SEATTLE (Reuters) - A U.S. soldier pleaded guilty to murder on Monday for shooting dead five fellow servicemen at a military counseling center in Iraq, after his defense attorneys reached a deal with Army prosecutors to avoid capital punishment.
Army Sergeant John Russell is accused of killing two medical staff officers and three soldiers at Camp Liberty, adjacent to the Baghdad airport, in a 2009 shooting spree the military said at the time could have been triggered by combat stress.
Russell pleaded guilty at a hearing at Joint Base Lewis-McChord in Washington state to five counts of intentional murder, one count of attempted murder, and one count of assault. LINK