The first United States soldier charged with murder in Iraq is maintaining his innocence as he faces hearings that could lead to his court-martial for the shooting of a man during the hunt for Shi’ite cleric Moqtada al-Sadr.
Captain Rogelio M Maynulet (29) is due to appear on Wednesday before a US military court in Hanau, outside Frankfurt, for a military version of a US grand jury investigation that is looking into the killing.
The hearing began in Baghdad but was suspended on June 28 after four days as Maynulet’s First Armoured Division returned home to Germany.
Maynulet was charged on June 12 with murder and dereliction of duty for the suspected killing of an ”unidentified paramilitary member” on May 21 near Kufa, south of Baghdad. He is not in custody.
Before the charges, the Chicago native was a career soldier on his way up who was praised by his superiors in Iraq, said First Armoured Division spokesperson Major Michael Indovina.
”The gentleman had a good reputation, he was doing well in combat,” Indovina said.
On May 21, Maynulet led his tank company on a mission between Najaf and Kufa to capture or kill al-Sadr, who was wanted on an Iraqi arrest warrant in connection with the slaying of a rival cleric.
Maynulet’s group spotted a speeding BMW and pursued, the military said.
”A chase began and US forces shot at the vehicle. The driver and a passenger were wounded. Shortly thereafter, the wounded driver was shot and killed at close range,” the US military said in a statement announcing charges against Maynulet, who is accused of doing the shooting.
The military has not released further details of the incident, but a better picture is expected to emerge from the so-called Article 32 hearings.
Family members of the driver maintain that soldiers took the man out of the car and hit him with a heavy block before he was shot, but Maynulet’s lawyer, Captain Will Helixon, disputes the account.
”The family’s account of the incident is inaccurate,” Helixon said. He said Maynulet denies the charges, but that he could not elaborate on his side of the story because the proceedings are still under way.
Maynulet declined interview requests, but when asked by his hometown Chicago Tribune for a recent article whether he was innocent, Maynulet said: ”I believe I am. I believe I am.”
Court sessions are scheduled for Wednesday and Thursday. A source familiar with the case said the hearings are likely to last well into August and involve a wide range of defence witnesses.
Members of the victim’s family were not expected to attend, the source said, speaking on condition of anonymity. — Sapa-AP