WASHINGTON D.C.—Four former security guards for Blackwater USA were found guilty Wednesday of charges stemming from the Sept. 16, 2007, shooting at Nisur Square in Baghdad, Iraq, that resulted in the killing of 14 unarmed civilians and the wounding of numerous others.
“This verdict is a resounding affirmation of the commitment of the American people to the rule of law, even in times of war,” U.S. Attorney Ronald C. Machen Jr. said Wednesday. “Seven years ago, these Blackwater contractors unleashed powerful sniper fire, machine guns, and grenade launchers on innocent men, women, and children.”
Adding, “Today they were held accountable for that outrageous attack and its devastating consequences for so many Iraqi families. I pray that this verdict will bring some sense of comfort to the survivors of that massacre. I want to thank the prosecutors and law enforcement agents who have fought for the past seven years to bring justice to the memories of those who were gunned down in Nisur Square.”
The defendants worked for Blackwater USA, a private security contractor that was paid by the U.S. government to provide protective services to U.S. officials.
The verdicts came on the 28th day of jury deliberations and followed more than two months of trial.
Judge Royce C. Lamberth ordered that the four defendants be detained pending sentencing. A sentencing date has not yet been set.
The defendants include the following people:
- Nicholas Abram Slatten, 30, of Sparta, Tenn
- Paul Alvin Slough, 35, of Keller, Texas
- Evan Shawn Liberty, 32, of Rochester, N.H.
- Dustin Laurent Heard, 33, of Maryville, Tenn.
Slatten, who was accused of firing the first shots, was found guilty of one count of first-degree murder.
Slough was found guilty of 13 counts of voluntary manslaughter, 17 counts of attempted manslaughter and one firearms offense
Liberty was found guilty of eight counts of voluntary manslaughter, 12 counts of attempted manslaughter, and one firearms offense.
Heard was found guilty of six counts of voluntary manslaughter, 11 counts of attempted manslaughter, and one firearms offense.
The murder charge against Slatten calls for a mandatory sentence of life in prison, officials said.
Each of the voluntary manslaughter counts against the other defendants carries a statutory maximum of 15 years in prison. Each of the attempted manslaughter counts carries a sentence of up to seven years of incarceration. The weapons offense carries a mandatory 30-year prison sentence.
Another Blackwater security guard, Jeremy P. Ridgeway, pled guilty in December 2008 to voluntary manslaughter and attempt to commit manslaughter. Ridgeway, who testified as a government witness in the trial, has not yet been sentenced.