A U.S. Army staff sergeant who was accused of leading a rogue “kill team” in the murder of at least three Afghan civilians has been sentenced to life in military prison for his crimes. A 5 member jury found Sgt. Calvin Gibbs guilty on all counts against him, including premeditated murder and conspiracy. He will be eligible for parole in 8 ½ years. The 547 days he has spent in prison will be credited towards his sentence.
Although Gibbs pleaded not guilty to murder, he did admit to cutting off the fingers of the dead civilians to keep as souvenirs and give to other members of his platoon. Gibbs also confessed to posing for pictures with corpses. He claimed that the killings were done in self defense, but prosecutors said he and his men planted weapons on the bodies to make them look like Taliban fighters. The murders occurred in 2010 in Kandahar Province, Afghanistan. The victims include a 15-year-old boy, a village cleric and a man who may have been deaf or mentally ill.
Five members of Gibbs platoon have been charged in the murders while seven others were charged with lesser crimes including drug abuse and conspiracy to cover up the killings.
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