By JERUSALEM POST STAFF
An Army sergeant kicked and shot an Iraqi insurgent as he lay bleeding from nearly two dozen gunshot wounds, then told fellow soldiers to say the man was armed, according to testimony during a military hearing Tuesday.
Sgt. Leonardo Trevino, 30, is charged with premeditated murder, attempted murder, assault and obstruction of justice for the alleged incidents last June in Muqdadiyah, Iraq.
After the Article 32 hearing, which is similar to a civilian grand jury, the investigating officer will decide if there is enough evidence to support the charges and then will recommend whether to refer Trevino to a court-martial, a military trial.
His attorney Richard Stevens has said Trevino is wrongly accused. He said Tuesday that Trevino and other soldiers were upset over losing several friends who were among 10 troops killed in roadside bombings and a helicopter crash about a month earlier.