Prosecutors have no intention of dropping murder charges against Special Warfare Chief Eddie Gallagher despite a confession from a witness, a spokesman for the military said Thursday.
U.S. Navy SEAL Corey Scott stunned the courtroom when he admitted that it was it was he, not Gallagher, who had killed an Islamic State prisoner. Scott testified that the prisoner had been unexpectedly wounded by Gallagher and was likely dying, so he asphyxiated him to hasten the process.
The prosecution was blindsided as Scott’s testimony contradicted statements he had made during the investigation. Scott received immunity from prosecutors in exchange for his testimony leading up to the trial. One prosecutor accused Scott in the courtroom of lying to protect Gallagher.
A Navy spokesman said that it would fall to the jury to decide if the witness should be trusted.
