A Navy SEAL arrested at Camp Pendleton and held in confinement at the Miramar brig, will not be released before he goes to trial on a murder charge.
In a court-martial ruling on Thursday, Jan. 10, a judge denied a request by Special Warfare Operator Chief Edward “Eddie” Gallagher to be released from pretrial confinement, said Brian O’Rourke, spokesman for Navy Region Southwest, the court-martial’s convening authority.
Gallagher has been in confinement in San Diego since his Sept. 11 arrest at the Intrepid Spirit Center, a Camp Pendleton facility that helps service members recovering from traumatic brain injury.
On Jan 4, Gallagher, 39, was arraigned on charges of premeditated murder and assault with a deadly weapon in an incident on May 3, 2017. Gallagher, who has served in the Navy for 19 years, is accused of premeditated murder in the fatal stabbing of a teen ISIS fighter. He also is accused of posing with the corpse while taping a reenlistment video. At the time, he was serving as a medic with Naval Special Warfare Group One based out of San Diego.
Gallagher pleaded “not guilty” to all war crime charges he is accused of committing during the 2017 deployment in Iraq.
Phillip Stackhouse, Gallagher’s attorney, asked the judge on Jan. 4 to consider releasing Gallagher before the trial, scheduled for Feb 19.
Stackhouse argued that Gallagher was not a flight risk. He also included testimony from Navy SEALS who spoke to Gallagher’s character, combat and military record and his role in the community.
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© 2019 The Orange County Register (Santa Ana, Calif.)
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