Soldier charged in death of two soldiers arraigned

Man charged in Stockton soldier's death arraigned
Dispute among Iraq roommates said to be cause

Army Spc. John Carrillo Jr. was 20 when he was killed in Iraq last year, allegedly at the hands of a fellow soldier. He left behind a wife and two young children.
Courtesy photo

By Joe Goldeen
Record Staff Writer
September 13, 2011 12:00 AM
The defense attorney for Army Spc. Neftaly Platero, charged with killing Spc. John Carrillo Jr. of Stockton and another roommate in Iraq last September, said Monday his client is innocent and should be cleared based on forensic evidence.

Attorney Guy Womack told The Associated Press that forensic tests showed no blood or gunshot residue on Platero. But he said there was gunpowder residue on the hands of both Carrillo and on Pfc. Gebrah Noonan, 26, of Watertown, Conn.

Womack spoke Monday after Platero was arraigned on murder charges before a military judge at Fort Stewart, Ga. Prosecutors say the 33-year-old Platero of Kingwood, Texas, opened fire after an argument Sept. 23 with three soldiers in the room they shared in Fallujah, Iraq. Carrillo, 20, and Noonan were declared dead the next day. Womack said the third soldier who was wounded had a bullet crease in his scalp and later said he remembered nothing of what happened the day of the shooting.

read more here