Hatley was sentenced to life in prison by a military court for the murder of four Iraqi detainees in Iraq in 2007. Hatley was convicted of killing four Iraqi detainees, despite the fact that there was no physical evidence, no bodies found, no missing people reported and the only testimony came from other soldiers who themselves were facing discipline. The three were serving time at the military prison in Leavenworth, Kansas for alleged war crimes.
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The key evidence was testimony from other soldiers who themselves were facing discipline for other reasons and could have been anxious to cut a deal. Adding to the stress of war, Hatley and his soldiers collected the scores of dead bodies that were regularly dumped onto Baghdad streets by terrorists. Most of the dead were non-combatant civilians who had been tortured and mutilated prior to their executions. During daily 2007 patrol operations in the West Rasheed area of Baghdad, Hatley’s soldiers often found themselves under enemy fire. The post-Hussein sectarian “insurgency” was well under way.
Deployment to Iraq
But also key to his release, Maher emphasized, were the mitigating factors such as the lack of bodies or reports of missing people and the complete reliance on witness testimony. Maher, Hatley’s attorney, noted that at his client’s clemency and parole board hearing last year, six congressional representatives arrived to show their support for his parole. Granting parole does not alter a person’s conviction or guilty status, it is a means by which to release prisoners who have served a portion of their sentences and shown good conduct. Parole violations will send a person back to prison, as they are still guilty of the crimes they committed. A former Army first sergeant has been paroled following more than 11 years in prison for his role in the deaths of four Iraqi detainees in February 2008.
That coupled with his client’s exemplary behavior while incarcerated for nearly a dozen years and testimony and letters of support likely played a large role in his parole being granted. The prosecution relied on testimony from Hatley’s fellow soldiers, members of Alpha Company, 1st Battalion, 18th Infantry Regiment, 1st Infantry Division, many of whom faced charges themselves. “Any times allegations were brought up of civilians being killed, all of the sudden there was a rush to judgement,” Gurfein said. David Gurfein, the group’s chief executive officer, told Army Times that the lack of hard evidence against Hatley was a major factor in supporting the former first sergeant.
- That coupled with his client’s exemplary behavior while incarcerated for nearly a dozen years and testimony and letters of support likely played a large role in his parole being granted.
- But also key to his release, Maher emphasized, were the mitigating factors such as the lack of bodies or reports of missing people and the complete reliance on witness testimony.
- Army court in Vilseck, Germany found Hatley guilty of premeditated murder and conspiracy to commit premeditated murder over the killings at the canal in Baghdad.
- Previous courts-martial related to the incident resulted in murder convictions of two other soldiers who served in Hatley’s unit.
- John Hatley was a highly decorated combat veteran of nineteen years and six months military service.
- This is the fourth time 1SG John Hatley’s case has come up for review and there is a growing number of people who are hoping the fourth time will be the charm and Hatley will be able to go back home to Groesbeck, Texas.
First Sergeant John Hatley’s Release Celebrated
John Hatley was a highly decorated combat veteran of nineteen years and six months military service. He was deployed in Bosnia, Kosovo, Panama, South Korea, Saudi Arabia, Operation Desert Storm and three tours of duty in Iraq. The soldiers of Alpha Company st Army Infantry knew him to be the first into a hot spot and the last to come out. Mrs. Hatley says that her husband was a legend in Alpha Company and treated the soldiers under his command as though they were family. Hatley pleaded not guilty to the crimes at his 2009 trial and continues to deny that the killings took place at all.
He was convicted by a 2009 Court Martial of murdering four Iraqi insurgent arrestees in Baghdad following a 2007 ambush and firefight, and dumping the bodies into a Baghdad canal. Two other Sergeants with the Alpha Company st Infantry were also convicted and sent to prison. Prior to the beginning of the investigations into the murders, Hatley became involved in the Scott Thomas Beauchamp controversy.
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Mrs. Hatley, who was present for the entire trial, told me that Leahy and Mayo, who had already been convicted, looked to be in great distress on the stand during testimony and appeared to everyone that they did not want to testify against their First Sergeant. Hatley received a dishonorable discharge to go along with his life sentence. Members of the press openly wept when the sentence was handed down. “That’s what I told the parole board. You have to come to grips that sergeant Hatley is a man of such integrity that he’s not going to tell you what you want to hear. He’s going to tell you the truth and the truth is he didn’t commit four murders,” said Gohmert.
Post-war life
VILSECK, Germany — A U.S. Army soldier convicted of murder in the 2007 killings of four bound and blindfolded Iraqis was sentenced today to life in prison. First Sgt. John Hatley, of Groesbeck, was released Friday and did not waste any time marrying Pamela Miller, whom he met while in prison in Fort Leavenworth, Kansas. Also known as address verification, an address lookup involves getting extra information about a location, including zip codes and street names to help you confirm the accuracy of the area in question.
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For the most part, people use an address lookup to run background checks on neighborhoods, businesses, individuals, and properties. Mrs. Hatley now spends endless hours on the internet and the phone, mustering support for her husband’s release. She says that even in prison her husband has received meritorious staff reports, once for saving a choking prisoner’s life by administering the Heimlich maneuver. Court has argued that Army prosecutors based their case on assumptions and conflicting testimony from this week and other courts-martial, saying there was no physical evidence that anyone was shot or killed. The unit picked up the men, Cunningham said, and Hatley and Mayo suggested killing them to prevent the suspected insurgents from being released and posing a future threat. Cunningham said he wouldn’t do that and, he said, Hatley, Mayo and Leahy initially seemed to relent.
- Hatley received a dishonorable discharge to go along with his life sentence.
- For the most part, people use an address lookup to run background checks on neighborhoods, businesses, individuals, and properties.
- According to testimony this week and at previous courts-martial, four Iraqis were taken into custody in spring 2007 after an exchange of fire with Hatley’s unit.
- Mrs. Hatley says that her husband was a legend in Alpha Company and treated the soldiers under his command as though they were family.
- Two other Sergeants with the Alpha Company st Infantry were also convicted and sent to prison.
- That coupled with his client’s exemplary behavior while incarcerated for nearly a dozen years and testimony and letters of support likely played a large role in his parole being granted.
- John Hatley was a highly decorated combat veteran of nineteen years and six months military service.
First Sergeant John Hatley’s Release Celebrated
Soon after being discharged from the Confederate service, Hatley had a change in his loyalties and enlisted as a private in Company E, 13th Tennessee Volunteer Cavalryen on September 24, 1863 in Greeneville, Tennessee for a period of three years. We can show you how to do things like make a family tree or search for an ancestor. Choose from a list of activities that fits your interest.
In 1999 Hatley deployed with the 5th Cavalry Regiment to Operation Joint Forge in Bosnia and Herzegovina. In 2001 Hatley again deployed to the Balkans this time as part of Operation Joint Guardian II in Kosovo. The first of Hatley’s two deployments to Iraq came in 2004 where he worked in the 1st Infantry Division’s Operations section. His second deployment was as john hatley the First Sergeant of Alpha Company of the 1st Battalion of the 18th Infantry Regiment. We’ve gathered a variety of important documents that recorded important life events. On his fourth time before the board in October, Groesbeck native 1st Sgt. John E. Hatley was granted parole.
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The DHAA refused to receive them, citing a “lack of sufficient evidence to hold.” Hatley was ordered to release these terrorists who had tried to kill American soldiers. Now, as the alleged story that came out in court goes, he discussed the DHAA release order with two of his subordinates, Sgt. Michael Leahy and Sgt. Joseph Mayo. The Sergeants decided they had just about had their fill of Catch and Release, and that these four insurgents were not going free to return to kill and maim Americans. They subsequently drove the four terrorists to a nearby canal, fired one shot each into the backs of their heads, and dumped the dead bodies into the water. Sgt. Jesse Cunningham, seated inside their parked vehicle, apparently watched all of it in the rear-view mirror.
Army court in Vilseck, Germany found Hatley guilty of premeditated murder and conspiracy to commit premeditated murder over the killings at the canal in Baghdad. At the time of the murders the three American soldiers were assigned to Company A, 1st Battalion of the 18th Infantry Regiment. Hatley was sentenced to life in prison but will be eligible for parole after 20 years.
John Hatley – Doctor (3 documents found)
To order memorial trees or send flowers to the family in memory of John “Jack” C. He is listed as present for duty throughout his term of service. On September 1, 1864 he was detailed as a blacksmith for the company. After basic training Hatley was assigned to the Army’s 101st Airborne Division and deployed to Operations Desert Shield and Desert Storm.
Groesbeck: President passes on pardon for local soldier
“Having the congressman here meant the world to me and the family. It’s shining more light on a tragic story,” said Rick Rand, Hatley’s brother-in-law. “The kind of support out there for Hatley and the kind of guy he is, I can’t see any decision here would be anything but his release,” said retired Lt Col Colby Vokey, a criminal defense lawyer. This is the fourth time 1SG John Hatley’s case has come up for review and there is a growing number of people who are hoping the fourth time will be the charm and Hatley will be able to go back home to Groesbeck, Texas. According to testimony this week and at previous courts-martial, four Iraqis were taken into custody in spring 2007 after an exchange of fire with Hatley’s unit. In an emotional closing statement earlier today, the career soldier urged the jury to let him complete 20 years of military service. Master Sgt. John Hatley, 40, also will have his rank reduced to private, forfeit all pay and receive a dishonorable discharge, a jury of eight Army officers and noncommissioned officers decided.
U.S. Army soldier sentenced to life in prison
PLATTE CITY, Kan. (KWTX) – A former soldier from Central Texas who spent the past 12 years behind bars for war crimes he insists didn’t happen was released from prison and immediately got married Friday, beginning a new chapter in his life as he seeks a full pardon to clear his name. As the war dragged on, tens of thousands of jihadists who were taken prisoner during or after fire-fights in Baghdad went to the Detention Holding Area Annex (DHAA), which is military terminology for a jail. Astonishingly, the DHAA personnel released nearly all of them shortly after their arrests, for “lack of sufficient evidence to detain.” Most of the prisoners were released.
- Hatley was sentenced to life in prison by a military court for the murder of four Iraqi detainees in Iraq in 2007.
- The city will pause some pension contributions and spend one-time funds to prevent a $7.9 million deficit.
- After basic training Hatley was assigned to the Army’s 101st Airborne Division and deployed to Operations Desert Shield and Desert Storm.
- Master Sgt. John Hatley, 40, also will have his rank reduced to private, forfeit all pay and receive a dishonorable discharge, a jury of eight Army officers and noncommissioned officers decided.
- Hatley was convicted of killing four Iraqi detainees, despite the fact that there was no physical evidence, no bodies found, no missing people reported and the only testimony came from other soldiers who themselves were facing discipline.
Hatley’s soldiers killed some of the attackers and captured many others. Over the length of the insurgency, snipers and roadside bombs (IEDs) killed or crippled thousands of Americans. There is a new deputy assistant secretary now, so Hatley, his family, attorneys, the congressional delegations and thousands of supporters around the country are hoping this time will be different and Hatley will be home in time for Thanksgiving. The family, however, finds comfort in the fact that his case has attracted a lot of high profile attention from people who aren’t likely to give up. The city will pause some pension contributions and spend one-time funds to prevent a $7.9 million deficit. Previous courts-martial related to the incident resulted in murder convictions of two other soldiers who served in Hatley’s unit.
His private attorney, John Maher, told Army Times before his client’s parole that there was no physical evidence that four Iraqi detainees had been killed, no bodies recovered or men reported missing. Former 1st Sgt. John Hatley was originally sentenced to life in prison, which was later reduced, and he was granted parole when he became eligible last year. Cunningham, Leahy and Mayo all took the witness stand against their former First Sergeant.
He was reduced in rank to private, dishonorably discharged and forfeited all pay and allowances. John Maher is joined by attorney Colby Vokey, Congressman Bill Flores, the newly-freed John Hatley, and Congressman Louie Gohmert near Fort Leavenworth, Kansas the day of Hatley’s October 2020 release. Hatley, a decorated noncommissioned officer with multiple combat tours, had been sentenced to life in prison with the possibility of parole after being convicted of premeditated murder of four Iraqi detainees in 2009. However, no physical evidence (including any bodies) or forensic evidence was found during the Army investigation that led to the conviction. The sergeant has serving hard time in Leavenworth for the murder of four Iraqi detainees after a mission in Iraq, a conviction based not on evidence, but the questionable testimony of two soldiers already facing disciplinary action for other crimes.
Hatley was serving as Beauchamp’s Company First Sergeant in Iraq at the time that Beauchamp authored a diary published as an article in The New Republic, an American Leftist political magazine. Subsequently a conservative blogger, looking for information on Beauchamp’s claims, initiated an email exchange with Hatley. Hatley’s response refuting Beauchamp’s stories was then published. Hatley was also involved in the Army’s official criminal investigation into the article in The New Republic as necessitated by his position as the senior non-commissioned officer in Beauchamp’s company. Hatley radioed the DHAA that he was en-route with the four detainees.
- Adding to the stress of war, Hatley and his soldiers collected the scores of dead bodies that were regularly dumped onto Baghdad streets by terrorists.
- Hatley maintains that the killings never happened, that they released the men after the patrol.
- He was deployed in Bosnia, Kosovo, Panama, South Korea, Saudi Arabia, Operation Desert Storm and three tours of duty in Iraq.
- Soon after being discharged from the Confederate service, Hatley had a change in his loyalties and enlisted as a private in Company E, 13th Tennessee Volunteer Cavalryen on September 24, 1863 in Greeneville, Tennessee for a period of three years.
- Former 1st Sgt. John Hatley was originally sentenced to life in prison, which was later reduced, and he was granted parole when he became eligible last year.
- She says that even in prison her husband has received meritorious staff reports, once for saving a choking prisoner’s life by administering the Heimlich maneuver.
The newly-freed insurgents immediately returned to the streets to resume killing and maiming American soldiers. This insanity became known as the Catch and Release Program. Former U.S. Army Master Sergeant John Hatley is now serving a forty year sentence in Leavenworth prison.
Todd South has written about crime, courts, government and the military for multiple publications since 2004 and was named a 2014 Pulitzer finalist for a co-written project on witness intimidation. Hatley maintains that the killings never happened, that they released the men after the patrol. He claims that all of the platoon members who spoke against him in interviews with Army Criminal Investigation Division agents were pressured to do so or face conspiracy charges for being part of the alleged crime. After reaching a canal, Hatley, Mayo and Leahy took the detainees out of the vehicle and shot them execution style, Cunningham told investigators. But after finishing the patrol, Cunningham said, Hatley took a smaller detachment of about two squads from Alpha Company, along with the detainees, back out of the forward operating base.
Get discounted pricing for the world’s largest family discovery event. Absent from that list was a central Texas soldier recently cleared for parole by the U.S. The Trump Administration is getting push back from military leaders after the pardoning of three U.S. service members late last week. Family and friends were waiting to greet him as he was released Friday. Military investigators did not produce any physical evidence, no bodies were found and no one was reported missing.
John Hatley
He was found not guilty of premeditated murder in a separate January 2007 incident in which a wounded Iraqi insurgent was shot and killed. The sentence came a day after Hatley was found guilty of premeditated murder and conspiracy in the execution-style killings of the detainees. In lieu of flowers memorial contributions can be made to Masonic Village, 1 Masonic Dr., Elizabethtown, PA or to Masonic Village, Hospice, 98 Masonic Drive suite 101, Elizabethtown, PA 17022.
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