November 20, 2009
Boise, Idaho
Idaho soldier left off latest Bush pardon list
By KBCI Web Staff
BOISE - An Idaho soldier convicted of murder who sought a pardon from President George Bush has been left off the latest list.
Sgt. Evan Vela, a 24-year-old U.S. Army sniper from St. Anthony, was convicted in February and sentenced to 10 years in prison for killing an unarmed Iraqi civilian who stumbled upon him and five other soldiers sleeping on May 11, 2007. Vela was also convicted of planting an AK-47 on the dead man's body and of lying to military investigators. On Tuesday, Bush issued 19 pardons and one commutation before leaving the White House to spend the holidays at Camp David. Despite letters from Sen. Mike Crapo and Rep. Mike Simpson urging bush to grant Vela clemency, Vela has yet to gain the pardon. Crapo and Simpson argued that Vela was simply following the orders of his superiors. The Associated Press contributed to this report. |
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