Specialist Adam Winfield, 23, of Coral Gables, Fla., was sentenced yesterday after being charged with premeditated murder, aggravated assault and conspiracy to commit murder in several incidents, including the deaths of three Afghan civilians in Kandahar Province.
He pleaded guilty to the reduced charge of involuntary manslaughter in military court, along with one count of illegal use of marijuana, in exchange for his testimony against other soldiers accused in the killings.
His rank was reduced to private and Winfield was stripped of pay and allowances, as well as discharged for bad conduct. The Coral Gables, Florida man will get credit for the approximately 507 days he has already served in prison.
Winfield, who tried to blow the whistle on the murder plot, is among five soldiers accused of killing the civilians for sport and then planting evidence on the bodies to make it seem as though the victims had attacked the soldiers first.
He is a member of the 2nd Battalion, 1st Infantry Regiment, 2nd Brigade, also known as the Stryker Brigade, based at Joint Base Lewis-McChord near Seattle.
Another soldier in the unit, Private Jeremy Morlock of Wasilla, Alaska, was sentenced in March to 24 years in prison. Seven other service members have been charged with covering up the killings.
Winfield's defense attorney, Eric Montalvo, said the killings and widespread hash use in the field showed the unit lacked leadership.
Under questioning by the judge, Colonel David Conn, Winfield admitted he had been aware he was committing a crime and that he failed to prevent it.
"I had means to prevent this from happening, sir. I had a number of options to choose from that day, sir, to take the action necessary," Winfield said. "I failed because I was afraid, sir."
He explained he feared retribution from his superior, Staff Sergeant Calvin Gibbs, the alleged ringleader of the rogue group of soldiers. Gibbs threatened to kill Winfield if he ever told anyone of the killings, Winfield said.