[JURIST] US Army Sergeant 1st Class Trey A. Corrales, charged [JURIST report; press release] in July with the premeditated murder of an unarmed Iraqi civilian, waived his right to an Article 32 [JAG backgrounder] pretrial hearing Saturday. The decision came following the Friday Article 32 hearing of Corrales co-defendant Specialist Christopher P. Shore, in which Shore's lawyer painted Corrales as sadistic and out of control. Several soldiers testified [San Antonio Express-News report] at the hearing that during a June 23 raid in the northern Iraqi city of Kirkuk [GlobalSecurity backgrounder] they refused to follow an order from Corrales to kill every man of military age. Shore testified that when ordered by Corrales to shoot an unarmed Iraqi civilian, he intentionally missed. Corrales lawyer Frank A. Spinner [profile] said there was no need to call all the same witnesses for another hearing on Monday.

If convicted, Corrales and Shore could both face the death penalty. The Atlanta Journal-Constitution has more.