That whole situation is really sad.

It is. I've been hearing about it for some time now in the states.

Being eligible for parole after 20 years when he gets 90 doesn't make sense.

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Thats not enough for him.

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That whole situation is really sad.

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Soldier jailed for 90 years over girl's death



A soldier has been sentenced to 90 years in prison with the possibility of parole in 20 years for conspiring to rape a 14-year-old Iraqi girl and kill her and her family.

Spc James Barker, one of four soldiers at Fort Campbell, Kentucky, accused over the March 12 rape of Abeer Qassim al-Janabi and the killings, pleaded guilty on Wednesday and agreed to testify against the others to avoid the death penalty.

"This court sentences you to be confined for the length of your natural life, with the eligibility of parole,'' said Lt Col Richard Anderson, the military judge presiding over the court martial.

Under the plea agreement, Barker received a life sentence but would not serve more than 90 years in prison, Anderson said. He will be eligible for parole in 20 years.

Barker, 23, showed no reaction when the sentence was read.
Earlier, Barker wept during his closing statement, accepted responsibility for the rape and killings and said violence he encountered left him "angry and mean'' when it came to Iraqis.

"I want the people of Iraq to know that I did not go there to do the terrible things that I did,'' Barker said, his voice quivering as he began to weep.

"I do not ask anyone to forgive me today.''

After Barker's sentencing, military prosecutors declined to comment because three other soldiers had yet to be tried in the case.

Barker confessed to the crimes as part of a plea agreement to avoid a possible death penalty. The deal requires him to testify against the others.

During testimony intended to show the judge that Barker could be rehabilitated, Barker's fellow soldiers described weeks with little support and sleep while manning distant checkpoints.

But Capt William Fischbach, the lead prosecutor, told the court that such conditions were no excuse for Barker, who led the group to the family's house, and that no one deserved such unspeakable horrors.

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Old enough to know better(but)still young enough not to care