FILM & TELEVISON
FILM & TELEVISON
FILM & TELEVISON
FILM & TELEVISON
FILM & TELEVISON
FILM & TELEVISON
FILM & TELEVISON
Challenge Champion Confront
RAVEN 23
PRESUMPTION OF GUILT
IN THE NEWS
PETE HEGSETH (CO-HOST): Back in 2007, four Blackwater contractors were tasked with defending American diplomats at the height of the Iraq War -- remember, 2007, dangerous times. The men were found guilty of killing Iraqi civilians, but they maintain their innocence, saying they were ambushed. Our next guests are telling the Blackwater story in the podcast, the brand-new podcast out today, Raven 23: Presumption of Guilt.
Four decorated veterans were sacrificed for politics and convicted by lies. They are seeking presidential pardons and need your help.
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Nicholas (Nick) Slatten (Sparta, TN) – served four years in the U.S. Army (Sergeant); deployed twice to Iraq
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Dustin Heard (Maryville, TN) – served four years in U.S. Marine Corps (Corporal); deployed to Iraq, Afghanistan, Kuwait, and Bahrain
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Evan Liberty (Rochester, NH) – served four years in the U.S. Marine Corps (Sergeant); U.S. Embassy guard in Egypt and Guatemala
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Paul Slough (Sanger, TX) – served four years in the U.S. Army and National Guard (Sergeant); deployed to Bosnia and Iraq
Hello Olney!
I’m the producer and writer of the podcast series “Raven 23: Presumption of Guilt,” about the unjust conviction and incarceration of US Marine Corps Sgt. Dustin Heard for the 2007 Nisour Square incident.
I’m proud to be an adopted member of the Olney community, and I’d like to use this column to update you on the efforts of a diverse team of supporters to obtain a pardon and exoneration for Dustin.
Four former security guards for Blackwater USA were found guilty today of charges stemming from the Sept. 16, 2007, shooting at Nisur Square in Baghdad, Iraq, that resulted in the killing of 14 unarmed civilians and the wounding of numerous others.
The jury verdicts, in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia, were announced by Ronald C. Machen Jr., U.S. Attorney for the District of Columbia, and Andrew G. McCabe, Assistant Director in Charge of the FBI’s Washington Field Office.
The defendants include Nicholas Abram Slatten, 30, of Sparta, Tenn.; Paul Alvin Slough, 35, of Keller, Texas; Evan Shawn Liberty, 32, of Rochester, N.H.; and Dustin Laurent Heard, 33, of Maryville, Tenn. Slatten, who was accused of firing the first shots, was found guilty of one count of first-degree murder. Slough was found guilty of 13 counts of voluntary manslaughter, 17 counts of attempted manslaughter, and one firearms offense. Liberty was found guilty of eight counts of voluntary manslaughter, 12 counts of attempted manslaughter, and one firearms offense. Heard was found guilty of six counts of voluntary manslaughter, 11 counts of attempted manslaughter, and one firearms offense.