WASHINGTON (AP) — A lawyer for one of four former Blackwater security guards convicted today in the shootings of more than 30 Iraqis calls the verdict “incomprehensible” and says he expects to appeal.
A federal jury in Washington found Nicholas Slatten guilty of first-degree murder, the most serious charge in a multi-count indictment. The three other guards — Paul Slough (sloh), Evan Liberty and Dustin Heard — were found guilty of voluntary manslaughter, attempted manslaughter and gun violations.
All four were ordered immediately to jail.
Slatten could face a maximum penalty of life in prison on the murder charge. The other three defendants could face decades behind bars.
The four had been charged with a combined 33 counts in the shootings. The jury reached a verdict on all but three charges, which were dropped.
The 2007 shootings in Baghdad caused an international uproar over the role of defense contractors in urban warfare and inflamed anti-American sentiment around the globe.
The men claimed self-defense in the case, which has been mired in legal battles for years.
APPHOTO WX201: FILE – In this June 11, 2014, file photo, former Blackwater Worldwide guard Nicholas Slatten leaves federal court in Washington. A jury returned guilty verdicts for Slatten and three other former Blackwater guards charged in Iraq shootings. (AP Photo/Cliff Owen, File) (11 Jun 2014)
< APPHOTO WX107: FILE – In this Sept. 25, 2007 file photo, an Iraqi traffic policeman inspects a car destroyed by a Blackwater security detail in al-Nisoor Square in Baghdad, Iraq. A federal jury reached a verdict Wednesday in the case of four former Blackwater security guards on trial in the shootings of more than 30 Iraqi citizens in the heart of Baghdad. The verdicts were to be read during a late-morning court session. The shootings triggered an international uproar over the role of defense contractors in urban warfare. (AP Photo/Khalid Mohammed, File) (4 Dec 2011) < Copyright 2014 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.