{{short description|2010 murders of Afghan civilians by U.S. Army soldiers}} {{Use mdy dates|date=March 2019}} {{Infobox civilian attack | partof = War in Afghanistan | image = FOB Ramrod kill team soldiers.jpg | caption = (''L to R''): Andrew Holmes, Michael Wagnon, Jeremy Morlock, and Adam Winfield – members of the ''Kill Team'' soldiers who are responsible for the murders. | title = Maywand District murders | location = Maiwand District, Kandahar Province, Afghanistan | target = Afghan civilians | date = January – May 2010 | time = | timezone = | type = War crime, staged murder, serial killings, human trophy collecting, terrorism | weapons = M4 carbines, M249 light machine guns, grenades | fatalities = At least 3 Afghan civilians | injuries = | perps = *Jeremy Morlock *Calvin Gibbs *Andrew Holmes *Adam C. Winfield | motive = Thrill | convictions = '''Gibbs and Morlock:'''<br>Premeditated murder (3 counts)<br>'''Holmes:'''<br>Unpremeditated murder (3 counts)<br>'''Winfield:'''<br>Involuntary manslaughter{{Infobox event | title = | child = yes | sentence = '''Gibbs:'''<br>Life imprisonment with the possibility of parole after 20 years<br>'''Morlock:'''<br>24 years in prison<br>'''Holmes:'''<br>7 years in prison (paroled after 4 years)<br>'''Winfield:'''<br>3 years in prison (paroled after 1 year) }} }} The '''Maywand District murders''' were the thrill killings of at least three Afghan civilians perpetrated by a group of U.S. Army soldiers from January to May 2010, during the War in Afghanistan. The soldiers, who referred to themselves as the "Kill Team",<ref>{{cite news |url=http://www.spiegel.de/international/world/0,1518,754554,00.html |title=Murder in Afghanistan: SPIEGEL TV's 'Kill Team' Documentary |publisher=Spiegel Online |date=January 4, 2011}}</ref><ref>{{Cite magazine |last=Hersh |first=Seymour Myron |author-link=Seymour Hersh |date=2011-03-22 |title=The "Kill Team" Photographs |language=en-US |magazine=The New Yorker |url=https://www.newyorker.com/news/news-desk/the-kill-team-photographs |access-date=2023-07-07 |issn=0028-792X}}</ref> were members of the 3rd Platoon, Bravo Company, 2nd Battalion, 1st Infantry Regiment, and 5th Brigade, 2nd Infantry Division. They were based at FOB Ramrod in Maiwand, in Kandahar Province of Afghanistan.<ref> {{cite news |author=Hujer |first=Marc |date=September 13, 2010 |title=Did US Soldiers Target Afghan Civilians? War Crime Allegations Threaten to Harm America's Image |publisher=Der Spiegel |url=http://www.spiegel.de/international/world/0,1518,717127,00.html |access-date=September 17, 2010}} </ref><ref name="SeattleTimes2010-08-24a"> {{cite news |author=Bernton |first=Hal |date=August 24, 2010 |title=Stryker soldiers allegedly plotted to kill Afghan civilians |publisher=Seattle Times |url=https://www.seattletimes.com/subscribe/signup-offers/?pw=redirect&subsource=paywall&return=https://www.seattletimes.com/seattle-news/stryker-soldiers-allegedly-plotted-to-kill-afghan-civilians/ |url-status=live |access-date=September 15, 2010 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100827001420/http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/localnews/2012712859_civiliandeaths25m.html |archive-date=August 27, 2010}} </ref>
During the summer of 2010, the military charged five members of the platoon with the murders of three Afghan civilians in Kandahar Province and collecting their body parts as trophies. In addition, seven soldiers were charged with crimes such as hashish use, impeding an investigation, and attacking the whistleblower Private first class Justin Stoner.<ref name="Cnn-2010-09-09"> {{cite news |author=Starr |first=Barbara |date=September 10, 2010 |title=Army: 12 soldiers killed Afghans, mutilated corpses |publisher=CNN |url=http://www.cnn.com/2010/US/09/09/afghan.coverup/ |access-date=September 15, 2010}} </ref><ref name="SeattleTimes2010-08-24"> {{cite news |date=August 24, 2010 |title=Additional charges filed in Afghan civilians' deaths |publisher=Seattle Times |url=https://www.seattletimes.com/subscribe/signup-offers/?pw=redirect&subsource=paywall&return=https://www.seattletimes.com/seattle-news/additional-charges-filed-in-afghan-civilians-deaths/ |url-status=live |url-access=subscription |access-date=September 15, 2010 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100829195759/http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/localnews/2012712933_additionalcharges25m.html |archive-date=August 29, 2010}} </ref><ref> {{cite news |author=Bernton |first=Hal |date=September 8, 2010 |title=Stryker soldiers allegedly took corpses' fingers |publisher=Seattle Times |url=https://www.seattletimes.com/subscribe/signup-offers/?pw=redirect&subsource=paywall&return=https://www.seattletimes.com/seattle-news/stryker-soldiers-allegedly-took-corpses-fingers/ |url-status=live |url-access=subscription |access-date=September 17, 2010 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100912152240/http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/localnews/2012845630_stryker9m.html |archive-date=September 12, 2010}} </ref>
In March 2011, U.S. Army Specialist Jeremy Morlock pleaded guilty to three counts of premeditated murder. He told the court that he had helped to kill unarmed native Afghans in faked combat situations. Under a plea deal, Morlock received 24 years in prison for murdering three Afghan civilians in return for testimony against other soldiers. Staff Sergeant Calvin Gibbs, the highest-ranking soldier and the ringleader, was also convicted on three counts of premeditated murder and sentenced to life in prison. Private First Class Andrew Holmes pleaded guilty to murder without premeditation and was sentenced to seven years in prison. Specialist Adam C. Winfield, who informed his father after the first murder and whose father attempted to alert the Army, pleaded guilty to manslaughter and was sentenced to three years in prison. In total, eleven of the twelve soldiers charged were convicted of crimes. All charges against the twelfth soldier, Specialist Michael Wagnon, were dropped by the U.S. military "in the interest of justice" without further explanation. PFC Justin Stoner, who initiated the case by reporting the murders to his superiors, was not charged.<ref name=24years >{{cite web |title=Court Sentences 'Kill Team' Soldier to 24 Years in Prison |publisher=Der Spiegel |date=March 24, 2011 |url=http://www.spiegel.de/international/world/0,1518,752918,00.html}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |last=Harris |first=Paul |date=March 23, 2011 |title=US soldier admits killing unarmed Afghans for sport |work=The Guardian |location= |url=https://www.theguardian.com/world/2011/mar/23/us-soldier-admits-killing-afghans}}</ref><ref name="guardian1">{{cite news |date=February 4, 2012 |title=US military drops 'kill team' charges against soldier |work=The Guardian |location= |url=https://www.theguardian.com/world/2012/feb/04/us-military-drops-kill-team-charges}}</ref>
==Killings== [[File:Young Afghan farmer boy murdered by US soldiers.jpg|thumb|15-year-old Gul Mudin, killed by U.S. Army SPC Jeremy Morlock and PFC Andrew Holmes on January 15, 2010.]] All three of the staged killings of Afghan civilians occurred in the Maywand District of Afghanistan:
*On January 15, 2010, in the village of La Mohammad Kalay, fifteen-year-old Gul Mudin was doing farm work for his father. He was unarmed. Under the direction of Staff Sergeant Calvin Gibbs, SPC Jeremy Morlock and PFC Andrew Holmes killed Mudin "by means of throwing a fragmentary grenade at him and shooting him with a machine gun and an assault rifle". The soldiers then stripped the boy and took photos with his body. They cut off the boy's little finger and left his body on the ground half-naked.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.thenewstribune.com/2011/03/31/v-printerfriendly/1606618/news-brief-31karzais.html |title=The News Tribune – Karzai 'hurt' by photos of killing by Stryker soldiers (print) |publisher=Thenewstribune.com |date=March 31, 2011 |access-date=June 24, 2013 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120908004259/http://www.thenewstribune.com/2011/03/31/v-printerfriendly/1606618/news-brief-31karzais.html |archive-date=September 8, 2012 }}</ref><ref name=autogenerated1>{{cite news|url=https://www.seattletimes.com/seattle-news/stryker-soldiers-allegedly-plotted-to-kill-afghan-civilians/ |work=The Seattle Times |first=Hal |last=Bernton |title=Stryker soldiers allegedly plotted to kill Afghan civilians |date=August 25, 2010}}</ref> *On February 22, using thermal imagery, the soldiers discovered Marach Agha curled in a ball by a roadside. The soldiers killed him and kept part of his skull as a trophy.<ref>{{cite news | url=https://www.irishtimes.com/newspaper/world/2011/0329/1224293298920.html | newspaper=The Irish Times | title=Afghans killed for sport, says report | date=March 29, 2011 | access-date=February 20, 2020 | archive-date=October 23, 2012 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121023174238/http://www.irishtimes.com/newspaper/world/2011/0329/1224293298920.html | url-status=dead }}</ref> Morlock pleaded guilty for his death.<ref>{{cite web|last=Goetz |first=John |url=http://www.spiegel.de/international/world/0,1518,754141-4,00.html |title=Adam's War: The Good Boy and the 'Kill Team' – Spiegel Online – News – International |publisher=Spiegel.de |date=March 31, 2011 |access-date=June 24, 2013}}</ref> The Army later said it believed Marach Agha to be deaf or mentally disabled. *In the village of Kari Kheyl, Gibbs "shot at close range an unarmed man", the third victim. *On May 2, 2010, Gibbs, Morlock, and SPC Adam Winfield attacked and killed Mullah Adahdad with a grenade and gunfire in front of the man's wife and children. Gibbs amputated and kept the man's finger.<ref name=post0918 /><ref name=autogenerated2>{{cite web|author=CRAIG WHITLOCK; The Washington Post |url=http://www.thenewstribune.com/2010/10/28/1399210/platoon-leaders-talk-to-villagers.html |title=Stryker platoon leader's talk to Afghan villagers recorded | Stryker Brigade – The News Tribune |publisher=Thenewstribune.com |access-date=June 24, 2013 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120908004357/http://www.thenewstribune.com/2010/10/28/1399210/platoon-leaders-talk-to-villagers.html |archive-date=September 8, 2012 }}</ref> Three days after Adahdad was murdered, members of a Stryker platoon returned to his village. Tribal elders had complained to Army officers that the cleric had been unarmed and that the shooting was a setup. "This guy was shot because he took an aggressive action against coalition forces," Lt. Stefan Moye, the platoon leader, explained to village residents in Qualaday. "We didn't just [expletive] come over here and just shoot him randomly. And we don't do that." This conversation was recorded by embedded photojournalist Max Becherer, who at the time primarily freelanced for The New York Times.<ref>{{cite web |title=Becherer LinkedIn |url=https://www.linkedin.com/in/mlbecherer/ |website=LinkedIn |access-date=31 December 2025}}</ref><ref name=autogenerated2 /><ref>[http://www.star.com.jo/main/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=20571&catid=41:issues&Itemid=125 Stryker unit at heart of Afghan murder probe] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110807170741/http://www.star.com.jo/main/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=20571&catid=41%3Aissues&Itemid=125 |date=August 7, 2011 }}</ref>
==Photos and trophies of killings== thumb|Andrew Holmes poses with the body of Gul Mudin immediately after the boy was killed. ''Der Spiegel'' published three photos of U.S. soldiers posing with the bodies of Afghans they had killed. One of the photos shows SPC Jeremy Morlock next to one of them. He appears to be smiling and raising the head of a corpse by the hair.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.reuters.com/article/germany-usa-spiegel-idUSN2110107120110321 |title=US Army apologizes for 'repugnant' Afghan photos |website=Reuters |date=March 21, 2011 |access-date=November 20, 2019}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|last=Bernton |first=Hal |url=http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/localnews/2014555608_photos21m.html?syndication=rss |title=Seattletimes.nwsource.com |publisher=Seattletimes.nwsource.com |access-date=June 24, 2013 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110826125622/http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/localnews/2014555608_photos21m.html?syndication=rss |archive-date=August 26, 2011 }}</ref> Other images published later in ''Rolling Stone'' include one of two unidentified Afghans cuffed together around a milestone and wearing a cardboard handwritten sign made out of an MRE package box that read "Talibans are Dead". Other photos were taken of mutilated body parts, among them one of a head being maneuvered with a stick.<ref name=rollingstone /> In Kabul, senior officials at NATO's International Security Assistance Force have compared the pictures published to the images of U.S. soldiers abusing prisoners in Abu Ghraib in Iraq.<ref>{{cite web|author=Jon Boone |url=https://www.theguardian.com/world/2011/mar/21/us-army-kill-team-afghanistan-posed-pictures-murdered-civilians |title=Guardian.co.uk |publisher=Guardian |date=March 21, 2011 |access-date=June 24, 2013}}</ref>
Gibbs used medical shears to sever several fingers that he kept as a form of human trophy collecting. He gave one of them to Holmes, who kept it dried in a Ziploc bag.<ref name=rollingstone>{{cite news|last=Mark Boal|title=The Kill Team|url=https://www.rollingstone.com/politics/news/the-kill-team-20110327?print=true|access-date=April 9, 2011|newspaper=Rolling Stone|date=March 27, 2011}}</ref>
==Legal proceedings== Five of the Army soldiers faced murder charges while seven others were charged with participating in a coverup.<ref>{{cite web|author=the CNN Wire Staff |url=http://www.cnn.com/2010/CRIME/11/15/afghanistan.coverup.case/ |title=CNN.com |publisher=CNN.com |access-date=June 24, 2013}}</ref>
===Then-Staff Sergeant David Bram=== [[File:Staff Sgt. David Bram.jpg|thumb|Private (then-Staff Sergeant) David Bram of Vacaville, California]] David Bram from Vacaville, California was charged with conspiracy to commit assault and battery, unlawfully striking another soldier, violating a lawful order, dereliction of duty, cruelty and maltreatment, and endeavoring to impede an investigation.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://articles.cnn.com/2010-11-29/world/afghanistan.sport.killings_1_murder-charges-general-court-face-court?_s=PM:WORLD |work=CNN |title=Four U.S. soldiers charged with rape and murder |date=October 18, 2006 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110408190651/http://articles.cnn.com/2010-11-29/world/afghanistan.sport.killings_1_murder-charges-general-court-face-court?_s=PM%3AWORLD |archive-date=April 8, 2011 }}</ref> In May 2011, additional charges were filed against Bram, including solicitation to commit premeditated murder, aggravated assault on Afghan civilians, planting evidence, and unlawfully discussing murder scenarios with subordinates.<ref>{{cite news| url=http://content.usatoday.com/communities/ondeadline/post/2011/05/6th-us-soldier-charged-in-sport-killings-of-afghan-civilians/1 |title=6th US soldier charged in sport killings of Afghan civilians | work=USA Today | date=May 17, 2011}}</ref> He was convicted by an enlisted panel sitting as a general court-martial of conspiracy to commit assault and battery, failure to obey a general order, dereliction of duty, maltreatment of a subordinate, assault consummated by battery, obstruction of justice, and solicitation of another to commit murder. Bram was sentenced to 5 years in prison, reduced in rank to Private, and dishonorably discharged.<ref>{{cite news| url=http://www.nydailynews.com/news/world/kill-team-soldier-david-bram-sentenced-years-war-crimes-afghanistan-article-1.980289 | location=New York | work=Daily News | title= 'Kill Team' soldier gets five years for war crimes in Afghanistan| first=Amanda | last=Mikelberg | date=November 19, 2011}}; {{cite news| url=https://www.reuters.com/article/us-soldiers-crimes-idUSTRE7AI09P20111119 | work=Reuters | title=Army sergeant gets five years in Afghan misconduct probe | date=November 19, 2011}}</ref> The U.S. Army Court of Criminal Appeals affirmed the conviction and sentence, and the Court of Appeals for the Armed Forces denied review.<ref>United States v. SSGT David Bram, ARMY 20111032, 2014 WL 7227952 (Army Ct. Crim. App. September 29, 2014), on reconsideration 2014 WL 7236126 (Army Ct. Crim. App. November 20, 2014), rev. denied, 74 M.J. 360 (C.A.A.F. 2015).</ref> Bram has since been released from prison.
===Then-Staff Sergeant Calvin Gibbs=== The Kill Team ringleader, Staff Sergeant Calvin Gibbs, from Billings, Montana, was the highest-ranking soldier in the case.<ref>{{cite web|last=Yardley |first=William |url=http://topics.nytimes.com/top/reference/timestopics/people/g/calvin_gibbs/index.html |title=Topics.nytimes.com |publisher=Topics.nytimes.com |access-date=June 24, 2013}}</ref> He was charged with conspiracy and three counts of premeditated murder for plotting to kill three Afghan civilians and then murdering them.<ref name=SeattleTimes2010-08-24b>{{Cite news|url=http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/localnews/2012712933_additionalcharges25m.html |title=Additional charges filed in Afghan civilians' deaths |publisher=Seattle Times |date=September 24, 2010 |access-date=September 15, 2010 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100829195759/http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/localnews/2012712933_additionalcharges25m.html |archive-date=August 29, 2010 }}</ref>
A report in ''The Guardian'' said that soldiers told the Army's Criminal Investigation Command (CID) that Gibbs bragged of his exploits while serving in the Iraq War, saying how easily one could "toss a grenade at someone and kill them."<ref name=NYDailyNews2010-09-09>{{Cite news |url=http://www.nydailynews.com/news/national/2010/09/09/2010-09-09_us_soldiers_charged_with_murdering_civilians_collecting_their_fingers_in_afghani.html |title=U.S. soldiers charged with murdering civilians, collecting their fingers in Afghanistan |work=New York Daily News |author=Meena Hartenstein |date=September 9, 2010 |access-date=September 15, 2010 |archive-date=September 13, 2010 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100913045938/http://www.nydailynews.com/news/national/2010/09/09/2010-09-09_us_soldiers_charged_with_murdering_civilians_collecting_their_fingers_in_afghani.html |url-status=dead }}</ref><ref name=TheGuardian2010-09-09>{{Cite news |url=https://www.theguardian.com/world/2010/sep/09/us-soldiers-afghan-civilians-fingers |title=US soldiers 'killed Afghan civilians for sport and collected fingers as trophies |work=The Guardian |author=Chris McGreal |date=September 9, 2010 |access-date=September 15, 2010 |location=London}}</ref> Prosecutors said Gibbs was found in possession of "finger bones, leg bones and a tooth taken from Afghan corpses".
Gibbs was convicted by a military jury on 15 counts, including the premeditated murder of Mudin, Agha, and Adahdad as well as illegally cutting off pieces of their corpses and planting weapons to make the men appear to be Taliban fighters.<ref>{{cite news| url=https://www.theguardian.com/world/2011/nov/11/kill-team-calvin-gibbs-convicted | location=London | work=The Guardian | first=Chris | last=McGreal | title='Kill team' US platoon commander is convicted of murdering Afghan civilians | date=November 11, 2011}}</ref><ref>{{cite news| url=https://www.nytimes.com/2011/11/11/us/calvin-gibbs-convicted-of-killing-civilians-in-afghanistan.html | work=The New York Times | first=William | last=Yardley | title=Calvin Gibbs Convicted of Killing Civilians in Afghanistan | date=November 10, 2011 | url-access=limited}}</ref><ref>{{cite news| url=https://www.smh.com.au/world/murdering-civilians-for-sport-army-thrill-killing-verdicts-20111111-1nads.html | work=The Sydney Morning Herald | title=Murdering civilians for sport: army 'thrill killing' verdicts | date=November 11, 2011}}</ref> In November 2011, Gibbs was sentenced to life in prison with the possibility of parole after 9 years, reduced in rank to Private, ordered to forfeit all pay and allowances, and dishonorably discharged. He expressed regret for human trophy collecting but not for the killings in which he participated, claiming that all were justified.<ref>{{cite web|first=Gene |last=Johnson |agency=Associated Press |url=https://news.yahoo.com/us-soldier-gets-life-sentence-afghan-killings-024116265.html |title=US soldier gets life sentence in Afghan killings |publisher=Yahoo! News |date=November 11, 2011 |access-date=June 24, 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160305030859/http://news.yahoo.com/us-soldier-gets-life-sentence-afghan-killings-024116265.html |archive-date=March 5, 2016 |url-status=dead}}</ref> In January 2020, Gibbs filed a lawsuit to have his conviction vacated.<ref>{{cite web | title=Soldier convicted in triple combat murder case takes lawsuit to federal court | date=January 29, 2020 | url=https://www.armytimes.com/news/your-army/2020/01/29/soldier-convicted-in-triple-combat-murder-case-takes-lawsuit-to-federal-court/ }}</ref>
===Private First Class Andrew Holmes=== Andrew Holmes's attorneys argued they were constrained in defending him by the Army's decision to conceal photos of the man he had allegedly shot in January.<ref>[https://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2010/12/14/AR2010121404247.html Washingtonpost.com]{{dead link|date=June 2021|bot=medic}}{{cbignore|bot=medic}}</ref> The National Institute of Military Justice argued that the gruesome corpse photos should be made public.<ref>[https://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2010/12/21/AR2010122104078.html Washingtonpost.com]{{dead link|date=June 2021|bot=medic}}{{cbignore|bot=medic}}</ref>
Holmes has also said Morlock threatened his life if he told anyone that the killing of Gul Mudin was staged and unnecessary.<ref name=autogenerated1 /> A doctor testified at Holmes's trial that there were no machine gun wounds on the victim that prosecutors said was shot by Holmes's machine gun.<ref>{{cite news|agency=Associated Press|url=http://www.armytimes.com/news/2011/04/ap-army-lewis-expert-rebuts-army-evidence-042511/|title=Expert rebuts Army 'thrill killings' evidence|work=Military Times|date=April 25, 2011}}</ref> Another soldier testified that the body was riddled with wounds and that it appeared to him that it was Holmes's weapon that killed Mudin.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.thenewstribune.com/2011/05/26/1680876/admitted-killer-says-plot-included.html |access-date=May 26, 2011 }}{{dead link|date=June 2016|bot=medic}}{{cbignore|bot=medic}}</ref>
In September 2011, Holmes pleaded guilty to unpremeditated murder and illegal drug use, and was sentenced to 7 years in prison.<ref>{{cite news|title=U.S. soldier gets 7 years in prison for Afghan murder|website=Reuters|date=September 23, 2011|first=Laura L.|last=Myers|access-date=November 20, 2019|url=https://www.reuters.com/article/us-soldiers-crimes-idUSTRE78M7I020110924}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.theguardian.com/world/2011/sep/23/us-soldier-guilty-afghan-murder|title=US soldier pleads guilty to Afghan murder|website=The Guardian|agency=Associated Press|date=September 23, 2011}}</ref> At his sentencing, he apologized and called Gibbs "a psychopath".<ref>{{Cite news |title=Boise Soldier Sentenced To Seven Years For War Crimes |language=en |work=NPR.org . omleveq|url=https://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=140754947 |access-date=2022-06-13}}</ref> He was released from prison on October 25, 2015.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.nydailynews.com/news/national/soldier-convicted-thrill-killing-afghans-released-article-1.2413466|title=Soldier convicted of 'thrill killing' Afghans is released|date=October 27, 2015|website=New York Daily News|access-date=November 20, 2019}}</ref><ref>{{cite web | title=Former soldier convicted in thrill killing leaves prison | date=October 27, 2015 | url=https://www.militarytimes.com/2015/10/27/former-soldier-convicted-in-thrill-killing-leaves-prison/ }}</ref>
===Then-Sergeant Darren Jones=== Jones, of Pomona, California, faced charges that he beat up another soldier and fired at Afghan civilians who did not pose a threat to him.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.thenewstribune.com/2010/12/08/1456604/stryker-sergeant-faces-hearing.html |access-date=April 15, 2011 }}{{dead link|date=June 2016|bot=medic}}{{cbignore|bot=medic}}</ref> He was sentenced to seven months in prison for assault and reduced in rank to Private.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.thenewstribune.com/2011/07/09/1738452/1st-kill-team-verdict-mixed.html |title=1st 'kill team' verdict mixed | Stryker Brigade – The News Tribune |publisher=Thenewstribune.com |access-date=June 24, 2013 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120908004825/http://www.thenewstribune.com/2011/07/09/1738452/1st-kill-team-verdict-mixed.html |archive-date=September 8, 2012 }}</ref>
===Specialist Adam Kelly=== Kelly, of Montesano, Washington, was convicted of conspiring to harm SPC Justin Stoner. He was sentenced to 60 days of hard labor and given a bad conduct discharge.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://komonews.com/news/local/jblm-soldier-convicted-of-assault-conspiracy |title=JBLM soldier convicted of assault, conspiracy |publisher=KOMO News |date=February 24, 2011 |access-date=July 21, 2016}}</ref>
===Private First Class Ashton A. Moore=== PFC Moore, of Severna Park, Maryland, faced the fewest charges among the group. Moore pleaded guilty to using hashish during the deployment. He was demoted to private and had to forfeit half a month's pay.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.theolympian.com/2011/01/29/1524052/army-wont-wait-on-evidence-appeal.html |archive-url=https://archive.today/20130204050920/http://www.theolympian.com/2011/01/29/1524052/army-wont-wait-on-evidence-appeal.html |url-status=dead |archive-date=February 4, 2013 |title=Army won't wait on evidence appeal – Crime Watch – The Olympian – Olympia, Washington news, weather and sports |publisher=Theolympian.com |date=January 29, 2011 |access-date=June 24, 2013 }}</ref>
===Specialist Corey Moore=== SPC Corey Moore, of Redondo Beach, California, pleaded guilty to illegal drug use, assault for kicking a witness, and desecrating a corpse for stabbing a body. He was sentenced to 60 days of hard labor and given a bad conduct discharge.<ref>{{cite web|last=Bernton |first=Hal |url=http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/localnews/2014381082_courtmartial03m.html |title=Seattletimes.nwsource.com |publisher=Seattletimes.nwsource.com |date=March 2, 2011 |access-date=June 24, 2013 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110628192734/http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/localnews/2014381082_courtmartial03m.html |archive-date=June 28, 2011 }}</ref>
===Specialist Jeremy N. Morlock=== Jeremy Morlock, a 22-year-old Army specialist from Wasilla, Alaska, was sentenced to 24 years in prison, reduced in rank to Private, and dishonorably discharged after pleading guilty to three counts of premeditated murder, conspiracy, obstruction of justice, and illegal drug use.<ref name=24years /><ref>{{cite news| url=https://www.reuters.com/article/us-soldier-crimes-idUSTRE72N0D320110324 | work=Reuters | title=U.S. soldier gets 24 years for murdering Afghans | date=March 24, 2011}}</ref> He agreed to testify against the other soldiers allegedly involved. During his hearing, he was asked by Judge Lieutenant Colonel Kwasi Hawks "Were you going to shoot at (civilians) to scare them and it got out of hand?". Morlock replied: "The plan was to kill people, sir".<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.theatlantic.com/national/archive/2011/03/repugnant-army-kill-team-sentenced/349039/|title='Kill Team' Soldier Sentenced for Murdering Afghans|date=March 24, 2011|access-date=November 20, 2019|website=The Atlantic|first=Erik|last=Hayden}}</ref> Morlock challenged his guilty plea, but the Army Court of Criminal Appeals affirmed the conviction and sentence.<ref>United States v. Morlock, No. ARMY 20110230, 2014 WL 7227382 (A. Ct. Crim. App. April 30, 2014) review denied, (C.A.A.F. November 12, 2014)</ref>
Morlock's mother accused the U.S. government of scapegoating him: "I think the government is just playing these guys as scapegoats. The leaders dropped the ball. Who was watching over all this?" she said in a ''Seattle Times'' interview.<ref name=seattlemother>{{cite news|first=Hal|last=Bernton|title=War changed soldier accused in Afghan killings, mother says|url=https://www.seattletimes.com/seattle-news/war-changed-soldier-accused-in-afghan-killings-mother-says/|access-date=November 20, 2019|newspaper=Seattle Times|date=March 21, 2011}}</ref>
===Specialist Emmitt Quintal=== Quintal was given a bad-conduct discharge and sentenced to 90 days of hard labor in a plea deal for frequently using drugs during his combat deployment, joining an assault on a comrade, and keeping digital photos of Afghan casualties. He was also required to testify against others in the case.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.theolympian.com/news/local/crime/article25276717.html |archive-url=https://archive.today/20120913175326/http://www.theolympian.com/2011/01/06/1496347/after-plea-soldier-out-of-army.html |url-status=live |archive-date=September 13, 2012 |title=After plea, soldier out of Army |website=The Olympian |date=January 6, 2011 |access-date=November 20, 2019 |first=Adam |last=Ashton}}</ref>
===Staff Sergeant Robert Stevens=== Robert Stevens, an Army medic from Portland, Oregon, knew Gibbs while serving with him in A-52, the Brigade Commander's Personnel Security Detachment, where they served under CPT Samuel Lynn. The two maintained a close friendship and remained in contact after Gibbs had been transferred from A-52 to 2–1 Infantry. SSG Stevens was sentenced to nine months in prison as part of a plea deal to testify against 11 other Lewis-McChord based Stryker soldiers.<ref>{{cite web|last=Bernton |first=Hal |url=http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/localnews/2013568480_stevens02m.html |title=Seattletimes.nwsource.com |publisher=Seattletimes.nwsource.com |access-date=June 24, 2013}}</ref> He pleaded guilty to four charges, including shooting "in the direction of" two Afghan farmers for no reason.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.democracynow.org/2010/12/2/headlines/us_soldier_sentenced_for_shooting_afghans |title=Democracynow.org |publisher=Democracynow.org |date=December 2, 2010 |access-date=June 24, 2013}}</ref> Stevens said Gibbs ordered him to shoot on the two farmers and that he regretted "not trying to stop Staff Sergeant Gibbs from trying to kill innocent people."<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.dailyjournal.net/view/story/05d6781f4cf740e2bf0ae5220e5f78bc/US--Afghan-Probe/ |title=Witness: Sergeant accused of masterminding Afghan murders boasted of killing unarmed man |agency=Associated Press |date=July 22, 2011 }}{{dead link|date=June 2017 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}</ref>
===Private First Class Justin Stoner=== PFC Justin Stoner was the soldier who caused the investigation to begin. Stoner was not charged and was honorably discharged in 2012.
===Specialist Adam Winfield=== Christopher Winfield, the father of platoon member SPC Adam C. Winfield, attempted to alert the Army of the "kill team's" existence when his son explained the situation from Afghanistan via a Facebook chat after the first killing.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.cbsnews.com/news/new-photos-of-atrocities-by-soldiers-in-afghanistan/#app|title=New photos of atrocities by soldiers in Afghanistan|website=CBS News|date=March 28, 2011 }}</ref> In response to the news from his son, Christopher Winfield called the Army inspector general's 24-hour hotline, the office of Senator Bill Nelson (D-Fla.), and a sergeant at Joint Base Lewis-McChord who told him to call the Army's Criminal Investigation Division. He then contacted the Fort Lewis command center and spoke to a sergeant on duty who agreed that SPC Winfield was in potential danger, but he had to report the crime to his superiors before the Army could take action.<ref name=post0918>{{cite news |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2010/09/18/AR2010091803935_pf.html |title=Members of U.S. platoon in Afghanistan accused of killing civilians for sport |author=Whitlock, Craig |newspaper=Washington Post |date=September 18, 2010}}</ref>
On August 5, 2011, Winfield, charged with premeditated murder and conspiracy to commit murder, pleaded guilty under a plea deal to involuntary manslaughter and use of an illegal controlled substance. The involuntary manslaughter charge stems from Winfield's failure to intervene and prevent the other soldiers from carrying out the attack against the Afghan in U.S. custody. Under the plea deal, he didn't admit to the killing of Mullah Adahdad. He claimed that he fired his automatic weapon away from Adahdad, but was guilty of doing nothing to stop the murder.<ref>{{cite news| url=https://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/nation/la-na-soldier-plot-20110805,0,4050714.story | work=Los Angeles Times | first=Kim | last=Murphy | title=Soldier pleads guilty to manslaughter in Afghan's killing | date=August 5, 2011}}</ref><ref>{{cite news| url=http://edition.cnn.com/2011/CRIME/08/05/washington.winfield/ | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121025081135/http://edition.cnn.com/2011/CRIME/08/05/washington.winfield/ | url-status=dead | archive-date=October 25, 2012 | work=CNN | title=Soldier gets 3 years for part he played in deaths of Afghan civilians | date=August 6, 2011}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|url=http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/localnews/2015830986_winfield06m.html |archive-url=https://archive.today/20120715030139/http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/localnews/2015830986_winfield06m.html |url-status=dead |archive-date=July 15, 2012 |work=The Seattle Times |first=Hal |last=Bernton |title=3 years for Lewis-McChord soldier in war-crimes case |date=August 5, 2011 }}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.google.com/hostednews/afp/article/ALeqM5iNhCeiqPbpwHjKwqON4K-Q0QO4yA?docId=CNG.c08d50927e48321e5e784e1f7b45cbbc.7a1 |archive-url=https://archive.today/20130124161624/http://www.google.com/hostednews/afp/article/ALeqM5iNhCeiqPbpwHjKwqON4K-Q0QO4yA?docId=CNG.c08d50927e48321e5e784e1f7b45cbbc.7a1 |url-status=dead |archive-date=January 24, 2013 |title=AFP: US soldier pleads guilty in Afghan killing spree |date=August 5, 2011 |access-date=June 24, 2013}}</ref> He was sentenced to 3 years in prison, reduced in rank to Private, ordered to forfeit all pay and allowances, and given a bad conduct discharge.<ref>{{cite web|last=Cole |first=Matthew |url=https://abcnews.go.com/Blotter/kill-team-soldier-years-prison/story?id=14239130 |title='Kill Team' Soldier Gets Three Years in Prison – ABC News |publisher=Abcnews.go.com |date=August 6, 2011 |access-date=June 24, 2013}}</ref> He was released from prison in August 2012.
===Specialist Michael Wagnon=== In 2011, Wagnon faced the following charges: possessing a human skull fragment, conspiracy to harm Afghans, premeditated murder, assaulting noncombatants, trying to destroy evidence.<ref>[http://www.bellinghamherald.com/2011/01/07/1804364/spc-michael-wagnon.html#ixzz1JauUu7Yp Spc. Michael Wagnon – Northwest McClatchy – bellinghamherald.com]{{dead link|date=June 2013}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.lvrj.com/news/las-vegas-soldier-charged-with-murder-96531719.html |title=Las Vegas soldier charged with murder – News – ReviewJournal.com |publisher=Lvrj.com |date=June 17, 2010 |access-date=June 24, 2013}}</ref> After pretrial hearings, an Army investigating officer twice recommended that prosecutors drop the charges, and in February 2011, Lewis-McChord senior commander Maj. Gen. Lloyd Miles dismissed them, ending the Army's prosecution.<ref name="guardian1"/><ref>{{cite news| url=https://www.reuters.com/article/us-soldiers-crimes-idUSTRE81303L20120204 | work=Reuters | title=Army drops charges against last soldier in Afghan murder case | date=February 4, 2012}}</ref>
==U.S. Army response== The U.S. Army issued an apology for the photos, stating that "These court-martial proceedings speak for themselves. The photos appear in stark contrast to the discipline, professionalism and respect that have characterized our soldiers' performance during nearly 10 years of sustained operations."<ref>{{cite news| url=https://www.foxnews.com/politics/army-apologizes-after-published-photos-show-u-s-soldiers-posing-with-afghan-corpse | work=Fox News | title=Army Apologizes After Published Photos Show U.S. Soldiers Posing With Afghan Corpse | date=December 23, 2015}}</ref> In a Department of Defense Press release on March 28, 2011, the Army stated:
{{blockquote|The Army will relentlessly pursue the truth, no matter where it leads, both in and out of court, no matter how unpleasant it may be, no matter how long it takes. As an Army, we are troubled that any soldier would lose his 'moral compass' as one soldier said during his trial. We will continue to do whatever we need to as an institution to understand how it happened, why it happened and what we need to do to prevent it from happening again.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.usmilitarymobile.com/military-news/military-abuse.html |title=Army Official Statement, Soldiers Abuse Civilians in Afghanistan |publisher=Usmilitarymobile.com |date=2011-03-21 |access-date=2013-06-24 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130506004352/http://www.usmilitarymobile.com/military-news/military-abuse.html |archive-date=2013-05-06 }}</ref>}}
According to a secret U.S. Army investigative report obtained by ''Der Spiegel'', Colonel Harry Tunnell's (of the 5th Stryker Brigade) "inattentiveness to administrative matters ... may have helped create an environment in which misconduct could occur."<ref>{{cite web|last=Assmann |first=Karin |url=http://www.spiegel.de/international/world/0,1518,754952,00.html |title='Let's Kill': Report Reveals Discipline Breakdown in Kill Team Brigade – Spiegel Online – News – International |publisher=Spiegel.de |date=April 4, 2011 |access-date=June 24, 2013}}</ref> However, the report, according to ''Der Spiegel,'' cleared him of responsibility stating there was no 'causal relationship' between the killings and his "aggressive leadership style".<ref>{{cite web|url=http://afpak.foreignpolicy.com/posts/2011/04/05/daily_brief_british_relations_with_pakistan_unbreakable_cameron |title=Daily brief: British relations with Pakistan "unbreakable": Cameron | The AfPak Channel |publisher=Afpak.foreignpolicy.com |date=April 5, 2011 |access-date=June 24, 2013}}</ref> At least a dozen media organizations have filed Freedom of Information Act requests for the report.<ref>{{cite web|author=Adam Ashton |url=http://blog.thenewstribune.com/military/2011/07/11/wheels-grinding-on-foia-requests-for-kill-team-reports/ |title=Wheels grinding on FOIA requests for "kill team" reports | FOB Tacoma – The News Tribune |publisher=Blog.thenewstribune.com |date=July 11, 2011 |access-date=June 24, 2013 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121011041228/http://blog.thenewstribune.com/military/2011/07/11/wheels-grinding-on-foia-requests-for-kill-team-reports/ |archive-date=October 11, 2012 }}</ref>
The Army Times reported on the investigation into Harry Tunnell's leadership of the 5th Stryker Brigade and its conclusions. The brigade was reported to be "rife with lapses of discipline, misdirection and mixed signals about its mission." Tunnell's leadership, which the report says included, a "lack of emphasis on administrative matters such as command inspections and urinalysis, 'may have helped create an environment in which misconduct could occur,' the investigation found".<ref>{{cite news| url=http://www.armytimes.com/article/20111127/NEWS/111270307/ | archive-url=https://archive.today/20131228005523/http://www.armytimes.com/article/20111127/NEWS/111270307/ | url-status=dead | archive-date=December 28, 2013 | work=Army Times | title=Report blames lapses on Stryker commander | date=November 27, 2011}}</ref>
==In media== A 2013 documentary film, titled ''The Kill Team'', reports on the murders and the people involved. A 2019 American war film, also titled ''The Kill Team'', is based on the events of the murders.<ref>{{cite web | title=The Kill Team: Where Are the Soldiers Now? | date=October 31, 2023 | url=https://thecinemaholic.com/the-kill-team-where-now/ }}</ref>
==See also== *Kandahar massacre (Afghanistan, 2012) *Mahmudiyah killings (Iraq, 2006) *Haditha killings (Iraq, 2005)
==References== {{Reflist|colwidth=30em}}
==External links== {{Commons category}} *[http://www.spiegel.de/international/world/0,1518,754554,00.html '''Video''' – SPIEGEL TV's 'Kill Team' Documentary] *[http://www.spiegel.de/fotostrecke/fotostrecke-65981.html '''Images''' – of the soldiers posing with the corpses] released by Der Spiegel. *[https://www.rollingstone.com/politics/photos/the-kill-team-photos-20110327 The Kill Team Photos] published by The Rolling Stone *[http://www.democracynow.org/2010/9/29/1st_us_soldier_of_alleged_kill First US Soldier of Alleged "Kill Team" Faces Military Tribunal for War Crimes] – video report by ''Democracy Now!''
{{Afghanistan War|state=collapsed}} Category:United States war crimes in Afghanistan Category:2010 murders in Afghanistan Category:War crimes in the War in Afghanistan (2001–2021) Category:Obama administration controversies Category:Human trophy collecting Category:Murder in Afghanistan Category:Incidents of violence against men Category:Civilian casualties in the War in Afghanistan (2001–2021) Category:Events that led to courts-martial Category:2010 in the War in Afghanistan (2001–2021)