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| Photo: AP |
WASHINGTON, DC – The sentencing hearing for four Blackwater contractors produced one life sentence and three 30-year sentences, but the legal battles are probably far from over for the four men convicted of killing 14 unarmed Iraqis in 2007.
The defense brought in character witnesses and attempted to play on the military records of the former contractors. The prosecution paraded witnesses to the shooting and pointed out the complete lack of remorse or acceptance of responsibility on the part of the defendants. In the end, the judge sentenced the men to the mandatory minimum sentences.
While the chain of events leading up to the shooting is still unclear, due in part to a suspected cover up by the US State Department, what is known is that the four men opened fire in a crowded square in Baghdad and that some of the victims were shot while fleeing the scene. Prosecutors called it a wartime atrocity.
