Former Blackwater Security Guards Sentenced to Long Prison Terms in Shooting Deaths
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AndreyPopov/iStock/Thinkstock(WASHINGTON) — Four former security guards for Blackwater USA were sentenced to prison terms on Monday — including one who was given life in prison — for their roles in the 2007 shooting in Baghdad that left 14 unarmed civilians dead and numerous others wounded.
Nicholas Slatten, 31, Paul Slough, 35, Evan Liberty, 32, and Dustin Heard, 33, were found guilty by a jury in October 2014. At Monday’s sentencing, Slatten — who fired the first shots — was sentenced to life in prison. He had been found guilty of first-degree murder.
The other three men were sentenced to 30-year prison sentences. Slough had been found guilty of 13 counts of voluntary manslaughter, 17 counts of attempted manslaughter and a firearms offense. Liberty was convicted of eight counts of voluntary manslaughter, 12 counts of attempted manslaughter and a firearms charge and Heard was deemed guilty of six counts of voluntary manslaughter, 11 counts of attempted manslaughter and a firearms charge.
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