Delay in trial of Sgt. John Russell leaves families frustrated

Family Frustrated by Wait in Army Fratricide Case
Mar 04, 2013
Stars and Stripes
by Megan McCloskey

WASHINGTON -- It’s been almost four years since the deadliest case of American fratricide in the Iraq War, and the Army sergeant accused of killing five of his fellow servicemembers has yet to face a court-martial.

The lengthy delay has one victim’s family questioning what, exactly, is keeping the Army from moving faster on the case.

“It’s just not justified. There’s really no good reason,” Tom Springle said. “We’ve waited long enough.”

His brother, Navy Cmdr. Charles Keith Springle, was among those killed in May 2009 at Camp Liberty in Baghdad when Sgt. John Russell allegedly opened fire on the combat-stress clinic there.

Finally, late last year, after years of delays on both sides, the court-martial date was set for March 11, but it was recently pushed back to late April because the prosecution hadn’t provided the defense with court-ordered funds for expert witnesses.

“I wouldn’t be afraid to bet money this April there’s still no court-martial,” Springle said.

The Springle family has company in their frustration with those still awaiting the trial of Maj. Nidal Hasan more than three years after he allegedly killed 13 people and wounded dozens of others in a shooting at Fort Hood in November 2009. So far, no court-martial dates have held up in that case either with delay after delay, and both groups of victims are angered by the drawn-out process that to them is seemingly without reason.
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Sgt. John Russell trial, example of what went wrong