SEATTLE (AP) -- The Army says it will not pursue the death penalty against the first of five U.S. soldiers charged with murdering civilians in Afghanistan.
Spc. Jeremy Morlock, of Wasilla, Alaska, is the only one of the defendants thus far to have a preliminary hearing in the deaths of the three Afghans this year.
An investigating officer found that enough evidence existed for the case to proceed to a court martial, and the Army announced Friday that a court martial will be held and that Morlock will face a maximum of life in prison if convicted.
The Army didn't explain its decision on the death penalty. But Morlock did give investigators extensive statements in which he described the plot.
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