Court throws out conviction of ex-Blackwater guard

WASHINGTON – A U.S. appeals court on Friday threw out the first-degree murder conviction of a former Blackwater Worldwide security guard sentenced to life in prison in the killings of 14 unarmed Iraqi civilians in a Baghdad traffic circle in 2007.

The court also ordered resentencings for three others convicted in the case.

The September 2007 shootings fomented deep resentments about the accountability of American security forces during one of the bloodiest periods of the Iraq War.

The U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit panel ruled that the trial court "abused its discretion" in not allowing Nicholas A. Slatten, 33, of Sparta, Tenn., to be tried separately from his three co-defendants, even though he alone faced a murder charge for firing what prosecutors said were the first shots in the civilian massacre.

In a split ruling, the court also found the 30-year terms of the three others who had been convicted of manslaughter — Paul Slough, 37, of Keller, Texas; Evan Liberty, 34, of Rochester, New Hampshire; and Dustin Heard, 35, of Maryville, Tennessee — violated the constitutional prohibition against "cruel and unusual punishment."

They received 30 years because the men were also convicted of using military firearms while committing a felony, a charge that has primarily been aimed at gang members and never before against security contractors given military weapons by the U.S. government.

Lawyers for the four men were not immediately available for comment. It could not immediately be determined if Slatten would be retried.

The four security guards opened fire on the Iraqis, including women and children, at Nisour Square.