
War Crimes-Related Case Tossed Against SEAL Platoon Leader
A decorated US Navy SEAL accused of several war crimes, including stabbing a wounded teenage ISIS militant to death in 2017, was found not guilty of murder on Tuesday. It took a military jury of five Marines and two sailors about nine hours over two days to clear Special Operations Chief Edward Gallagher, 40, of all charges — except posing for a photo with the captive’s corpse. The maximum sentence for the photo is four months — meaning Gallagher was set to walk free on time served from his nine months of pre-trial confinement. “Suffice it to say this is a huge victory,” said Gallagher’s lawyer Marc Mukasey, adding that his client reacted with “tears of joy, emotion, freedom and ¬absolute euphoria.” During the two-week trial in San Diego, jurors had to decide whether Gallagher had killed the captive or whether he was being framed by members of his platoon to stop him from getting a Silver Star. Gallagher, who steadfastly professed his innocence, could have faced life in prison if he’d been found guilty of the most serious charge against him, premeditated murder. He also was acquitted of attempted murder in the wounding of two Iraqi civilians — a schoolgirl and an elderly man — from a sniper’s perch, as well as obstruction of justice and other offenses.