Seven Navy SEALs have been granted immunity to testify against Edward R. Gallagher, a chief special warfare operator accused of murdering a wounded teenage combatant and then posing with the fighter’s corpse.
Details about the arrangement emerged during a lengthy hearing court hearing in advance of Mr. Gallagher’s upcoming trial for premeditated murder and other charges, The San Diego Union-Tribune first reported.
The seven SEALs granted immunity are among a total of 20 witnesses prosecutors plan on calling to testify once the trial portion of Mr. Gallagher’s court-martial commences, the report said.
Mr. Gallagher, 39, has been charged with multiple violations of the Uniformed Code of Military Justice related to his last tour of Iraq, including murdering a wounded teenage combatant caught in Mosul in May 2017. He has pleaded not guilty to all counts.
A 19-year Navy veteran, Mr. Gallager allegedly stabbed the teen in the neck and body as the captured combatant was being treated by SEAL medics for gunshot wounds, then used the teen’s body as a prop during a battlefield reenlistment ceremony, according to Navy prosecutors.
“I got him with my hunting knife,” Mr. Gallagher allegedly captioned a photograph of the slain fighter shared with a fellow SEAL.
Mr. Gallagher has been held in military custody since his arrest on September 11, 2018, and the trial portion of his court-martial is currently set to start at Naval Base San Diego on February 19. He faces a maximum sentence of life imprisonment.
Witnesses told investigators that Mr. Gallagher bragged he killed up to 200 people during his deployment, and one witness said he claimed to kill “three a day” and to “do the math” to tally the total, the Union-Tribune reported. He has been charged separately in connection with allegedly shooting indiscriminately at civilians throughout his deployment.
Defense attorneys requested that witnesses be prevented from discussing Mr. Gallagher’s alleged claims about the killings when they are called to testify, but the presiding judge, Navy Capt. Aaron Rugh, denied their motion to suppress, the report said.
Lt. Jacob Portier, Mr. Gallagher’s former Navy supervisor, was separately charged last week with counts related to the case and reenlistment ceremony, including failing to report a war crime, destroying evidence and impeding an investigation. His lawyer said he plans to plead not guilty as well.
Prosecutors allege the wounded Islamic State fighter killed by Mr. Gallagher was between 15 and 17 years old. He was captured and brought to Navy medics to be treated after being injured during an airstrike that happened in May 2017, roughly two months before Iraqi forces retook Mosul from the terrorist group also known as ISIS.
• Andrew Blake can be reached at ablake@washingtontimes.com.
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