Oklahoma AG backed ex-soldier push for pardon on his own - KSWO 7News | Breaking News, Weather and Sports

Oklahoma AG backed ex-soldier push for pardon on his own

By KEN MILLER
Associated Press

OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) - Oklahoma's attorney general says he acted on his own in asking for a presidential pardon for a former U.S. solider convicted of killing an Iraqi prisoner.

Mike Hunter said Friday he believes former Army Lt. Michael Behenna's conviction was unjustified. Hunter said the jury got erroneous instructions and that prosecutors failed to turn over evidence supporting Behenna's claim of self-defense.

A military appeals court in 2012 agreed the errors were made but ruled they did not affect the trial's outcome.

Behenna says he was surprised to learn this week that Hunter sent a letter of support to President Donald Trump. Behenna was convicted in 2009 of unpremeditated murder in a combat zone after killing a suspected al-Qaida terrorist. He was paroled in 2014 and has asked for a pardon.

Copyright 2018 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

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