Army Ranger 1st Lt. Michael Behenna finds himself in a cell at Fort Leavenworth. Join the effort to help him obtain justice -- and freedom -- by sharing the information below with bloggers, journalists, talk show hosts, elected officials and anyone with a forum to help the American people find out about his case: WHY AMERICANS SHOULD BE INTERESTED:
On Jan. 7, a clemency hearing will take place in Arlington, Va., At issue: The Feb. 28 conviction of Army Ranger 1st Lt. Michael Behenna on charges of unpremeditated murder in the shooting death of known Al-Qaeda operative Ali Mansur near Baghdad several months earlier.
THE CONTROVERSY:
For reasons inexplicable, Army prosecutors opted not to call upon their own expert witness, Dr. Herbert Leon MacDonell, to testify in the case after they learned that he had discovered new information about the case that most believe would have resulted in Lieutenant Behenna being declared not guilty of the charges brought against him.
The information Dr. MacDonell discovered? Forensic evidence not disclosed to him by Army prosecutors in advance of his arrival at the Fort Campbell, Ky., court-martial proceedings that led him to conclude that Lieutenant Behenna was telling the truth about having fired two shots in self-defense after Ali Mansur lunged toward him and the Glock 9 mm pistol he was carrying.
INTERESTING POINTS:
Ali Mansur was known Al-Qaeda operative -- Bob McCarty has a copy of a previously-classified intelligence document that lists the names of describes the activities of several known Al-Qaeda operatives, including Ali Mansur, who were operating in the area where Lieutenant Behenna’s platoon was stationed.
Background of Expert Witness -- Now serving as director of the Laboratory of Forensic Science in Corning, N.Y., Dr. Herbert Leon MacDonell’s forensic experience includes working on the assassinations of President John F. Kennedy, Sen. Robert F. Kennedy and Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. In addition, he worked on the double-murder case involving O.J. Simpson.
Lieutenant Behenna’s parents have law enforcement backgrounds -- His mom, Vicki, was one of the federal prosecutors who convicted Oklahoma City bomber Timothy McVeigh. His dad is an FBI intelligence analyst.
TAKE ACTION:
LEARN MORE -- Visit www.DefendMichael.wordpress.com. To read several posts about the case, visit www.BobMcCarty.com and click on the “DEFEND MICHAEL” icon.
READ -- For the complete story in one document, read “The Michael Behenna Story (pdf),” a 26-page document (PDF) by writer Carrie Fatigante of BobMcCarty.com.
SCHEDULE AN INTERVIEW -- To schedule an media interview about the case with either a member of the Behenna family or with blogger Bob McCarty, send an e-mail to bobmccartywrites (at) gmail (dot) com.