Trial Delayed For Soldier Accused In Iraq Rape-Slaying Case

Saturday, March 31st 2007, 7:55 pm

By: News On 6

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) _ The trial of a solider accused in the rape and killing of an Iraqi teenager and the slaying of her family has been delayed after new information surfaced in the case, the soldier's attorney said.

Pfc. Jesse V. Spielman is the last of four 101st Airborne soldiers from Fort Campbell to face trial in the March 2006 attack on the family in their home near a military checkpoint in Mahmoudiya.

Attorney Dan Christensen said a military judge approved the delay late Friday night after attorneys argued they needed more time to review the new information. He did not disclose what it was, saying only that it involved other soldiers charged in the case and witnesses scheduled to testify.

``The government disclosed a bunch of information in the 11th hour,'' he said.

A public affairs officer at Fort Campbell, Master Sgt. Terry Webster, said he didn't know about the delay. As a matter of protocol, military prosecutors won't discuss the case.

A new trial date was set for July 23, Christensen said.

Spielman, 22, from Chambersburg, Pa., faces up to life in prison without parole if convicted on rape and murder charges. Three other soldiers have pleaded guilty and have been sentenced in the case. A former private, Steven Green, is being prosecuted in federal court.