Should Army Sergeant Get the Death Penalty for Killing Two U.S. Soldiers?

by SodaHead News Posted 2011/05/10 22:22:00

Related Topics: Joseph Bozicevich, Death Penalty, Darris Dawson, Wesley Durbin, Sgt, Sergeant, Army, Killed, Friendly Fire, Freemasons, Black Masons, Murder, Guns, 2008

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	Yes	86 votes	42%
	No	120 votes	58%

Sgt. Joseph Bozicevich, who was charged with the murder of two fellow U.S. Army soldiers -- Staff Sgt. Darris Dawson and Sgt. Wesley Durbin -- in 2008, could face the death penalty.

However, Bozicevich claims that he fired in self-defense.

[Bozicevich] wept Tuesday as he told a court-martial that he killed two fellow U.S. soldiers in self-defense, insisting he fired his rifle blindly while trying to escape after they threatened him with guns aimed at his head.

According to The Washington Post, Bozicevich says that the victims drew their guns on him when he refused to sign a write-up for losing a grenade, then claimed they were connected to a secret organization called The Black Masons and were conspiring against him.

His attorney says he was suffering from delusions.

+10

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Joseph E. Bowker, CMSgt, US... 2011/05/11 03:25:15

No

+9
For one thing, I am totally, and completely opposed to Capital Punishment. If a Combat incident occured, the Sergeant should be tried ONLY with a Jury of his peers. That means Combat Sergeants because only fellow Combat Sergeants are his peers. No JAG Lawyer or Civilians or even young or old Officers. If they believe based on their Experiences that he is Guilty of something, they need to say so. No one else.
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More polls by SodaHead News

vetluvnjen 2011/05/27 19:15:33

Yes

I wouldn't necessarily say he should get the death penalty, but he DEFINITELY should never be paroled!

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DiViews2013 2011/05/12 04:40:53 (edited)

Yes

He deserves no less than life in prison. I am not buying his story.

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USAISME 2011/05/11 21:58:45

No

There is no "undecided" button here. If he killed them outright for no good reason, he needs to hang. My big question here is, what did they do to set him off? Is he really nuts?

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Broddy 2011/05/11 21:45:28

Yes

+4
You guys really should click the link too the story for more details, but i thought this seemed note worthy to copy paste from it.

"Other soldiers in the infantry unit have testified they saw Bozicevich chasing Dawson and firing. One witness said he saw Bozicevich stand over the mortally wounded soldier and shoot him again."

The Court martial will run it's course and Judgement will be passed down, He will get his day in Military Court unlike the 2 dead soldiers and if he is found guilty then i have no truck with him receiving a death penalty it will be more justified then the one he gave his fellow soldiers.

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BlueMax372 2011/05/11 21:29:26

Yes

+3
Without anything to go on but the "news facts" as presented, the sergeant's story sounds like a crock of the well-known to this LEO. His own attorney says he was suffering from delusions? Good grief! Is that an attorney provided by the JAG?

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MAMMY51... to BlueMax372 2011/05/13 01:09:51

+2
Saying he's delusional is part of the insanity plea.

http://www.washingtonpost.com...
Other soldiers in the infantry unit have testified they saw Bozicevich chasing Dawson and firing. One witness said he saw Bozicevich stand over the mortally wounded soldier and shoot him again.

All three soldiers served in the same infantry unit of the Fort Stewart-based 3rd Infantry Division. The slayings occurred while Bozicevich was in Iraq on his second combat tour in three years on active duty. He had previously served 15 years in the Army Reserve in Minnesota.

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BlueMax372 to MAMMY51... 2011/05/13 02:07:33

+2
I thought he was trying for self defense versus insanity?

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MAMMY51... to BlueMax372 2011/05/13 04:03:41

+2
The SGT is, the attorney appears to be trying a insanity defense.

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Tara-ABO-2012 2011/05/11 21:25:09

Yes

+2
Damn it! Where is the UNDECIDED button! Come on SodaHead very few things are black and white!

IF he is found to be guilty of killing 2 people then yes, IF he is found to be suffering from delusions then he needs mental help, not death.

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EdWhiteSpace 2011/05/11 21:15:42

Yes

The delusions proving madness seem awfully ... convenient. Who knows what really happened or why he killed them since they can no longer speak for themselves. There should be, of course, an investigation, but if he is found to be the killer and its with 100% certainty? He should get the death penalty.

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Lily 2011/05/11 21:11:40

Yes

+2
If you send a mentally unstable man/woman onto the battlefield, there should be punishment. People were so worried about "gays" being in the military and now we have "crazies" all over the world "fighting" in the honour of America. Something is a little askew with that. Put him to death, make him a example and correct the enlistment requirements. Something needs to be done.

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BlueMax372 to Lily 2011/05/13 14:02:31

"Correct the enlistment requirements?" How? And to what end?

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Lily to BlueMax372 2011/05/14 11:31:39

Psychiactric evaulations and access to past mental health history isn't asking too much. Allowing the murder of Americans by another American on foreign soil is unacceptable. Something needs to be done to prevent such things.

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BlueMax372 to Lily 2011/05/14 14:27:51

+1
Psychiatric evaluations are incorporated in current recruitment testing and recruiter access to prior mental and physical health records is already provided to the military. Even intensive psychiatric testing of POLICE candidates in the jurisdictions where it's done, an expensive proposition, STILL doesn't weed out ALL the potential nutcases.

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Lily to BlueMax372 2011/05/14 21:37:30

+1
Ah okay. Had no idea it was being done. Guess a few "slip" through. Thanks for the info. =)

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BlueMax372 to Lily 2011/05/14 22:00:48

Especially when you consider what happens to people AFTER they're in the service or employed as police officers! Almost 20 years ago, the FBI determined that there was a defect in the Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory (MMPI) because, when it was given to veteran agents, they all showed a tendency toward being psychopathic! It was found that the overwhelming majority of law enforcement officers, whether federal, state, or local, with over 12 years of service displayed this trait, subsequently named by some as the "Dirty Harry Syndrome." This led to a revision of the MMPI to enhance its validity.

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Lily to BlueMax372 2011/05/14 22:33:53

+1
wow! Had no idea. Kinda scary though.

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hammy 2011/05/11 21:02:49

No

war causes all kinds of problems

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Turtle 2011/05/11 20:59:41

No

+1
No! Read the comment by Joseph E. Bowker. He hit the nail right on the head.

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colino 2011/05/11 20:58:05

Yes

Killing a fellow service member is despicable. It probably could have been avoided if he would've just signed the damn write up. Now, two soldiers are dead and possibly a third if he gets what he deserves.

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Funky Monk 2011/05/11 20:55:32

No

I'm kind of torn. I mean, if he WAS actually threatened, then he didn't have to kill them. He could have just immobilized them.

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KB 2011/05/11 20:36:39

No

+1
Not only is the death penalty wrong, but I don't think he did it on purpose.

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Hannah 2011/05/11 20:23:22

No

+2
NO MAN SHOULD HAVE THE POWER TO DECIDE WHETHER OR NOT ONE LIVES OR DIES. WHO ARE WE TO TAKE AWAY A LIFE WE DID NOT GIVE. SURE HE DID WRONG, BUT WHAT DIFFERENCE SEPERATE US FROM HIM. THE DEATH PENALTY.. MORE LIKE LEGAL MURDER. I SAY LET HIM SUFFER, WHY GIVE HIM THE LEEWAY OF DEATH?

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colino to Hannah 2011/05/11 20:50:11

+3
Your CAPS lock must be broken . . .
Or maybe you're just a jackass.

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RU Mad to Hannah 2011/05/11 22:28:41

You gonna pay for his housing upkeep and medical? I mean you personally!

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Hannah to RU Mad 2011/05/12 00:59:23

ME, PERSONALLY, NO.. BUT SOMEONE WILL..
THE SAME SITUATION HAPPENS WHEN ONE IS TAKEN INTO REHAB.. SOMEONE HAS TO PAY FOR IT.. IS IT RIGHT.. NO.. BUT WE THE PEOPLE AS A WHOLE NEED TO COME TOGETHER AS 1.. STOP HATING EACH OTHER AND MAYBE THE REST OF THE WORLD WOULDNT HATE US SO..

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RU Mad to Hannah 2011/05/12 01:13:24

So if it were either you support him or he dies if he is guilty. What would your answer be?
Trust me someone does pay. The American taxpayer pays.

BTWI could care less how the rest of the world feels about us. Sure we need to appease some countries but on the whole we give more foreign aid, and police the entire earth more than any other country! We are still the biggest target of terrorists! They do not dislike us because we did something in particular to them! They hate the way we live, the way you are allowed to speak your mind. They hate the way you dress, the way our schools teach children, and so on, and so on! You starting to see the pattern here?

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SEAL76 2011/05/11 19:59:26

No

+1
Court Martial him. Let the military decide his fate.

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sherry 2011/05/11 19:58:33 (edited)

No

+1
Nothing should be done until Bozicevichs' allegation be weighed through a referendum by his Combat Sergeant peers. I've never heard of the Black Masons, but that doesn't mean they don't exist. If the sergeant is suffering from delusions, how can he be sentenced with the death penalty. In the free world, the mentally ill are not treated like murderers but sick people.

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bags to sherry 2011/05/12 14:19:17

The biggest difference between white masons and black masons is you can tell a little bit better on a white mason when he has a sun burn. ...

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Joseph ... to bags 2011/05/13 01:22:35

+1
...or is blushing for belonging to such a secret group. Mason's, KKK, all the same to me.

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sherry to Joseph ... 2011/05/13 13:12:08

i'm in agreement with you...

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HarveyLMelton 2011/05/11 19:53:02

No

in thay case then there would be hundreds of friendly fire cases from the many wars that we have endured, just dont forget to duck next time.

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nightcrawler2005 2011/05/11 19:52:34

Yes

+2
String him up. He murdered 2 people plan and simple. Don't give me this he was nuts garbage, every defence lawyer always claim their client is nuts as a last ditch gamble to get them off the hook.

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Happy 2011/05/11 19:35:34

Yes

they way it is written i get the feeling their is some serious mental problems, and i question how he even was let into the military, i say put him out of his misery.

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John "BN 0" 2011/05/11 18:55:34

Yes

+1
Friendly fire and flat out shooting another soldier are two different things.

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luigi1- in god we trust 2011/05/11 18:30:56 (edited)

No

+1
This part of war. Mistakes or orders are misunderstood...wrong coordinances & targets identified. Even vehicular accidents. Friendly fire is part of the casualty list, always was always will be. Warriors are not perfect, either.

Premeditated killings, that's a different story, by all means, convict.

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RU Mad to luigi1-... 2011/05/11 19:35:29 (edited)

I am going to use your comment for a platform!

What is surprising is that you people comment without even looking up the case or the history of the case. Do you guys know what Google is? It is a search engine that you can use for free! I know SH puts these stories up there without any background or sources, but damn!

Here is the whole story!
http://www.armytimes.com/news...

Try it sometimes!

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luigi1-... to RU Mad 2011/05/11 21:56:18 (edited)

So, everyone can make mistakes or error in judgement. Only the military must be perffect & accountable for all their actions at all costs. Yes, please do Google it..

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bruce banner 2011/05/11 18:28:57

No

NO

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