WASHINGTON (AP) — A federal judge has sentenced former Blackwater security guard Nicholas Slatten to life in prison for his role in a 2007 shooting that killed 14 Iraqi civilians and wounded 17 others.
Three other guards — Paul Slough, Evan Liberty and Dustin Heard — were each sentenced to 30 years and one day in prison for charges that included manslaughter, attempted manslaughter and using firearms while committing a felony.
U.S. District Judge Royce Lamberth announced the sentences after a day-long hearing at which defense lawyers had argued for leniency, and prosecutors asked that those sentences — the minimums mandatory under the law — be made even harsher.
