Former chaplain jailed for 7.5 years in beating of German civilian

Former chaplain jailed for 7.5 years in beating of German civilian
By MARCUS KLOECKNER AND STEVEN BEARDSLEY
Stars and Stripes
Published: October 13, 2011
KAISERSLAUTERN, Germany — A former U.S. Army chaplain could serve 7 1/2 years in prison after a German court convicted him of attempted manslaughter stemming from an attack outside a bar in Garmisch-Partenkirchen earlier this year.

Capt. Joseph Allen Parker, 34, of the 3rd Battalion, 66th Armor Regiment, 172nd Separate Infantry Brigade in Grafenwöhr, was convicted and sentenced Oct. 4 in Munich. He is determining whether he can appeal, according to his private counsel, Munich attorney Christian Gerber.

Gerber argued in court that Post Traumatic Stress Disorder from a tour in Iraq explained Parker’s violent attack on another bar patron. But that attack was out of character, Gerber said.
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