SEATTLE (AP) — A soldier who warned of a plot to kill Afghan civilians only to be charged in the case later has waived his right to a preliminary hearing.
Spc. Adam Winfield, of Cape Coral, Fla., is one of five soldiers charged. He was set to have a hearing next Tuesday at Joint Base Lewis-McChord south of Seattle to help decide whether there’s enough evidence for a court martial.
Winfield’s lawyer, Eric Montalvo, says the hearing would have been a waste of time.
Winfield sent messages home to his parents in February after the first killing, telling them he was being threatened to keep quiet. His father says he called Lewis-McChord and asked officials to intervene on his son’s behalf, to no avail.
The Army says another civilian was killed in February and the third was killed in May. Winfield participated in the final death, but his lawyer says Winfield feared he’d be killed by one of his codefendants if he did not go along.
