Appeal puts Army's case on trial
A panel of judges struck down a soldier's death sentence. His former attorneys say they were rushed to trial

By CRAIG JARVIS, Staff Writer

Kreutzer's military attorneys were inexperienced, had little time to prepare, were denied money to hire a mental health expert and were forced to try the case in two days. Prosecutors refused to let Kreutzer plead guilty to avoid a death sentence, though they knew his mental state.

On March 11, a three-judge panel of U.S. Army Court of Criminal Appeals in Virginia ordered a new sentencing hearing. The judges said Kreutzer's legal representation had been ineffective and that the trial judge had erred by refusing a defense request to hire a mitigation specialist to argue against a death sentence.