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Staff Sgt. Calvin Gibbs’ court-martial marks the end stage of an 18-month Army investigation that ensnared 11 of his platoonmates from the 5th Brigade, 2nd Infantry Division. Nine have been convicted of various crimes, including three who have admitted to killing unarmed Afghan noncombatants.
His trial began with a three-hour hearing at which attorneys weeded out jurors from a pool of senior Army officers and noncommissioned officers. The court-martial is expected to resume Monday with opening arguments and testimony from a roster of 28 witnesses.
Prosecutors and Gibbs’ defense attorneys hinted at their strategies.
Prosecutors wanted to ensure that jurors could find Gibbs guilty in the absence of incriminating physical evidence like the kind that makes up the plots of television shows such as CSI. They don’t have such evidence tying Gibbs to the killings, but they have statements describing the crimes from multiple soldiers who served with Gibbs.
Gibbs’ defense attorney, meanwhile, sought to counter negative impressions of Gibbs that jurors might have developed from media accounts of the “kill team” case.
“I have the privilege and quite honestly the honor of representing Staff Sgt. Gibbs,” attorney Phil Stackhouse said as he introduced himself.
Gibbs faces life in prison if the jury panel of three officers and two noncommissioned officers finds him guilty of murder. The Army leveled 13 other charges against Gibbs, saying he kept bones from dead Afghans as war trophies and assaulted a private in his platoon. He pleaded not guilty to those charges, too.
Adam Ashton: 253-597-8646 adam.ashton@thenewstribune.com
