Army Charges 2 More Soldiers With Murder

The Army on Friday disclosed that it has lodged murder charges against two more soldiers who were part of the American forces that invaded Panama on Dec. 20, 1989, in the military operation to topple dictator Manuel A. Noriega.

The first case was brought last month against a Ft. Bragg, N. C., sergeant, charged with killing an unidentified Panamanian man who surrendered to U.S. troops after a grenade attack had been made on their roadblock, officials said.

The second case, which Army officials did not disclose last month, although the information could have been made public under military procedures, involves the death of a 50-year-old Panamanian woman, shot in a brothel Jan. 25.

The soldiers implicated in the slaying are also accused of mishandling firearms and disobeying orders not to have “sexual contact” with Panamanian women and other orders forbidding the use of alcohol during their deployment.

The dead woman was identified as Leila Diaz de Panay, according to Maj. L. D. Walker, an Army spokesman at Ft. Ord, Calif., where the soldiers were attached to the 7th Light Infantry Division. Walker declined to provide any further details on the circumstances surrounding her death.

Sgt. Paul Finsel Jr., 25, of Arkoma, Okla., and Pfc. Mark McMonagle, 20, of Philadelphia, were charged with murder. Finsel also was charged with conspiracy to obstruct justice, impeding the investigation into the charges, leaving his company against orders and losing his 9-millimeter Army pistol.

A third soldier, Pfc. Marc M. Gussen, 19, of Teaneck, N. J., pleaded guilty to firearms, alcohol and obstruction of justice charges at a hearing April 23 at Ft. Ord. He was sentenced to two years in prison and was to be given a dishonorable discharge.