Medic stuns navy Seal murder trial by saying he killed wounded Isis fighter, not the accused
A man left the murder trial of a decorated US navy Seal stunned after saying he killed a wounded Islamic State fighter himself – not the accused.
Medic Corey Scott was called by prosecutors to testify at the military trial of special operations chief Edward Gallagher, who is accused of murdering a teenage militant in Iraq.
But while he did say Mr Gallagher plunged a knife into the boy after treating him for wounds, the medic unexpectedly took the blame for the killing, claiming he suffocated him afterwards.
Mr Scott said he held his thumb over the youngster’s breathing tube as an act of mercy because Iraqis would have tortured him to death had he survived.
A prosecutor accused Mr Scott of lying, claiming he had told investigators a different story several times and changed it only after he was granted immunity and ordered to testify.
Retired army major general John Altenburg Jr said: “So you can stand up there and you can lie about how you killed the Isis prisoner so Chief Gallagher does not have to go to jail.
“You don’t want Chief Gallagher to go to jail, do you?”
In response, Mr Scott said: “He’s got a wife and family. I don’t think he should be spending his life in prison.”
Mr Gallagher has been charged with premeditated murder in the boy’s death and attempted murder in the shooting of civilians.
The defence has said Mr Gallagher only treated the prisoner for a collapsed lung and that disgruntled sailors fabricated the murder accusations because he was a demanding platoon leader and they didn’t want him to be promoted.
The US navy released a statement saying it would not drop the premeditated murder charge and that it was up to the jurors to decide the credibility of the witness.
Before the stabbing, Mr Scott said that he and Mr Gallagher had stabilised the sedated prisoner who was wounded in an airstrike and that he was breathing normally through a tube inserted to clear his airway.
The medic said he was shocked when Mr Gallagher stabbed the boy at least once below the collarbone.
He said there was no medical reason for it and that Mr Gallagher then grabbed his medical bag and walked away.
He told the courtroom at San Diego naval base: “I was startled and froze up for a little bit.
“I knew he was going to die anyway, and I wanted to save him from waking up to whatever would happen to him.”
Mr Scott added that no one asked him how the patient died.
Four Seals and one former Seal have taken the stand. Mr Scott was the second to say he witnessed Mr Gallagher stab the militant.
Several of the Seals also described instances when they said Mr Gallagher had fired at civilians, once shooting an old man.
The seven-man jury is made up of five marines and two sailors – all veterans of war zones.
A two-thirds majority – at least five – is needed to convict and anything less will end in acquittal.
The navy said the jury can convict Mr Gallagher of a lesser charge, such as premeditated attempted murder, which carries a maximum penalty of life with parole. There is no minimum sentence.
The trial continues.
Associated Press contributed to this report