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The Honolulu Advertiser
Updated at 4:21 p.m., Friday, February 8, 2008

Court-martial set in Hawaii soldier's murder trial

By William Cole
Advertiser Military Writer

A Schofield Barracks soldier accused of shooting an unarmed Iraqi detainee on a recent deployment will be tried at court-martial on charges including premeditated murder, the Army said.

Sgt. 1st Class Trey Corrales' trial is set for April 22. After reviewing the evidence, Lt. Gen. Benjamin Mixon decided to refer several charges to a general court-martial, the service said in a release.

In addition to the premeditated murder charge, Corrales, 35, also faces a charge of wrongfully soliciting another soldier to shoot the Iraqi.

Additionally, the San Antonio man is accused of impeding an investigation by causing an AK-47 rifle to be placed near the victim after he had been shot.

Mixon recently moved from commander of the 25th Infantry Division at Schofield to head of U.S. Army Pacific at Fort Shafter.

A court-martial date of Feb. 19 previously was set for another Schofield Barracks soldier accused of shooting the Iraqi man after being ordered to do so by Corrales, the Army had said.

Spc. Christopher Shore, 25, of Winder, Ga., will face a charge of third-degree murder, defined as an "act inherently dangerous to another," according to the Army.

Schofield officials said the charge against Shore is roughly equivalent to a civilian manslaughter charge. If convicted, Shore faces up to life in prison, but there is no mandatory minimum term.

Shore and Corrales are accused of shooting the Iraqi man on June 23 after a raid in the village of al Saheed outside Kirkuk. The soldiers were looking for insurgents planting roadside bombs.

The soldiers are with Headquarters and Headquarters Company, 2nd Battalion, 35th Infantry Regiment.

Reach William Cole at wcole@honoluluadvertiser.com.