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Leaked note suggests jurors considering conviction in ongoing Blackwater trial

Jurors passed a note to the judge asking "whether the firearm charge applies to defendants convicted of involuntary manslaughter."

By Matt Bradwell
Chairman of Blackwater USA Erik Prince. (UPI Photo/Kevin Dietsch)
Chairman of Blackwater USA Erik Prince. (UPI Photo/Kevin Dietsch) | License Photo

WASHINGTON, Oct. 2 (UPI) -- A note written by jurors in the ongoing Blackwater Worldwide murder and manslaughter case suggests the jury is considering at least an involuntary manslaughter conviction.

Former Blackwater guards Dustin. L Heard, Evan S. Liberty and Paul A. Slough are all charged with manslaughter and using a firearm to commit a crime stemming from a 2007 shooting in Baghdad that left several unarmed civilians dead.

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Fellow former mercenary Nicholas A. Slatten is charged with murder as prosecutors missed the deadline to file the other charges, but there is no statute of limitations on murder. The final participant in the violent incident, Jeremy P. Ridgeway, pleaded guilty before trial and is testifying against all of his former coworkers.

According to a jurors' note obtained by the New York Times, "Jurors asked whether the firearm charge applies to defendants convicted of involuntary manslaughter," which, in the newspaper's assessment, "suggest[s] that, at least for some of the counts, jurors are leaning toward convicting, but for the lesser charge."

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