Judge: Soldier premeditated Iraq killings

May 13, 2013 @ 11:16 am

JOINT BASE LEWIS-MCCHORD, Wash. (AP) - A military judge found Army Sgt. John Russell guilty of premeditated murder Monday in the 2009 killings of five fellow service members at a combat stress clinic in Iraq.

Russell now faces a sentencing phase of his court martial to determine whether he will face life in prison with or without the possibility of release.

The 14-year veteran from Sherman, Texas, had previously pleaded guilty to unpremeditated murder in exchange for prosecutors taking the death penalty off the table. Under the agreement, prosecutors were allowed to try to prove to an Army judge at Joint Base Lewis-McChord in Washington state that the killings were premeditated.

The judge, Army Col. David Conn, announced his decision Monday, following a streamlined court martial that concluded Saturday, said Army spokesman Lt. Col. Gary Dangerfield.

The shooting was one of the worst instances of soldier-on-soldier violence in the Iraq war and raised questions about the mental health problems for soldiers caused by repeated tours of duty.

Killed in the 2009 shooting in Baghdad were Navy Cmdr. Charles Springle, of Wilmington, N.C., and four Army service members: Pfc. Michael Edward Yates Jr., of Federalsburg, Md.; Dr. Matthew Houseal, of Amarillo, Texas; Sgt. Christian E. Bueno-Galdos, of Paterson, N.J.; and Spc. Jacob D. Barton, of Lenox, Mo.

Russell's lawyers argued that he was deluded by depression and despair at the time. An Army mental health board found that Russell suffered from severe depression with psychotic features and post-combat stress.

Russell had long sought help with sleep troubles and was stammering and crying for help in the days before the shooting. His commanders were so alarmed that they disarmed him and sent him for repeated visits to mental health clinics, said attorney James Culp.

But prosecutors argued that Russell was trying to paint himself as mentally ill in an attempt to win early retirement _ just as he was facing a sexual harassment complaint that could derail his career and his benefits.

The day before the killings, psychiatrist Michael Jones told him that a mental disability retirement would require "some kind of suicidal psychotic crisis," Maj. Daniel Mazzone said during closing arguments, according to the Los Angeles Times ( http://is.gd/s087lg).

But when Russell saw Jones again the next day, the psychiatrist said he had no intention of giving him "a golden ticket" out of the Army.

When Russell returned about an hour later, prosecutors say, he was looking for Jones, but wound up killing two patients, a bystander and two other mental health workers, including Navy Cmdr. Keith Springle, who had also briefly treated Russell in the days before the shootings. Jones escaped injury by jumping out a window.


(Copyright 2013 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.)
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Comments (4)


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  • pcoprincess wrote...
    Maybe...just maybe...
    November 19, 2012 7:43 pm
    we should be making sure these men and women are taken care of after being out on the battle field. I am not saying that Sgt. John Russell should be let off scott-free...but the death penalty seems really harsh for a man that served his country, only to have his country kill him for it. How about some better mental health care for these brave soldiers?!?!?
    { "Thumbs Up":"1","Thumbs Down":"-1" }
  • imanegro wrote...
    Good idea, but
    April 18, 2013 6:19 am
    Let's be clear that his country would not kill him for serving his country, as you say. I support his service as a mitigating circumstance, but let's not forget that for whatever reason, he stole 4 sons/fathers.
    { "Thumbs Up":"1","Thumbs Down":"-1" }
  • BARLOW wrote...
    The truth is that
    April 17, 2013 10:07 pm
    no one wants to execute, or punish him in any other way,punish him for having served his country. The punishment would be for "Killed in the shooting were Navy Cmdr. Charles Springle, 52, of Wilmington, N.C., and four Army service members: Pfc. Michael Edward Yates Jr., 19, of Federalsburg, Md.; Dr. Matthew Houseal, of Amarillo, Texas; Sgt. Christian E. Bueno-Galdos, 25, of Paterson, N.J.; and Spc. Jacob D. Barton, 20, of Lenox, Mo." Who were, guess what, serving their country. If this is beyond you, you are dumber than dirt.
    { "Thumbs Up":"1","Thumbs Down":"-1" }
  • HPD 5-0 wrote...
    Should have let him smoke pot.
    May 7, 2013 8:50 am
    He'd be "cured".....
    { "Thumbs Up":"1","Thumbs Down":"-1" }
  • { "Thumbs Up":"1","Thumbs Down":"-1" }