2 isle soldiers could face death penalty in Iraq killing

A Schofield Barracks sergeant shot an Iraqi civilian whom he had detained and then ordered another soldier to join in the killing, an Army document alleges.

Spc. Christopher P. Shore of Winder, Ga., and Sgt. 1st Class Trey A. Corrales of San Antonio have been charged with murder in the June 23 slaying of an unidentified man near the city of Kirkuk in northern Iraq.

An Army charge sheet says Corrales shot the Iraqi civilian several times and then ordered Shore to do the same.

If convicted by a court-martial of murder, the two 25th Division soldiers could receive the death penalty.

The Army maintains that Schofield Barracks-based Sgt. 1st Class Trey Corrales ordered the killing of an Iraqi civilian in his custody.

Both Corrales and Spc. Christopher Shore, members of the 25th Infantry Division, have been charged with murder and could face the death penalty if convicted at a court-martial.

In the charge sheet released yesterday by the 25th Division, the Army alleged that Corrales, of San Antonio, on June 23 at Al-Saheed near Kirkuk, shot an Iraq detainee several times with his rifle and then ordered Shore, of Winder, Ga., to do the same.

The Army document said both soldiers shot the victim with their M4 carbines "multiple times."

The shooting, which occurred about 155 miles north of Baghdad, was reported by fellow 3rd Brigade Combat Team soldiers to authorities, the Army reported.

Neither soldier has made a public statement. However, relatives of both soldiers have said they believe the two were just following orders.

Both soldiers are members of Headquarters and Headquarters Company, 2nd Battalion, 35th Infantry, 3rd Brigade Combat Team.

Corrales, 34, is assigned to Forward Operating Base McHenry, while Shore, 25, is at Forward Operating Base Warrior.

Both still have to face an Article 32 hearing, similar to a civilian preliminary hearing, to determine if they will be tried at a court-martial. The hearing, which has not been announced by the Army, is expected to be held in northern Iraq. If a court-martial is held, it will probably be at Schofield Barracks.

Shore completed his Army basic training at Georgia's Fort Benning in August 2002.

Corrales enlisted in the Army in 1992 and graduated from the Army's Ranger school. He has also served in Afghanistan.

The 2nd Battalion is commanded by Lt. Col. Samuel Whitehurst, relieving Lt. Col. Michael Browder on July 3.

Browder, who is not a suspect in the case and is not under investigation, was relieved based on Maj. Gen. Benjamin Mixon's lack of confidence in Browder's ability to command.

It will be Mixon, who commands the 25th Infantry Division and Multinational Division-North, who will determine if Corrales and Shore will face a court-martial based upon the findings of the Article 32 hearing.

The pair are not the first Schofield Barracks from the 3rd Brigade Combat Team to be charged with killing or abusing Iraqi or Afghan civilians.

In August 2004, Pfc. Edward Richmond Jr. -- assigned to Alpha Company, 1st Battalion, 27th Infantry -- was charged along with other soldiers from the 3rd Brigade Combat Team with killing an Iraqi civilian in their custody.

Richmond, of Gonzales, La., was the only 25th Infantry Division soldier convicted in the shooting. He said he was following the orders of his unit commander, Sgt. Jeffrey D. Waruch. He was sentenced to three years.

Waruch also was implicated in another shooting incident that same year involving the death of a 13-year-old Iraqi girl and the wounding of her mother and sister. However, Waruch was allowed to leave the Army without being charged.

Two years ago the Army dropped charges against Schofield Barracks soldiers Sgt. Joseph Simpliciano, a 1993 Waianae High School graduate, and Sgt. Marcus Edwards, who was married to a woman from Hawaii.

The two soldiers -- members of Charlie Company, 2nd Battalion, 5th Infantry -- were charged with allegedly abusing a Taliban prisoner in Afghanistan in November 2004.