US soldier accused of killing prisoner

US soldier accused of killing prisoner: "

Private David Lawrence, 20, shot Taliban detainee because he wanted to 'kill the bad guys', court told

A US soldier was so eager to 'kill the bad guys' in Afghanistan that he shot dead a Taliban member who was sleeping in a cell, according to military prosecutors.

The accusation came during a court hearing to determine whether Private First Class David Lawrence, 20, should be court-martialed for murder.

Lawrence's lawyer, James Culp, says his client is not mentally fit to stand trial because he is taking medication for schizophrenia and depression.

Culp objected to holding the hearing before the completion of an inquiry into Lawrence's mental health, arguing his client was being rushed into the military justice system.

Major George Brauchler, prosecuting, said Lawrence's depression stemmed from his disappointment at not being transferred to a combat unit, and that an eagerness to 'kill the bad guys' led him to shoot the Taliban detainee.

Two soldiers, who gave their testimony by phone from Afghanistan, and who guarded Lawrence after his arrest, said Lawrence told them that he and his lawyer might 'play the crazy card'.

Lawrence appeared to fall asleep repeatedly during the hearing, prompting prosecutors to ask a sergeant to sit next to him to keep him awake. At one point, he started to walk away before Culp pulled him back.

Private Dimitri Andre Jenkins, a medic in Lawrence's platoon, said the accused had acted strangely before the shooting. Jenkins said Lawrence was sometimes quiet and withdrawn; at other times laughing and joking. He said Lawrence had been upset about a friend in the US who had died.

Jenkins told the court he spoke to his superiors about his concern for Lawrence, who was serving with the 1st brigade combat team of the 4th infantry division.

Lawrence was then sent to an army combat stress centre for a few days. When he returned to his unit, he was assigned to guard duty, which included guarding the captured Taliban member in his cell.

The army said it was not sure of the name of the detainee because he had several aliases.

Jenkins said he became alarmed when Lawrence told him he was going to do something that had to be done. 'I felt like it was going to be some kind of murder-suicide,' the medic said.

Lawrence's guards, Sergeant John Miller and Private Aaron Rederstorf, told the court Lawrence was smiling and laughing before his first judicial hearing in Afghanistan. He appeared 'almost cocky', Miller said.

They said Lawrence became subdued after the hearing, and at one point appeared to be crying. The guards said they were not at the hearing and did not know what transpired.

Sergeant Jaroslab Diaz, Lawrence's former platoon leader, testified that two other soldiers told him Lawrence was having homicidal and suicidal thoughts before the shooting. Diaz said Lawrence later admitted to shooting the Taliban prisoner.

Culp questioned several soldiers about an apparent suicide attempt by Lawrence, who was being hospitalised for an evaluation after his arrest.

Sergeant John Murphy, who was guarding Lawrence, said the suspect tried to pull an intravenous drip out of his arm and then pumped his fist to hasten blood flow through the opening. He said Lawrence relented when he was told he would be revived if he passed out. Murphy said he did not believe it was a serious suicide attempt."