Clint Lorance is a former first lieutenant in the U.S. Army who was found guilty of two counts of second-degree murder in 2013 for ordering soldiers in his unit in Afghanistan to open fire on three men on a motorcycle who were approaching his patrol. Evidence has surfaced that he may be the victim of prosecutorial misconduct.[1] His sentence includes 20 years in prison, forfeiture of all pay and dismissal from the U.S. Army.[2] Reports have come to light that the victims did in fact have ties to terrorist organizations in the region and some of the men were responsible for insurgent attacks on U.S. personnel.[3] Further more, military prosecutors failed to turn over that information to Lorance's defense team.[1] This is commonly referred to as a Brady Violation.
Controversy[]
On 16 December 2014 it was reported that the U.S. government may have withheld critical information that would have been beneficial to his case. According to a letter released by Lt. Lorance's attorney, “The Army has in its possession evidence linking Afghan military-aged males involved in this general court-martial to improvised explosive devices as well as IED attacks and terror networks in Afghanistan. The government failed to disclose this information to the chain-of-command, counsel for the defense, and the court-martial. These significant failures strike at the very heart of American due process and show that the government violated its discovery and disclosure obligations".[4]
A petition to grant Lt. Lorance clemency had gained more that 32,000 signatures,[4] and an on-line petition to the U.S. Army Commanding General, 82nd Airborne Division, to review this case has gained more that 52,500 signatures as of 22 December 2014.[5]
On January 5, 2015, the Commanding General of the 82nd Airborne Division, Major General Richard Clarke, completed a review and upheld the conviction of 1LT Lorance. General Clarke upheld the guilty verdict from the court martial panel and directed one year off the original sentence of 20 years confinement due to post-trial delay.[6]
References[]
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 http://abc11.com/news/prosecutors-credibility-questioned-in-call-for-fort-bragg-soldiers-freedom/451759/
- ↑ Army officer gets 20 years' jail for murder after he ordered troops to open fire on Afghan men approaching their checkpoint - but his lawyers say he was protecting platoon by David Mccormack and Helen Pow 1 August 2013 Daily Mail
- ↑ http://www.foxnews.com/us/2014/12/20/new-evidence-vindicates-army-lieutenant-convicted-afghans-murder-say-supporters/
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 http://www.foxnews.com/us/2014/12/16/new-evidence-vindicates-army-lieutenant-convicted-afghans-murder-say-supporters/
- ↑ https://www.change.org/p/us-army-lt-sentenced-to-20-years-charged-with-murder-for-protecting-his-men-from-taliban?recruiter=197910976&utm_campaign=mailto_link&utm_medium=email&utm_source=share_petition
- ↑ http://www.armytimes.com/story/military/crime/2015/01/05/lorance-afghan-murders/19846405/
The original article can be found at Clint Lorance and the edit history here.