Sgt. John M. Russell, 44, the soldier accused of killing five servicemembers at Baghdad’s Camp Liberty last May, including Rolla High School graduate Spc. Jacob Barton, 20, has been transferred from Kuwait to Butner Federal Medical Center in North Carolina, according to the Army.
Russell was transferred from pre-trial confinement because a panel of doctors determined he is “currently unable to cooperate intelligently in his own defense,” according to a news release from I Corps in Fort Lewis, Wash.
Russell will be evaluated in four months to see if he can participate in his own defense, said Maj. Mike Garcia, a spokesman for I Corps. If he is able, the court-martial will go forward. If not, he will continue to be treated, Garcia said.
In related news, results of an investigation into the shooting released Oct. 20 found that the military failed to properly establish clear procedures for dealing with suicidal soldiers, and missed opportunities that might have prevented the deadly chain of events.
The extensive 325-page report, which included detailed witness statements describing the events leading up to the shootings, painted a picture of a soldier on his third deployment who began to show obvious signs of unraveling nearly two weeks before the shootings at the clinic.
