U.S. army drops case against soldier involved in Iraqi murders

BAGHDAD / IraqiNews.com: The U.S. army has dropped its case against a serviceman, who was facing a conspiracy charge in connection with a 2007 execution of four Iraqi men in the capital Baghdad, according to the Stars and Stripes. “Sgt. Charles Quigley of the 172nd Infantry Brigade was accused of being at the scene of the crime, but his attorney said Quigley should never have been charged with conspiring to kill,” it explained. “‘We have maintained from the beginning that SGT Quigley is not guilty of conspiring with other members of his unit to do anything unlawful to detainees,’ said Scot Sikes, Quigley’s civilian attorney in a prepared statement.” “Though Quigley agreed to wear a wire to help the Criminal Investigation Command gather evidence and build a case against others involved in the killings, the military opted to push forward with the conspiracy charge against him,” according to Stars and Stripes, an independent news source that operates from inside the Department of Defense but is editorially separate from it. “Lt. Col. Eric Bloom, a spokesman for the Joint Multinational Readiness Center, confirmed Tuesday that the charge against Quigley was withdrawn and dismissed. The decision was based on new evidence that emerged during the court-martial of a fellow soldier, Staff Sgt. Jess Cunningham.” “Sergeant Quigley will face non-judicial punishment for his failure to report the incident after it occurred,” according to Bloom. SS (S)/SR 1