Sgt. Accused in 2 Killings Sent to Prison in Drug Case

A military judge allowed prosecutors to drop murder charges against an Army sergeant accused in the deaths of two soldiers, but sentenced the man Wednesday to 12 years in prison on drug charges.

Sgt. Eric Colvin, 24, had agreed to plead guilty to three drug charges and testify against another defendant in exchange for having murder and conspiracy counts dropped.

His testimony led to the conviction last month of Sgt. Aaron Stanley on two counts of premeditated murder. Stanley, 33, was sentenced to life in prison for the 2004 killings at his farmhouse west of Ft. Riley. Prosecutors said Stanley sought to conceal a drug trafficking operation.

The plea deal was agreed to in May but didn’t become public until Wednesday’s court-martial.

Colvin, of Papillon, Neb., had requested a sentence of a bad conduct discharge and time already served and appeared stunned by the 12-year sentence.

Before sentencing, he said in court that he would be labeled a snitch for testifying against Stanley and feared for his life.

Colvin, Stanley and both victims were part of the 1st Battalion of the 41st Infantry Regiment, 3rd Brigade, 1st Armored Division based at Ft. Riley.

Stanley confessed in court to the shootings but claimed they were in self-defense. Prosecutors said Stanley shot Staff Sgt. Matthew Werner and Spc. Christopher D. Hymer because he believed they were police informants. He and Colvin had acknowledged manufacturing methamphetamine and growing marijuana at the farmhouse.

At his court-martial, Stanley said Hymer, 23, fired first. He said he shot Werner, 30, after finding him fighting with Colvin. But Colvin said he saw Stanley stand over them and shoot.