Sergeant Found Guilty of Afghan Thrill Killings

Staff Sgt. Calvin Gibbs, accused of leading a rogue platoon in Afghanistan that killed three Afghan civilians for sport, was convicted of murder, conspiracy and other charges on Thursday. Gibbs, 26, admitted at a seven-day court martial that he kept the fingers of corpses and one victim’s tooth as trophies. The grisly hoarding was like “keeping the antlers off a deer you’d shoot,” he said. Prosecutors said Gibbs led a group of 5th Stryker Brigade unit soldiers in the killings then dropped weapons near victims’ bodies to make them look like insurgents. The unit’s alleged misconduct also included drug use, illegal weapons collecting, mutilation and photography of Afghan remains and the gang beating of a fellow soldier, The Associated Press reported. Of 12 soldiers from the unit charged with crimes, all but 2 have been convicted.

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