Soldier Guilty of Premeditated Murder Charge
An Army private was found guilty of premeditated murder Wednesday for bludgeoning to death a fellow soldier in a beating prosecutors said was motivated by his hatred of homosexuals.
Pvt. Calvin N. Glover, 18, was convicted of using a baseball bat to crush Pfc. Barry Winchell’s skull as he slept on a cot at their barracks July 5. The military jury deliberated for little more than an hour.
A sentencing hearing for Glover, who is from Sulphur, Okla., was set for today. The conviction carries a mandatory penalty of life in prison, and jurors will decide whether he will ever be eligible for parole.
Glover showed no reaction as the verdict was read. His mother, Kathy Roundtree, started weeping moments later.
Defense attorneys argued that another soldier, Spc. Justin R. Fisher, 25, who is charged as an accessory, goaded Glover into the attack.
Before the start of the court-martial, Glover admitted to a lesser charge of unpremeditated murder in hopes of receiving a lighter sentence. But prosecutor Capt. Gregg Engler went ahead with the court-martial on the more serious charge of premeditated murder.
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