JBLM soldier pleads guilty to killing five to avoid death penalty
Apr 23, 2013, 6:54 AM | Updated: 9:12 am
An Army sergeant at Joint Base Lewis-McChord has pleaded guilty to killing five other service members in a deal that will keep him from a possible death sentence.
Sergeant John Russell pleaded guilty to killing four fellow Army soldiers and Navy officer outside Baghdad in 2009.
He gunned down all five in the Camp Liberty Combat Stress Center after trying to get help for his depression.
He testified on Monday that he wanted the pain to stop and he was in rage when he carried out the attack, which was one of the cases of soldier on soldier violence of the war.
Sgt. Russell was diagnosed with severe depression and post traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) shortly after the attack.
Staff Sergeant Robert Bales is expected in a JBLM court room Tuesday for a pretrial hearing. He’s accused of killing 16 Afghan civilians. The government is seeking the death penalty.
