That's gotta hurt!

A Marine who was convicted of kidnapping and conspiracy to commit murder in Iraq was just handed a stiff prison sentence hefty fine loss of driver license community service points on his license bad conduct discharge.

Convicted Marine spared jail sentence
Jurors, who had all served combat tours, give corporal a bad-conduct discharge for his role in the killing of an unarmed Iraqi.
By Tony Perry, Times Staff Writer
July 21, 2007

CAMP PENDLETON — A military jury handed a bad-conduct discharge without a prison sentence Friday to a Marine corporal convicted of kidnapping and conspiracy to commit murder in the execution of an unarmed Iraqi in Hamandiya last year.

The jurors, all Marines with combat experience in Iraq, could have sentenced Cpl. Trent D. Thomas to life in prison without parole plus a dishonorable discharge.

That should have a strong deterrent effect the next time our troops want to shoot an unarmed man and plant a gun on the corpse.