New trial ordered in fatal Iraq shootings

WASHINGTON — A U.S. appeals court on Friday threw out the first-degree murder conviction of a former Blackwater Worldwide security guard sentenced to life in prison in the killings of 14 unarmed Iraqi civilians in a Baghdad traffic circle in 2007.

The court ordered a new trial for Nicholas Slatten, 33, who prosecutors said fired the first shots in the 2007 slayings of 14 Iraqi civilians at a crowded traffic circle in Baghdad.

The court also ordered resentencings for three others convicted in the case.

The September 2007 shootings fomented deep resentments about the accountability of American security forces during one of the bloodiest periods of the Iraq War.

The U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit ruled the trial court “abused its discretion” in not allowing Nicholas Slatten, 33, of Sparta, Tenn., to be tried separately from his three codefendants. He alone faced a murder charge for firing what prosecutors said were the first shots in the civilian massacre.

In a split ruling, the court panel also found the 30-year terms of the three others who had been convicted of manslaughter — Paul Slough, 37, of Keller, Texas; Evan Liberty, 34, of Rochester, N.H.; and Dustin Heard, 35, of Maryville, Tenn. — violated the constitutional prohibition against cruel and unusual punishment.

The four security guards opened fire on the Iraqis, including women and children, at Nisour Square. The four were among 19 Blackwater guards providing security for State Department officials in Iraq.