Heavy prison terms for ex-Blackwater guards over 2007 killings in Iraq
Lengthy prison sentences handed down to four men involved in deadly Baghdad shooting
A US federal judge sentenced one former Blackwater security guard to life in prison and three others to 30-year terms for their roles in a 2007 shooting that killed 14 Iraqi civilians and wounded 17 others.
The carnage in Baghdad's Nisoor Square caused an international uproar over the use of private security guards in a war zone.
US District Judge Royce Lamberth sentenced Nicholas Slatten, who witnesses said was the first to fire shots in the incident, to life on a charge of first-degree murder. The 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.
In their first public statements since the shooting, the former contractors - appearing in leg shackles and prison garb - insisted they are innocent.
"I cannot say in all honesty to the court that I did anything wrong," Heard told the judge.
Lamberth announced the sentences after a day-long hearing in which defence lawyers had argued for leniency and presented character witnesses for their clients, and prosecutors asked that those sentences - the minimum mandatory under the law - be made even harsher. He rejected both requests.
