Commondreams.org has posted an article that appeared today (January 14, 2008) in The Independent/UK regarding the increase in violent crimes committed by those returning from the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan.
Here are some excerpts from "Traumatised Veterans ‘Have Killed 120 in US’", by Stephen Foley:
"While public anger is directed at the Pentagon for sending American soldiers ill-prepared to fight in Iraq, an equally troubling problem is rearing its head at home. Military veterans are returning from the warzone just as ill-prepared for civilian life and dozens suffering from post-traumatic stress are committing murder and manslaughter.
A new study has identified more than 120 killings committed by veterans of the Iraq and Afghanistan wars, as psychologically troubled soldiers slip through the net of an overextended military mental health system.
The study, which was conducted from examining local news reports, and which may well dramatically understate the scale of the problem, suggested that killings by military veterans have almost doubled since the start of the wars.
Although the Pentagon immediately questioned the accuracy of the figures, the mounting number of incidents across the US add up to a social problem akin to the traumas of returning Vietnam veterans a generation earlier. ..."
"Collectively, the stories attest to the inadequacies of the US military mental health system, which a Pentagon task force last year described as "woefully understaffed", poorly funded and undermined by the stigma still attached to post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). The disorder has been a major concern since veterans' associations found that 15 percent of Vietnam vets still suffered from PTSD a decade after the conflict ended in 1975. ..."
"The study of killings by military veterans was conducted by The New York Times. It showed an 89 percent increase - from 184 cases to 349 - in the six years following the 2001 invasion of Afghanistan in the number of homicides involving active-duty military personnel and new veterans. About three-quarters of these cases involved Iraq and Afghanistan veterans.
More than half of the crimes involved guns while the rest were stabbings, beatings, strangulations and bath drownings, the report said. Twenty-five offenders faced murder, manslaughter or homicide charges for fatal car crashes resulting from drunken, reckless or suicidal driving.
A Pentagon spokesman questioned the methodology of the study, which examined local press reports to identify cases, and rejected the comparison of post-9/11 coverage with the previous six years. The rise might be due to newspaper reporters increased awareness of military service, a spokesman suggested, and questioned the 'lumping together' of different kinds of crimes.
The New York Times said its study was conservative. 'This reporting most likely uncovered only the minimum number of such cases, given that not all killings, especially in big cities and on military bases, arereported publicly or in detail,' it added."
Read the full article at http://www.commondreams.org/archive/2008/01/14/6364/
***
Numerous veterans with mental illness have been sentenced to death and executed in this country. Perhaps the best example is Manny Babbitt, a veteran of the Vietnam war. Manny, the recipient of a Purple Heart for his service in Vietnam, was a paranoid schizophrenic who suffered from post-traumatic stress disorder. He was convicted of the murder of an elderly woman who died as the result of a heart attack after a break-in and beating. Mr. Babbitt's defense attorneys argued that their client was suffering from a Vietnam flashback at the time of the crime. Manny Babbitt was executed by the State of California in 1999.
Showing posts with label veterans. Show all posts
Showing posts with label veterans. Show all posts
Monday, January 14, 2008
Thursday, January 10, 2008
New date set for Coble punishment trial
According to the Waco Tribune-Herald (January 10, 2008), Judge Matt Johnson of Waco’s 54th State District Court has set August 4 as the date to begin jury selection for a new sentencing hearing for Billie Wayne Coble. Coble's death sentence was overturned last year by the 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals, which ruled that the statute in effect in Texas at the time of Coble's conviction (1990) had prevented the jury from fully considering the mitigating evidence presented by his trial attorneys. Coble was convicted in the August 1989 shooting deaths of his estranged wife’s parents, Robert and Zelda Vicha, of Axtell, and her brother, Waco police Sgt. Bobby Vicha.
The McLennan County District Attorney's office has announced that it again will seek the death penalty for the now 59-year-old Coble.
According to the Tribune-Herald, Coble’s trial attorneys offered testimony about his troubled childhood and his traumatic Vietnam combat experiences. 5th Circuit Judge Emilio M. Garza wrote that the jury might have placed more relevance on those experiences if given the opportunity by the wording of the special issues.
Coble's appellate attorneys Russ Hunt Jr. and Scott Stevens will seek to present evidence to the jury regarding Coble's mental illness. "Hunt said Coble’s trial will focus on his mental state at the time of the offense and his nonviolent record during his 18 years on death row. 'We will be able to do a better job of telling the whole story to the jury and explaining to a jury and having some experts explaining to a jury why a person would do what Mr. Coble did in this situation,' Hunt said."
"With respect to his mental illness, there was at least some evidence introduced at Coble’s trial that his post-traumatic stress and bipolar disorders were amenable to treatment,” Judge Garza wrote in the 5th Circuit opinion. “Based on this evidence, the jury might have concluded that Coble, if properly treated, would be less likely to commit criminal acts constituting a continuing threat to society.”
Read the full article:
http://www.wacotrib.com/search/content/news/stories/2008/01/10/01102008waccoble.html
Earlier coverage of the Coble case is available here.
The McLennan County District Attorney's office has announced that it again will seek the death penalty for the now 59-year-old Coble.
According to the Tribune-Herald, Coble’s trial attorneys offered testimony about his troubled childhood and his traumatic Vietnam combat experiences. 5th Circuit Judge Emilio M. Garza wrote that the jury might have placed more relevance on those experiences if given the opportunity by the wording of the special issues.
Coble's appellate attorneys Russ Hunt Jr. and Scott Stevens will seek to present evidence to the jury regarding Coble's mental illness. "Hunt said Coble’s trial will focus on his mental state at the time of the offense and his nonviolent record during his 18 years on death row. 'We will be able to do a better job of telling the whole story to the jury and explaining to a jury and having some experts explaining to a jury why a person would do what Mr. Coble did in this situation,' Hunt said."
"With respect to his mental illness, there was at least some evidence introduced at Coble’s trial that his post-traumatic stress and bipolar disorders were amenable to treatment,” Judge Garza wrote in the 5th Circuit opinion. “Based on this evidence, the jury might have concluded that Coble, if properly treated, would be less likely to commit criminal acts constituting a continuing threat to society.”
Read the full article:
http://www.wacotrib.com/search/content/news/stories/2008/01/10/01102008waccoble.html
Earlier coverage of the Coble case is available here.
Wednesday, August 15, 2007
Fifth Circuit Overturns Death Sentence; New Trial to Consider Mitigating Evidence
Court overturns Billie Wayne Coble's death sentence
Wednesday, August 15, 2007
By Tommy Witherspoon
Waco Tribune-Herald staff writer
"A year after the 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals granted a stay of execution for Billie Wayne Coble and 18 years after he reportedly bragged about killing three people in Axtell, the New Orleans-based appeals court has overturned Coble’s death sentence and awarded him a new trial.
In a 28-page opinion issued Tuesday afternoon, the judges of the 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals said the two special issues that Coble’s McLennan County jury had to answer for the death penalty to be assessed — whether he commited murder deliberately and would be a future danger to society — were unconstitutional as they were applied to him.
The special issues posed to the jury came from instructions under the Texas death penalty statute at the time. The 5th Circuit’s ruling reflects changes made since then that limit the scope of the death penalty and allow a life sentence to be imposed if Texas juries believe there is sufficient mitigating evidence to preclude the imposition of the death penalty.
Coble, now 58, has been on death row since his 1990 conviction in the August 1989 shooting deaths of his estranged wife’s parents, Robert and Zelda Vicha, of Axtell, and her brother, Waco police Sgt. Bobby Vicha.
The court rejected Coble’s claims he was the victim of ineffective assistance of counsel at trial. However, it reversed the death sentence because the judges said Coble’s jury was not allowed to give proper weight to mitigating factors that could have changed their answer to the future dangerousness issue. ...
State appeal expected
Segrest said Tuesday he expects the attorney general’s office, which represents the state in federal death penalty appeals, to ask the 5th Circuit to reconsider its ruling.
Coble’s attorneys offered testimony at trial about Coble’s troubled childhood and his traumatic experiences in combat while in Vietnam.
5th Circuit Judge Emilio M. Garza wrote that the jury might have placed more relevance on those experiences if given the opportunity by the wording of the special issues.
“'With respect to his mental illness, there was at least some evidence introduced at Coble’s trial that his post-traumatic stress and bipolar disorders were amenable to treatment,'” Garza wrote. “'Based on this evidence, the jury might have concluded that Coble, if properly treated, would be less likely to commit criminal acts constituting a continuing threat to society.
“'Similarly, the jury might have reasoned that as Coble aged and became more chronologically removed from his difficult childhood and traumatic experiences in Vietnam, his troubled background would exercise a lesser degree of influence over his actions, thereby rendering him less of a future danger.'”
twitherspoon@wacotrib.com
Read the full story at www.wacotrib.com/news/content/news/stories/2007/08/15/08152007waccobleappeal.html
Wednesday, August 15, 2007
By Tommy Witherspoon
Waco Tribune-Herald staff writer
"A year after the 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals granted a stay of execution for Billie Wayne Coble and 18 years after he reportedly bragged about killing three people in Axtell, the New Orleans-based appeals court has overturned Coble’s death sentence and awarded him a new trial.
In a 28-page opinion issued Tuesday afternoon, the judges of the 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals said the two special issues that Coble’s McLennan County jury had to answer for the death penalty to be assessed — whether he commited murder deliberately and would be a future danger to society — were unconstitutional as they were applied to him.
The special issues posed to the jury came from instructions under the Texas death penalty statute at the time. The 5th Circuit’s ruling reflects changes made since then that limit the scope of the death penalty and allow a life sentence to be imposed if Texas juries believe there is sufficient mitigating evidence to preclude the imposition of the death penalty.
Coble, now 58, has been on death row since his 1990 conviction in the August 1989 shooting deaths of his estranged wife’s parents, Robert and Zelda Vicha, of Axtell, and her brother, Waco police Sgt. Bobby Vicha.
The court rejected Coble’s claims he was the victim of ineffective assistance of counsel at trial. However, it reversed the death sentence because the judges said Coble’s jury was not allowed to give proper weight to mitigating factors that could have changed their answer to the future dangerousness issue. ...
State appeal expected
Segrest said Tuesday he expects the attorney general’s office, which represents the state in federal death penalty appeals, to ask the 5th Circuit to reconsider its ruling.
Coble’s attorneys offered testimony at trial about Coble’s troubled childhood and his traumatic experiences in combat while in Vietnam.
5th Circuit Judge Emilio M. Garza wrote that the jury might have placed more relevance on those experiences if given the opportunity by the wording of the special issues.
“'With respect to his mental illness, there was at least some evidence introduced at Coble’s trial that his post-traumatic stress and bipolar disorders were amenable to treatment,'” Garza wrote. “'Based on this evidence, the jury might have concluded that Coble, if properly treated, would be less likely to commit criminal acts constituting a continuing threat to society.
“'Similarly, the jury might have reasoned that as Coble aged and became more chronologically removed from his difficult childhood and traumatic experiences in Vietnam, his troubled background would exercise a lesser degree of influence over his actions, thereby rendering him less of a future danger.'”
twitherspoon@wacotrib.com
Read the full story at www.wacotrib.com/news/content/news/stories/2007/08/15/08152007waccobleappeal.html
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