A US soldier convicted of rape and murder in the death of a 14-year-old Iraqi girl and the murder of her family was sentenced to 110 years in prison Saturday.
Pfc. Jesse Spielman was convicted of rape, conspiracy to commit rape, housebreaking with intent to rape and four counts of felony murder late Friday night.
Military prosecutors did not say Spielman took part in the rape or murders, but said he went to the house knowing what the others intended to do and served as a lookout.
"I hate the government," Spielman's sister, Paige Gerlach, screamed. "You people put him (in Iraq) and now, this happened."
Defense attorneys left immediately after the verdict was returned and could not be reached for comment.
Spielman, 23, received the longest sentence of four soldiers who have been convicted in the assaults. Three other soldiers pleaded guilty under agreements with prosecutors for their roles in the assault and were given sentences ranging from five to 100 years.
The 110-year sentence was part of a plea agreement Spielman's attorneys had made with prosecutors that capped the number of years Spielman could serve in prison regardless of the jury's recommendation.
Spielman had pleaded guilty on Monday to lesser charges of conspiracy to obstructing justice, arson, wrongfully touching a corpse and drinking.
The case stemmed from the March 12, 2006, rape and slaying of Abeer Qassim al-Janabi and the killings of her parents and sister in Mahmoudiya, about 20 miles south of Baghdad.
During their courts-martial, two fellow soldiers testified they took turns raping the girl while Steven D. Green shot and killed her mother, father and younger sister. Green shot the girl in the head after raping her, they said.
The girl's body was set on fire with kerosene to destroy the evidence, according to previous testimony.
Spc. James Barker, who has admitted his own role in the assault, and another soldier convicted in the attack, Sgt. Paul E. Cortez, gave investigators conflicting statements about whether Spielman knew of the plan to rape the girl and was present when they discussed it over swigs from bottles of whiskey and gin, according to testimony.
Barker said in earlier testimony that he had allowed investigators to draft sworn statements for him that implicated Spielman in the crime.
Barker testified Wednesday that several portions of the document were untrue, including references to Spielman's role in the conspiracy to attack the family and his knowledge of plans to rape the girl.
But Cortez, testified that Spielman stood guard as his fellow soldiers raped the girl. Cortez said Spielman was within a few feet of the others as they held down the screaming girl but did nothing to stop them.
Barker, Cortez and another soldier, Pfc. Bryan L. Howard, pleaded guilty for their roles.
Green, who was discharged from the Army before being charged, faces a possible death sentence when he is tried in federal court. He has pleaded not guilty to charges that include murder and sexual assault.
