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A6 U.S. NEWS
Saturday 5 auguSt 2017
US court upends murder conviction of Blackwater contractor

By MICHAEL BIESECKER found guilty of manslaugh-
Associated Press ter and firearms charges
WASHINGTON (AP) — A carrying mandatory 30-
federal appeals court on year terms. The judges de-
Friday overturned the first- termined those sentences
degree murder conviction violated the constitutional
of a former Blackwater prohibition of cruel and un-
security contractor, order- usual punishment because
ing a new trial for the man prosecutors charged them
prosecutors say fired the with using military firearms
first shots in the 2007 slay- while committing another
ings of 14 Iraqi civilians at felony. That statute, typical-
a crowded traffic circle in ly employed against gang
Baghdad. In a split opinion, members or bank robbers,
the three-judge panel of had never before been
the U.S. Court of Appeals used against overseas se-
of the District of Colum- curity contractors working
bia Circuit ruled a lower for the U.S. government.
court erred by not allowing A spokesman for the U.S.
Nicholas Slatten to be tried attorney’s office in Wash-
separately from his three ington said prosecutors
co-defendants in 2014. were still reviewing the de-
The 33-year-old contractor cision and had no immedi-
from Tennessee is serving a ate comment.
life sentence for his role in Bill Coffield, a lawyer for
the killings, which strained Liberty, said he planned to
international relations and In this June 11, 2014 photo, former Blackwater Worldwide guard Nicholas Slatten leaves federal meet with Liberty to review
drew intense scrutiny of the court in Washington. A federal appeals court on Friday, Aug. 4, 2017, overturned the first-degree their options. “Obviously
murder conviction of a Slatten, ordering a new trial for the man prosecutors say fired the first shots
role of American contrac- in the 2007 slayings of 14 Iraqi civilians at a crowded traffic circle in Baghdad. we’re pleased with the
tors in the Iraq War. (AP Photo/Cliff Owen, File) court’s decision in terms of
The court also ordered new the unconstitutionality of
sentences for the three oth- er contractors, Paul Slough, Evan Liberty and Dustin Heard. They were each the sentence,” he said.q

Baby sitters accused of putting

flea-infested children in U-Haul

By MARK GILLISPIE, Associ- the children’s mother, who
ated Press hadn’t seen them for two
CLEVELAND (AP) — Two weeks, and had told her
city workers thought some- where they were going
thing was amiss when they and how they’d be getting
saw five children getting there.
into the back of a U-Haul Adkins told police the
truck at a gas station. They mother said she hoped the
stopped the driver from kids “would have fun.”
leaving and called 911. The 2-year-old, a boy, was
Elyria police and firefighters taken to an Elyria medical
arrived Wednesday after- center and then flown to a
noon and found the chil- children’s hospital in Cleve-
dren, ranging in age from land to be treated for heat
2 to 15, soaked with sweat, exhaustion.
infested with lice and cov- Elyria is about 30 miles (48
ered with flea and bedbug kilometers) west of down-
bites. A woman who de- town Cleveland.
scribed herself as the chil- Adkins and the U-Haul
dren’s godmother was in driver, 55-year-old Brian
the back of the U-Haul be- Dekam, both Cleveland
ing driven by a 55-year-old residents, were taken into
man. Her fiance was a pas- custody and charged with
senger in the truck’s cab. multiple counts of child
The woman, 25-year-old endangering. They were
Jamie Adkins, explained to eventually released for
officers that she had been medical reasons, police
caring for the four young- said. Court records don’t
er children the last two indicate whether they
weeks and that they had have attorneys.
left Cleveland early that The four older children, ages
morning to travel to a flea 3, 4, 6 and 15, have been
market in Amherst, a city in placed in foster care in
Lorain County near Elyria. Cuyahoga County, which
Adkins said she had called includes Cleveland.q