Kin defend Texas soldiers accused of rape, killings
Houston Chronicle, United States - 3 hours ago
... "He has very good morality," Sanchez said, adding that he was raised a Jehovah's Witness. "I know he's not the kind of person who's ...
Relatives Defend Soldiers in Rape Case Washington Post
all 1,163 related »
Relatives defend soldiers in rape case
By JUAN A. LOZANO
ASSOCIATED PRESS WRITER
"He has very good morality," Sanchez said, adding that he was raised a Jehovah's Witness. "I know he's not the kind of person who's going to do something like this, especially to disrespect a woman. I don't think so. I don't see him that way."
HUFFMAN, Texas -- Relatives came to the defense Monday of three U.S. soldiers named in the suspected rape-murder of a young Iraqi woman and the killing of three members of her family.
The father of Pfc. Bryan L. Howard of Huffman said that he supports his son but that he had few details about the case against him.
"I'm proud of my son," Lynn Howard, 50, said as he stood outside the home where he and his wife, Kathy, live. "My heart's broken."
Howard declined to comment further, saying he was waiting to speak with his son's attorney.
Neighbors described Brian Howard as a quiet young man who never got in trouble with authorities.
"He was a real nice guy," said Duane Reigard, describing the family as tightknit. "If he did this, he's got to suffer the consequences, but at this point I can't say anything bad about him at all."
Another soldier charged in the case, Spc. James Paul Barker, always respected women, said Marisol Sanchez, 40, of Fresno, who identified herself as Barker's aunt.
"He has very good morality," Sanchez said, adding that he was raised a Jehovah's Witness
. "I know he's not the kind of person who's going to do something like this, especially to disrespect a woman. I don't think so. I don't see him that way."
Barker was born and raised in Fresno and was on his second tour of duty in Iraq, Sanchez said. He has a newborn and a girlfriend at home and two young children with a wife he is divorcing.
Reached by phone in Fresno, a woman who identified herself as James Barker's mother said she had not been contacted by the military.
"I really don't have any comment," she said. "I really don't know if it's him or not."
The mother of a third soldier charged, Pfc. Jesse Spielman of Chambersburg, Pa., said she was shocked and hoped to speak soon with her son.
"I don't believe the charges, and I'm still proud of him," WGAL-TV of Lancaster quoted Nancy Hess as saying.
A man who answered the phone at Hess' home referred questions about Spielman to the military. He declined to give his name. Military officials in Iraq and Fort Campbell, Ky., where Spielman is based, declined to release any other information about him.
On the networking Web site MySpace.com, a man identifying himself as Spielman writes that he joined the Army in March 2005 and is in Iraq for a year.
Spielman's interests, according to the MySpace page, include "Shooting stuff, meeting people, My car and workin on it." It lists his heroes as "the men and women that serve our country" and especially "the Army and Marines, furthermore the grunts."
The U.S. military on Monday disclosed the names of Barker, Spielman, Howard and Sgt. Paul E. Cortez, who were charged with rape and murder in a March attack in which four members of a family were killed
.
Sgt. Anthony W. Yribe is charged with failing to report the attack.
They are charged with conspiring with former soldier Steven D. Green, who was arrested last month in North Carolina. Green has pleaded not guilty to one count of rape and four counts of murder.
---
Associated Press writer Mark Scolforo in Harrisburg, Pa., contributed to this report.
[email protected]
IRAQ RAPIST RAISED JW +1,163 news articles
by DannyHaszard 8 Replies latest watchtower scandals
-
DannyHaszard
-
LDH
Barker was born and raised in Fresno
This is true, I read it in the morning paper but it's not online yet When it does come up Danny you will find it here.
-
Stealth453
Would have made a perfect elder. The only problem, is he got caught...
-
skeptic2
Danny Haszard you are like a cross between a human, a Pitbull and a Bloodhound!
-
DannyHaszard
Danny Haszard you are like a cross between a human, a Pitbull and a Bloodhound!
I am just a regular guy with nothing to lose
-
drew sagan
I can see those in the congregation he once attended talking about how God cursed him for 'going out into Satans wicked world' and how terrible things happen to those that leave the truth.
-
DannyHaszard
From Squad of 9: Six Charged With Crimes, 3 Are Dead
Free Internet Press, NY - 33 minutes ago
... Barker, 23, was raised a Jehovah's Witness in Fresno, California. He worked as a go-cart attendant before joining the Army, his friends said. Barker expressed his sympathy to Menchaca in his own way. In late June, just before he was charged in the alleged rape and homicide, Barker placed a note on the slain soldier's MySpace.com Web page. "R.I.P," it read. "We ran a muk. I will miss you, sleep well my friend." Menchaca, Tucker and Babineau Barker, 23, was raised a Jehovah's Witness in Fresno, Calif. He worked as a go-cart attendant before joining the Army, his friends said. He has two children with a wife he is divorcing, and a newborn at home with a girlfriend. The friends, who call him "Bunky," were staggered by his arrest. "We never thought of him doing something like that. He was a pretty swell guy," Jesus Caranza told the Fresno Bee. "When he left for the Army, he didn't really want to go, but he went out of obligation because he had nothing else going for him. No job." Barker posted a note on a friend's MySpace page on May 29: "I miss you so much, all the fun times, i wish it could still be that easy, but hay now i get to shoot at people all day, lol." -
DannyHaszard
UPDATE Relatives shocked by charges against suspects in Iraq rapecase. Tuesday July 11, 2006 (1459 PST) Another soldier charged in the case, Spc. James Paul Barker, always respected women, said Marisol Sanchez, 40, of Fresno, Calif ., who identified herself as Barker's aunt. ``He has very good morality,'' Sanchez said, adding that he was raised a Jehovah's Witness. ``I know he's not the kind of person who's going to do something like this, especially to disrespect a woman. I don't think so. I don't see him that way.'' Barker was born and raised in Fresno and was on his second tour of duty in Iraq , Sanchez said. He has a newborn and a girlfriend at home and two young children with a wife he is divorcing. Reached by phone in Fresno , a woman who identified herself as James Barker's mother said she had not been contacted by the military. ``I really don't have any comment,'' she said. ``I really don't know if it's him or not.'' http://www.paktribune.com/news/index.shtml?149519 The trial of Spc. James Barker ended, with Barker pleading guilty to raping a 14-year old girl and helping to kill her family. His sentence will be life in prison with eligibility for parole. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mahmudiyah_incident Soldier Pleads in Iraq Rape, Murder Case . By Ryan Lenz. The Associated Press. Wednesday, November 15, 2006; 4:08 PM. Fort Campbell , Ky . - One of four U.S. soldiers accused of raping a 14-year-old Iraqi girl last spring and killing her and her family pleaded guilty Wednesday and agreed to testify against the others. Spc. James P. Barker agreed to the plea deal to avoid the death penalty, said his civilian attorney, David Sheldon. The military judge presiding over the case, Lt. Col. Richard Anderson, asked Barker why he participated in the attack in Mahmoudiya, a village about 20 miles south of Baghdad . It was among the worst in a series of alleged attacks on civilians and other abuses by military personnel in Iraq . "I hated Iraqis, your honor," Barker answered. "They can smile at you, then shoot you in your face without even thinking about it." Sgt. Paul E. Cortez and Pfc. Jesse V. Spielman, members of the 101st Airborne Division with Barker, also are charged in the case. Cortez deferred entering a plea during his arraignment Wednesday morning. Spielman will be arraigned in December. The fourth soldier, Pfc. Bryan L. Howard, also deferred entering a plea at his arraignment in October. A fifth person, former Army private Steve Green, 21, pleaded not guilty last week to civilian charges including murder and sexual assault. Green was discharged from the Army for a "personality disorder" before the allegations became known, and prosecutors have yet to say if they will pursue the death penalty against him. The defendants are accused of raping the girl and burning her body to conceal their crimes, then killing the girl's father, mother and 6-year-old sister. After entering his plea Wednesday, Barker gave the court a vivid account of the events. Barker said he and the others were drinking and playing cards while they manned a traffic checkpoint. Green brought up the idea of raping the girl and killing her family, he said. "He brought it up to me and asked me what I thought about it. At a couple of points, I told him he was crazy," Barker said. Barker said he and Green then approached the others with the idea, but there never was a verbal agreement to do it. "Things just got set in motion, we just started changing (clothes), myself, Cortez and Green," Barker said. "By the time we started changing clothes, it was more or less a nonverbal agreement that we were going to go along with what we were discussing." Barker said he, Green and Cortez raped the girl, and Green killed the girl, her parents and her sister. (Comment: Barker was raised a Jehovah’s Witness as seen in a preceding article)
-
Abandoned
Yikes, this is just nasty.
I find it interesting though, that the one who takes a plea and sells out the rest is a jw. He's just practicing his religion. The jw sell out those around them for the sake of their own salvation out of habit.