Spc. Michael A. McQueen II Competing theories in Ranger slaying trial

Competing theories in Ranger slaying trial

By Ben Nuckols - The Associated Press
Posted : Tuesday Mar 18, 2008 19:55:05 EDT

ROCKVILLE, Md. — An Army Ranger accused of killing a fellow Ranger went to trial Tuesday, with prosecutors accusing Sgt. Gary Smith of lying to police to cover up his crime.

Smith’s attorney told a different story. He said Spc. Michael A. McQueen II committed suicide and Smith, despondent over the loss of his buddy, tried to cover up the circumstances of the death by removing evidence from the scene.

McQueen, 22, who was raised in Miami, died of a single gunshot to the right temple on the night of Sept. 25, 2006, in the apartment that he had begun sharing with Smith just 20 days earlier. After McQueen’s death, Smith threw the weapon, a .38-caliber revolver, in a nearby lake before calling 911. He was covered in McQueen’s blood and had gunshot residue on his hands when he was arrested.

Both sides in the case concede there was no direct evidence McQueen was suicidal and no concrete motive for Smith to kill him. Although they dispute the closeness of the young men’s friendship, the two had served together in Afghanistan and had spent a lot of time partying together in the brief time they lived in the apartment in Gaithersburg, about 20 miles outside of Washington.

“There is no motive in this case. Zero,” said Andrew Jezic, Smith’s attorney.
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