A military jury in Virginia found a Navy SEAL not guilty Thursday on charges of punching a suspected Iraqi terrorist.
Jurors deliberated about an hour and 40 minutes before returning their verdict in the court-martial of Petty Officer 2nd Class Matthew McCabe.
The 24-year-old Perrysburg, Ohio, man was tried at Naval Station Norfolk on accusations of assaulting Ahmed Hashim Abed, who is suspected of plotting the 2004 slayings of four U.S. contractors in Fallujah.
The prosecution’s key witness had testified he saw McCabe deliver a right cross to Abed’s midsection. However, several defense witnesses contradicted portions of that testimony.
Jurors deliberated about an hour and 40 minutes before returning their verdict in the court-martial of Petty Officer 2nd Class Matthew McCabe.
The 24-year-old Perrysburg, Ohio, man was tried at Naval Station Norfolk on accusations of assaulting Ahmed Hashim Abed, who is suspected of plotting the 2004 slayings of four U.S. contractors in Fallujah.
The prosecution’s key witness had testified he saw McCabe deliver a right cross to Abed’s midsection. However, several defense witnesses contradicted portions of that testimony.
Previously, SEALs Julio Huertas and Jonathan Keefe were cleared of charges in the incident. In December, the Examiner editorialized in favor of these Navy SEALs getting their day in court, when it looked like the Navy would reprimand them without allowing them to present their side of the case.
