Tracy E. Perkins
Encyclopedia
Tracy E. Perkins is a Sergeant First Class
(reduced in rank by court martial to Staff Sergeant) in the U.S. Army
.
On 3 January 2004, he forced, at gunpoint, civilian plumbers Zaidoun Hassoun and Marwan Fadel to leap from a road bridge in Samarra
, Iraq
, into the waters of the River Tigris
below. The cousins Hassoun and Fadel had been caught by a U.S. checkpoint after curfew
. Fadel managed to reach the riverbank, but claims that he saw Hassoun drown and that the family later retrieved and buried the body.
The battalion commander of the four soldiers, Lt. Col. Nate Sassaman, was reprimanded this year for impeding investigators. http://www.gazette.com/war/0703xwar.html On 8 January 2005, a military court in Fort Hood, Texas
, U.S.
, acquitted Perkins of manslaughter
but convicted him of aggravated assault and obstruction of justice
. He received a prison term of six months and a reduction in rank
.
Sergeant First Class
Sergeant First Class is the seventh enlisted rank in the U.S. Army, above Staff Sergeant and below Master Sergeant and First Sergeant, and is the first senior non-commissioned officer rank...
(reduced in rank by court martial to Staff Sergeant) in the U.S. Army
United States Army
The United States Army is the main branch of the United States Armed Forces responsible for land-based military operations. It is the largest and oldest established branch of the U.S. military, and is one of seven U.S. uniformed services...
.
On 3 January 2004, he forced, at gunpoint, civilian plumbers Zaidoun Hassoun and Marwan Fadel to leap from a road bridge in Samarra
Samarra
Sāmarrā is a city in Iraq. It stands on the east bank of the Tigris in the Salah ad-Din Governorate, north of Baghdad and, in 2003, had an estimated population of 348,700....
, Iraq
Iraq
Iraq ; officially the Republic of Iraq is a country in Western Asia spanning most of the northwestern end of the Zagros mountain range, the eastern part of the Syrian Desert and the northern part of the Arabian Desert....
, into the waters of the River Tigris
Tigris
The Tigris River is the eastern member of the two great rivers that define Mesopotamia, the other being the Euphrates. The river flows south from the mountains of southeastern Turkey through Iraq.-Geography:...
below. The cousins Hassoun and Fadel had been caught by a U.S. checkpoint after curfew
Curfew
A curfew is an order specifying a time after which certain regulations apply. Examples:# An order by a government for certain persons to return home daily before a certain time...
. Fadel managed to reach the riverbank, but claims that he saw Hassoun drown and that the family later retrieved and buried the body.
The battalion commander of the four soldiers, Lt. Col. Nate Sassaman, was reprimanded this year for impeding investigators. http://www.gazette.com/war/0703xwar.html On 8 January 2005, a military court in Fort Hood, Texas
Texas
Texas is the second largest U.S. state by both area and population, and the largest state by area in the contiguous United States.The name, based on the Caddo word "Tejas" meaning "friends" or "allies", was applied by the Spanish to the Caddo themselves and to the region of their settlement in...
, U.S.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
, acquitted Perkins of manslaughter
Manslaughter
Manslaughter is a legal term for the killing of a human being, in a manner considered by law as less culpable than murder. The distinction between murder and manslaughter is said to have first been made by the Ancient Athenian lawmaker Dracon in the 7th century BC.The law generally differentiates...
but convicted him of aggravated assault and obstruction of justice
Obstruction of justice
The crime of obstruction of justice, in United States jurisdictions, refers to the crime of interfering with the work of police, investigators, regulatory agencies, prosecutors, or other officials...
. He received a prison term of six months and a reduction in rank
Reduction in rank
Reduction in rank may refer to two separate concepts:*In military law, a reduction in rank is a demotion in military rank as punishment for a crime or wrongdoing, imposed by a court-martial or other authority...
.