"You can act like I'm a sociopath," snarled the War Criminal in court Friday according to AP's Brett Barrouguere. "You can act like I'm a sex offender or whatever. If I had not joined the Army, if I had not gone to Iraq, I would not have got caught up in anything."
Green, of course, joined the military only after his most recent arrest meant no more slaps on the wrists and serious jail time. Green, of course, is a sex offender. A rapist. A War Criminal.
Gone was the gaunt boy-child who was swallowed in his over-sized clothes. He'd packed on twenty to thirty pounds since the days when his attorneys tried to exhibit him as frail and waif-like. He looked like the thug he always was as he showed up in the courtroom overfed and in shackles.
Green's sentencing was a long time coming. The crimes took place March 12, 2006 and the feds took him into custody June 30, 2006. November 8th, 2006, Green entered a not guilty plea. His trial was delayed in 2008 due to a quilting fair (that's not a joke). He was tried in a civilian court because he'd already been discharged when the War Crimes came to light.
Captain Alex Pickands handled the military prosecution for the others (still in the military) in August 2006. He noted of Green and his fellow co-conspirators, "They gathered over cards and booze to come up with a plan to rape and murder that little girl. She was young and attractive. They knew where she was because they had seen her on a previous patrol. She was close. She was vulnerable."
Some would enter guilty pleas, some would be convicted. One would weep in court -- the weeping rapist -- as he confessed to . . . well something, not really his fault, you understand. Green tried to pull that same nonsense during his sentencing Friday.
April 27, 2009, his trial finally began. His attorneys would ignore his guilt and try to paint it as though Green's actions were, if not normal, understandable. May they find their own circle of hell and reside there forever. The judge had barred them from the argument they wanted to attempt, that, unless you were in Iraq, you couldn't judge Steven D. Green. What a load of bulls**t.
In the Article 32 hearing for the ones in the military, Capt Pickands made it very clear, "Murder, not war. Rape, not war. That's what we're here talking about today. Not all that business about cold food, checkpoints, personnel assignments. Cold food didn't kill that family. Personnel assignments didn't rape and murder that 14-year-old little girl."
The jury didn't buy it and, May 7, 2009, they convicted Green. Evan Bright reported, "Steven Dale Green found guilty of and convcited on -- ALL -- sixteen (16) counts; including eight (8) which could bring a death sentence." May 21st, the federal jury deadlocked on the death sentence issue and instead sentenced him to life in prison for his War Crimes.
Friday, BBC reported, "Judge Thomas Russell confirmed Green would serve five consecutive life sentences with no chance of parole." Deborah Yetter (Courier-Journal) explained, "Friday's federal court hearing was devoted mostly to discussion of technical issues related to Green's sentencing report, although it did not change Green's sentence. He was convicted in May of raping and murdering Abeer al-Janabi, 14, and murdering her parents, Kassem and Fakhriya, and her sister, Hadeel, 6, at their home outside Baghdad."
Friday, Steven D. Green snarled that his War Crimes, whatever they were, whatever you wanted to call them, happened because he was in the military and he was just a victim. It was a far cry from the performance he gave May 28th when he was attempting to get leniacy from the judge. Back then, he insisted, "Most of all I am sorry for the deceased, but aside from them, I am the most sorry for the boys whose family are gone. I know what we did left a hole in their lives, and scars on their minds, and that there is no making up for that. I only hope for them that they can somehow, and I don't know how, move forward, and have a good future despite the nightmare in their past that I helped create. They have my apologies and my prayers, as meaningless as they must seem." And in writing, he declared, "I am truly sorry for what I did in Iraq and I am sorry for the pain my actions, and the actions of my co-defendants, have caused you and your family. I imagine it is a pain that I cannot fully comprehend or appreciate. I helped to destroy a family and end the lives of four of my fellow human beings, and I wish that I could take it back, but I cannot. And, as inadequate as this apology is, it is all I can give you."
And it was all he could give, a performance. He demonstrated that on Friday when all concern for the family was gone and it was all about what a victim Poor Little Steven was. In real time, his May 28th performance did not fool many. Abeer's aunt Hajia al-Janabi never bought it. Andrew Wolfson (Courier-Journal) reported she denounced Green "as a coward, a criminal and a 'stigma on the United States'," attempted to approach him and was "restrained by a half-dozen court security officers." Wolfson notes that Mahdi al-Janabi then went back to the witness stand to express, "We do not accept your apology at all." WKLY has text and video:
Ann Bowdan: An outburst in federal court after relatives of an Iraqi family killed by a Kentucky-based soldier addressed the suspect for the first time. Steven Green was faced with the death penalty but will receive a life sentence instead. Hailee Lampert was in court today during this morning's and she's live downtown to tell us what happened.
Hailee Lampert: Ann, this was the most emotional, intense court hearing I have ever been to. At one point, the victim's grandmother got so upset she had to be restrained by multiple law enforcement agents who actually began escorting her out of the court room until she literally collapsed on the floor beside the bench where I was sitting. She was literally within arm's reach of me. And she was beside herself. She was that striken with grief.
[. . .]
Hailee Lampert: And at a certain point, the prosecutor pointed out Steven Green and one of the boys took a moment to look at him. His face remained stoic and cold and he was asked if he had anything to say to the suspect and the boy said "no." Then the man's sister took the stand and said, "I am not honored to look at Steven Green and I don't want to see his face." She said she doesn't understand why Green would would cross all those continents and oceans to come to Iraq and kill her family. She spoke directly to Steven Green, referring to him on multiple occassions as a coward and a criminal without mercy. Then the 14-year-old's grandmother took the stand echoing similar sentiments. Remember for her it was the first time being in the same room as the man convicted of killing her son and his family. Again the prosecutor pointed out Steven Green in the court room and after giving her testimony the elderly woman got up and began approching Green saying she just wanted to get a look at her. But as she began moving closer, law enforcement stepped in and physically held her back until she fell down crying on the ground beside the bench where I was sitting. Now at that point, the judge did allow her to stay in the court once she had calmed down a little but the uncle took the stand as well.
Hailee Lampert (WLKY -- text and video) filed another report where she quoted the aunt stating, "The wounds are eating my heart. But he has no conscience." The uncle was quoted stating, "The face of this innocent girl, that face will be chasing you in that dark cell you will be in until the last day of your life. Abir will follow you in your nightmares. On Judgment Day, you will see what your hand has done to us and to your nation."
Steven D. Green dropped the performance on Friday. He will serve a life sentence with no chance of parole. His attorneys plan to appeal and he, no doubt, plans to continue playing the victim.
Friday, Green gave the world a gift. As Bob Dylan once sang, "I'm seeing the real you at last."