05-10-2016, 06:26 PM
Death Penalty Off the Table
![[Image: 3405AD7700000578-0-image-a-20_1462915352897.jpg]](http://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2016/05/10/22/3405AD7700000578-0-image-a-20_1462915352897.jpg)
Abu Khattalah (left) is the suspected ringleader of the Libyan terrorists who killed Ambassador Stevens and Information Officer Sean Smith at the diplomatic compound in Benghazi and then killed CIA security contractors Tyrone Woods and Glen Doherty while they were defending a nearby CIA annex from the rooftop on Sept 11, 2012.
Khattalah was captured in Libya and transported to the U.S. by the Navy in June 2014. Among other charges, he is accused of providing material support to terrorists, malicious destruction of property, and attempted murder of an officer and employee of the U.S.
Prosecutors say the attack was aimed at murdering American personnel and plundering maps, documents and other property from the post.
I don't know when his federal trial is scheduled to begin. I also don't know why the Justice Department decided not to pursue the death penalty, but that decision (without the rationale behind it) was made public today; I'd like to know why.
The department revealed its decision, which pushes the case forward toward trial, in a brief court filing that offered no additional explanation.
In a separate statement, spokeswoman Emily Pierce said Attorney General Loretta Lynch made the decision after reviewing the case and consulting with federal prosecutors. She said the department remains "committed to ensuring that the defendant is held accountable" for the 2012 attacks.
Khattala's attorneys, who have challenged the strength of the government's evidence, had implored the Justice Department to remove the death penalty as a possibility should he ultimately be convicted of any capital crimes in a trial. With the death penalty now off the table, he would face a maximum sentence of life in prison if convicted.
Refs:
http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2016/05/...spect.html
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-...spect.html
Abu Khattalah (left) is the suspected ringleader of the Libyan terrorists who killed Ambassador Stevens and Information Officer Sean Smith at the diplomatic compound in Benghazi and then killed CIA security contractors Tyrone Woods and Glen Doherty while they were defending a nearby CIA annex from the rooftop on Sept 11, 2012.
Khattalah was captured in Libya and transported to the U.S. by the Navy in June 2014. Among other charges, he is accused of providing material support to terrorists, malicious destruction of property, and attempted murder of an officer and employee of the U.S.
Prosecutors say the attack was aimed at murdering American personnel and plundering maps, documents and other property from the post.
I don't know when his federal trial is scheduled to begin. I also don't know why the Justice Department decided not to pursue the death penalty, but that decision (without the rationale behind it) was made public today; I'd like to know why.
The department revealed its decision, which pushes the case forward toward trial, in a brief court filing that offered no additional explanation.
In a separate statement, spokeswoman Emily Pierce said Attorney General Loretta Lynch made the decision after reviewing the case and consulting with federal prosecutors. She said the department remains "committed to ensuring that the defendant is held accountable" for the 2012 attacks.
Khattala's attorneys, who have challenged the strength of the government's evidence, had implored the Justice Department to remove the death penalty as a possibility should he ultimately be convicted of any capital crimes in a trial. With the death penalty now off the table, he would face a maximum sentence of life in prison if convicted.
Refs:
http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2016/05/...spect.html
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-...spect.html