuesday in San Diego.
Special Operations Chief Edward Gallagher is accused of killing a wounded Islamic State prisoner and other crimes while deployed to Iraq in 2017. He has pleaded not guilty to all charges.
The jury of five Marines and two sailors asked for a review of recorded testimony by Lt. Thomas MacNeil, who was part of the SEAL team and was Gallagher’s roommate.
Gallagher is accused of using a knife to stab the wounded militant in the neck.
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9:15 a.m.
A jury has resumed deliberating the case of a decorated Navy SEAL accused of fatally stabbing a captive under his care in Iraq and shooting civilians in separate incidents in 2017.
The panel of five Marines and two sailors, including a SEAL, returned to deliberations Tuesday, a day after closing arguments wrapped up at the court-martial of Special Operations Chief Edward Gallagher.
Gallagher has pleaded not guilty to seven charges. The other charges include violations for posing with a human casualty and for allegedly retaliating against SEALs who reported him.
A military prosecutor asserted the proof of Gallagher’s guilt is his own words, his own photos and the testimony of his fellow troops. Defense lawyers called the case a “mutiny” by entitled, junior SEALs trying to oust a demanding chief.
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9:36 p.m.
The case of a decorated Navy SEAL charged with murder and other crimes in Iraq is in the hands of a jury.
Jurors in San Diego will resume deliberations Tuesday in the court-martial of Special Operations Chief Edward Gallagher, who is accused of killing a wounded war prisoner in Iraq in 2017. He has pleaded not guilty.
Closing arguments wrapped up Monday with a military prosecutor asserting that the proof of Gallagher’s guilt is his own words, his own photos and the testimony of his fellow troops. Defense lawyers called the case a “mutiny” by entitled, junior SEALs trying to oust a demanding chief.
The jury is made up of five Marines and two sailors, including a SEAL, many of whom had been in heavy combat in Iraq.
