Jury begins deliberations in United States v. Green

Per the Associated Press, the jury has begun deliberating the capital MEJA case of United States v. Green. As expected, the defense's closing argument focused on the stress of serving in a war zone and sought to deflect blame for the rape and murder of an Iraqi girl, 14-year-old Abeer Qassim al-Janabi:

... defense attorney Scott Wendelsdorf said jurors needed to take into account Green's stress and the Army's failure to address it. Jurors heard testimony that Green had spoken before the attack about having thoughts of killing Iraqis.

"Did Steven Green uphold the honor of the Army? Hell no," Wendelsdorf said. "Did the Army do its part? I think not."

The sole comment (for now, at least) posted with the article is both evocative and rather pointed.