Ex-Blackwater guards get jail sentence for Baghdad killings

A former Blackwater security guard was sentenced to life in prison and three others got 30-year terms on April 13 in the massacre of 14 unarmed Iraqi civilians at a Baghdad traffic circle in 2007, closing a case that had outraged Iraqis and inflamed anti-U.S. sentiment around the world. 

The Sept. 16 incident stood out for its brazenness and formed a tense backdrop to talks between the United States and Iraq over the continued presence of U.S. forces in Iraq. 

It also sparked debate over private security contractors working for the U.S. government in war zones. 
The four guards opened fire with machine guns and grenade launchers on the Iraqis, including women and children, at Nisur Square. 

A heavily armed, four-truck Blackwater Worldwide convoy the men were in had been trying to clear a path for U.S. diplomats. 

'Extraordinary case' 

Nicholas Slatten, 31, of Tennessee was convicted in October of killing the driver of a car the defendants had argued at trial they believed contained a bomb. 

Paul Slough, 35, of Texas; Evan Liberty, 32, of New Hampshire; and Dustin Heard, 33, of Tennessee, who were convicted of manslaughter, were each sentenced to 30 years in prison, the mandatory minimum they faced. 

Momentarily choking up before he passed sentence in front of a packed court room, U.S. District Court Judge Royce Lamberth said it was an extraordinary case. 

"It's clear these fine young men just panicked," he said. "But the overall wild thing that went on just cannot be condoned by this court." 

In addition to the killings, 17 Iraqis were injured. 

North Carolina-based Blackwater was sold and renamed several times after the incident. It is now called Academi, based in northern...