JOIN BASE LEWIS-MCCHORD, Wash. (AP) — Most of the soldiers charged along with an Army sergeant accused of masterminding a plan to kill Afghan civilians are declining to testify at a military hearing to determine whether there is enough evidence to court-martial him.
The hearing began Tuesday at Joint Base Lewis-McChord for Staff Sgt. Calvin Gibbs. Charges against Gibbs include murder, dereliction of duty and trying to impede an investigation.
The 25-year-old from Billings, Mont., is the highest-ranking of five soldiers accused of killing three civilians during patrols in Kandahar Province this year.
Presiding officer Col. Thomas Molloy noted that attorneys for nine of the other 12 soldiers charged say they are unavailable to testify. That’s permitted in an Article 32 hearing, similar to a civilian grand jury.
One soldier, Pfc. Justin Stoner, will be called; the 12th soldier is not listed as a potential witness.
