There were no bodies found, no names of victims or their families, no physical or forensic evidence. PLATTE CITY, Kan. (KWTX) – A former soldier from Central Texas who spent the past 12 years behind bars for war crimes he insists didn’t happen was released from prison and immediately got married Friday, beginning a new chapter in his life as he seeks a full pardon to clear his name. Previous courts-martial related to the incident resulted in murder convictions of two other soldiers who served in Hatley’s unit. He was found not guilty of premeditated murder in a separate January 2007 incident in which a wounded Iraqi insurgent was shot and killed. The sentence came a day after Hatley was found guilty of premeditated murder and conspiracy in the execution-style killings of the detainees. Master Sgt. John Hatley, 40, also will have his rank reduced to private, forfeit all pay and receive a dishonorable discharge, a jury of eight Army officers and noncommissioned officers decided.

Your Army

Hatley has maintained his innocence since the beginning and has refused to waiver and compromise his honor. Hatley’s plight began during a climate of “punishing US soldiers” (e.g. the “Leavenworth 10”) as a reaction to political opposition to the American presence in the Middle East and the accusations of inhumane treatment of detainees in Guantanamo Bay at the hands of the US Army. John E. Hatley is a highly-decorated 20-year combat veteran and Army Ranger, who is now incarcerated in the United States Disciplinary Barracks (USDB) at Ft.

The Uniform Code of Military Justice (UCMJ) is a broken and corrupt system that has imprisoned more than one innocent man. Hatley, and other American soldiers in similar situations, have no recourse for a retrial in a civil court in spite of their status as American citizens. We found out a long time ago, the military doesn’t need evidence to convict someone. Because of the closed military structure, that same “ham sandwich” is not only indicted but convicted as well.

• Hatley’s family has spent the past 11 years looking for answers regarding the investigation and the circumstances of the soldier’s conviction.
• So, John Hatley… we want you to know there are many people who are rooting for you and hope that President Trump hears the calls for military judicial reform… he did a great job for civilian prison reform, it’s now time to take action to correct military deficiencies.
• Hatley has maintained his innocence since the beginning and has refused to waiver and compromise his honor.
• If they testified as they were told by Army lawyers, they would receive a much better deal.
• John E. Hatley was convicted by the United States Army solely on the basis of coerced testimony.
• One of five children, Hatley dropped out of high school and joined the United States Army, graduating Basic Training at Fort Benning in December 1989.
• No bullets or casings were found in the area, which is in itself weird because this had been the site of intensive fighting.

John Hatley Awaits Clemency Decision

Cunningham later told authorities that he declined to participate in the killings but witnessed them. But also key to his release, Maher emphasized, were the mitigating factors such as the lack of bodies or reports of missing people and the complete reliance on witness testimony. The prosecution relied on testimony from Hatley’s fellow soldiers, members of Alpha Company, 1st Battalion, 18th Infantry Regiment, 1st Infantry Division, many of whom faced charges themselves. David Gurfein, the group’s chief executive officer, told Army Times that the lack of hard evidence against Hatley was a major factor in supporting the former first sergeant. A former Army first sergeant has been paroled following more than 11 years in prison for his role in the deaths of four Iraqi detainees in February 2008. After basic training Hatley was assigned to the Army’s 101st Airborne Division and deployed to Operations Desert Shield and Desert Storm.

Deployment to Iraq

First Sgt. John Hatley, a highly-decorated soldier who served 20 years in the military, is being held in the military prison at Fort Leavenworth, Kan., which is home to some of the “worst of the worst” offenders in the military. Hatley maintains that the killings never happened, that they released the men after the patrol. He claims that all of the platoon members who spoke against him in interviews with Army Criminal Investigation Division agents were pressured to do so or face conspiracy charges for being part of the alleged crime. So, John Hatley… we want you to know there are many people who are rooting for you and hope that President Trump hears the calls for military judicial reform… he did a great job for civilian prison reform, it’s now time to take action to correct military deficiencies. In 2018, the same board that granted Hatley parole the first time denied it on the basis that he is not taking responsibility for his actions. Doing so, they have, in essence, denied his right to maintain his innocence.

John Hatley

Hatley was convicted of killing four Iraqi detainees, despite the fact that there was no physical evidence, no bodies found, no missing people reported and the only testimony came from other soldiers who themselves were facing discipline. VILSECK, Germany — A U.S. Army soldier convicted of murder in the 2007 killings of four bound and blindfolded Iraqis was sentenced today to life in prison. Those who had been part of the patrol were interrogated for days using offers of reduced sentences or immunity and threats of life in prison (including the effects on their families). But Hatley won’t admit guilt because he is innocent of the crimes they accused him of committing. MilitaryCorruption.com has been given documentation that certainly casts doubt on how his trial was conducted.

Cunningham asked his attorney to take an offer of a deal to the Criminal Investigation Division (CID) of the Army offering information on a homicide in exchange for immunity. Immunity was denied, but the attorney had already given CID Cunningham’s statement. In April 2009, Hatley was sentenced to life, with the possibility of parole. Some of our readers probably remember the alleged “canal killings” in 2009.

Former Army first sergeant, convicted of murder in the deaths of four Iraqi detainees, paroled after 11 years

Military courts are different; soldiers aren’t afforded the same constitutional protections as civilians. The soldier was on his way home from his last battle and looking forward to retirement, when he was arrested and charged in connection with the killings. Prosecutors said the detainees were bound and gagged before they were shot and killed by Hatley. The staff sergeant was the first to report the killings, a year after the incident and after Alpha Company had left Iraq. In interviews with authorities and the media, he said he feared for his safety if he reported them during the deployment.

In 1999 Hatley deployed with the 5th Cavalry Regiment to Operation Joint Forge in Bosnia and Herzegovina. In 2001 Hatley again deployed to the Balkans this time as part of Operation Joint Guardian II in Kosovo. The first of Hatley’s two deployments to Iraq came in 2004 where he worked in the 1st Infantry Division’s Operations section. His second deployment was as the First Sergeant of Alpha Company of the 1st Battalion of the 18th Infantry Regiment. The pardons were opposed by military leaders including Defense Secretary Mark Esper who felt the move undermined their authority and threatened the “good order and discipline” in the military. Military investigators did not produce any physical evidence, no bodies were found and no one was reported missing.

U.S. Army soldier sentenced to life in prison

Absent from that list was a central Texas soldier recently cleared for parole by the U.S. The Trump Administration is getting push back from military leaders after the pardoning of three U.S. service members late last week. The lawsuit filed Monday alleges the design of one of the handguns from the manufacturer has led to a “slew of unintended discharges” across the country. In an emotional closing statement earlier today, the career soldier urged the jury to let him complete 20 years of military service.

Early life and education

• Hatley was serving as Beauchamp’s Company First Sergeant in Iraq at the time that Beauchamp authored a diary published as an article in The New Republic, an American Leftist political magazine.
• Staff Sgt. Jess Cunningham was one of about a dozen soldiers on the patrol that caught five Iraqis suspected of being insurgents.
• Doing so, they have, in essence, denied his right to maintain his innocence.
• The family argues the case against the soldier never would have ended in conviction in a civilian court.
• Even though John Hatley’s life sentence has been reduced to 25 years, his father remains unsatisfied.
• Soon after being discharged from the Confederate service, Hatley had a change in his loyalties and enlisted as a private in Company E, 13th Tennessee Volunteer Cavalryen on September 24, 1863 in Greeneville, Tennessee for a period of three years.
• Thus, if one is attempting to find factual information about the case, it has become impossible to sort through the misinformation without access to the record of trial, supporting documents, and direct interviews with the witnesses, including Hatley himself.

The family argues the case against the soldier never would have ended in conviction in a civilian court. Hatley’s family has spent the past 11 years looking for answers regarding the investigation and the circumstances of the soldier’s conviction. Hatley, who went to school in Groesbeck, was convicted of killing four detainees in Iraq and dumping their bodies in a canal. Todd South has written about crime, courts, government and the military for multiple publications since 2004 and was named a 2014 Pulitzer finalist for a co-written project on witness intimidation. After reaching a canal, Hatley, Mayo and Leahy took the detainees out of the vehicle and shot them execution style, Cunningham told investigators. Staff Sgt. Jess Cunningham was one of about a dozen soldiers on the patrol that caught five Iraqis suspected of being insurgents.

Family TreeBuild the branches of your own family tree

It also led to a climate of fear and finger-pointing within https://freejohnhatley.com the ranks. Coupled with the anomaly of the military’s incredibly high conviction rate in spite of a lack of evidence, this created fertile ground for the convictions of innocent soldiers. Court has argued that Army prosecutors based their case on assumptions and conflicting testimony from this week and other courts-martial, saying there was no physical evidence that anyone was shot or killed. Further, the Deputy Assistant to the Army, Francine Blackmon, vetoed the parole board who had initially granted Hatley’s parole in 2017. Guilt or innocence aside, Hatley has been a model prisoner since his incarceration.

Family of imprisoned Central Texas soldier on a mission for justice

That coupled with his client’s exemplary behavior while incarcerated for nearly a dozen years and testimony and letters of support likely played a large role in his parole being granted. Two charged in the deaths, Sgt. 1st Class Joseph Mayo of North Carolina, and Sgt. Michael “Doc” Leahy of Downers Grove, Illinois, both pleaded guilty to executing the detainees along with Hatley. When the regiment mustered out on September 5, 1865 at Knoxville, it was recorded that he was owed $22.98 from the government for his clothing, had received a bounty of $25, and was owed a $75 bounty. Soon after being discharged from the Confederate service, Hatley had a change in his loyalties and enlisted as a private in Company E, 13th Tennessee Volunteer Cavalryen on September 24, 1863 in Greeneville, Tennessee for a period of three years.

• There was not a single shred of physical or forensic evidence against Hatley or his co-accused, Sergeant First Class Joseph P. Mayo and Sergeant Michael Leahy.
• John E. Hatley is a highly-decorated 20-year combat veteran and Army Ranger, who is now incarcerated in the United States Disciplinary Barracks (USDB) at Ft.
• Hatley’s supporters claim the soldiers were eager to make a deal with prosecutors.
• However, no physical evidence (including any bodies) or forensic evidence was found during the Army investigation that led to the conviction.
• Todd South has written about crime, courts, government and the military for multiple publications since 2004 and was named a 2014 Pulitzer finalist for a co-written project on witness intimidation.
• According to testimony this week and at previous courts-martial, four Iraqis were taken into custody in spring 2007 after an exchange of fire with Hatley’s unit.
• The farmer said he had zero knowledge of any bodies being dumped or anyone being murdered in that area.
• One witness said when he shot a man in the back of the head, he fell back against his leg.

This is the fourth time 1SG John Hatley’s case has come up for review and there is a growing number of people who are hoping the fourth time will be the charm and Hatley will be able to go back home to Groesbeck, Texas. Even though John Hatley’s life sentence has been reduced to 25 years, his father remains unsatisfied. Flores told KWTX he learned two soldiers who testified against John Hatley may have had an axe to grind and faced discipline for other issues.

Blackmon, in those two cases, supported the decision of the Board to grant parole and did not reverse based on “the heinous nature of the crime,” but yet those two men served even less time in prison than Hatley. Further, he has been determined to be zero risk for recidivism and his parole packet included evidence of multiple job offers and strong family and community support for acclimating back into society. Further, they did not send independent investigators to the crime scene, which seemed unnecessary at the time because CID found no physical or forensic evidence and was unable to identify any victims. According to Hatley and several others on the patrol that day, five men – not four – were taken into custodyand released. The prosecutors were aware that “witnesses” could not agree on how many people were allegedly executed, but this did not deter them in seeking a conviction.

Your donations help us to promote EQUAL JUSTICE FOR ALL, regardless of rank or privilege. We do this by continually exposing a corrupt, multi-tiered judicial system, which allows officers to escape prosecution through retirement. Hatley has stated that nothing means more to him than his name and his honor and that he will sit in the USDB for the entirety of his sentence rather than confess to a crime he did not commit.

Normally, the object struck by a bullet moves in the direction of the bullet. Flores said he is working with his colleagues to ensure soldiers can get the same constitutional protections as civilians. “When you look at the witnesses who testified against him, they each had issues in their military history that caused them to agree to plea deals to testify against Sgt. Hatley,” said Flores. “His soldiers would have followed him into hell with a water pistol.” But after finishing the patrol, Cunningham said, Hatley took a smaller detachment of about two squads from Alpha Company, along with the detainees, back out of the forward operating base.

It’s heinously disgraceful how our military can manipulate their judicial system to protect the organization itself, and senior military officers from any scrutiny or accountability. Again, there were no bodies, no names, no physical or forensic evidence—only the testimony of men with something to gain. If they testified as they were told by Army lawyers, they would receive a much better deal.

What is John Hatley’s phone number?

This latter award is noteworthy because the Audie Murphy Club is an exclusive honor reserved for men who demonstrate a myriad of leadership and character traits. As evidenced in his parole packet, he has not only maintained his high standards of conduct and leadership, he has positively influenced the behavior of others within his pod and has been instrumental in changing the culture of it so that very few problems occur. Further, testimony was accepted by one man who was known to have previously given a false statement to the CID, and some of the testimony contradicted the laws of physics. This is important because Hatley was convicted solely on testimony, and that testimony was contradictory and inconsistent. Eventually, all of the men except Hatley made pretrial agreements to plead guilty.

One of five children, Hatley dropped out of high school and joined the United States Army, graduating Basic Training at Fort Benning in December 1989. He later earned his GED and attended the University of Maryland while on active duty. We’ve gathered a variety of important documents that recorded important life events.

First Sgt. John Hatley, of Groesbeck, was released Friday and did not waste any time marrying Pamela Miller, whom he met while in prison in Fort Leavenworth, Kansas. Also known as address verification, an address lookup involves getting extra information about a location, including zip codes and street names to help you confirm the accuracy of the area in question. For the most part, people use an address lookup to run background checks on neighborhoods, businesses, individuals, and properties. According to testimony this week and at previous courts-martial, four Iraqis were taken into custody in spring 2007 after an exchange of fire with Hatley’s unit. And for fifty points, what happened to the woman in command of Abu Ghraib military prison?