No charges yet for seven troops in beating death (gang activity)

No charges yet for seven troops in beating death
By Steve Mraz, Stars and Stripes
European edition, Sunday, September 30, 2007

KAISERSLAUTERN, Germany — Of the 10 people implicated by an eyewitness in the 2005 beating death of Army Sgt. Juwan Johnson, only two have stood trial. A third faces a court-martial that begins this week.

Army Staff Sgt. Alre Hudson could spend 14 years in jail if convicted of the four charges against him in Johnson’s death. Hudson’s trial starts Monday morning in Kaiserslautern.

This summer, two soldiers — Army Pvt. Terrence Norman and Army Sgt. Rodney Howell — were convicted and sentenced to confinement for their roles.

None of the seven others who Army Pvt. Latisha Ellis testified were either present for or participated in the beating currently face charges.

Johnson was found dead July 4, 2005, in his Kaiserslautern barracks after being beaten during an initiation into the Gangster Disciples. All but one of the seven men currently not charged hit Johnson more than 20 times during the six-minute beating, Ellis testified.

Army Spc. Bobby Morrissette, now with the 1st Cargo Transfer Company in Grafenwöhr, was the first soldier charged with murder in Johnson’s death, but is not facing any charges now. On May 30, a military judge disqualified 21st Theater Sustainment Command prosecutors from the case in an abundance of caution over legal questions surrounding statement Morrissette made under immunity. All charges were dismissed, though the Joint Multinational Training Command could charge Morrissette in the future.


Rest of article at: http://stripes.com/article.asp?section=104&article=49168