SEATTLE (AP) — A military judge has ruled that a U.S. soldier charged in a conspiracy to murder Afghan civilians for sport can present evidence at his court martial that he tried to blow the whistle on the plot.
Army prosecutors at Joint Base Lewis-McChord south of Seattle sought to bar evidence that Spc. Adam Winfield of Cape Coral, Fla., sent Facebook messages home saying that members of his unit had murdered one civilian and planned to kill more.
Winfield’s father reported his son’s allegations to the base, but no action was taken, and two more civilians were killed. Winfield is charged with conspiracy and taking part in the final killing.
The judge says the Facebook messages are relevant to Winfield’s state of mind.
