NEW YORK — A Jordanian soldier was convicted of murder and sentenced to life in prison Monday for the deaths of three US soldiers whom he shot at an air base in November.
The soldier, First Sergeant Ma’arik al-Tawayha, 39, had pleaded not guilty, saying that he opened fire because the Americans had failed to stop their car as they approached the gate of the air base, and that he thought the base was under attack. “I was doing my job,’’ he said as he was led from the courtroom.
Although Jordanian officials initially believed his account — angering their US counterparts — they later backed away from it, and charged al-Tawayha with premeditated murder.
The trial, which lasted more than a month, did not establish a motive for the killings, but Jordanian officials said there was no evidence that al-Tawayha had ties to extremist groups. The FBI has opened an investigation into the case, as is common in matters that potentially involve terrorism.
The victims — Staff Sergeant Matthew C. Lewellen, 27, of Kirksville, Mo.; Staff Sergeant Kevin J. McEnroe, 30, of Tucson; and Staff Sergeant James F. Moriarty, 27, of Kerrville, Texas — were killed shortly before noon Nov. 4.
They were part of a four-vehicle convoy returning to the King Faisal air base outside the southern town of Al Jafr, after conducting weapons training at a nearby range, according to a US military investigation completed March 7.
As the soldiers waited outside a gate to the base, al-Tawayha opened fire with his M16 rifle, killing McEnroe and mortally wounding Lewellen, who were both in the second vehicle of the convoy.
Moriarty and another soldier got out of other vehicles and sought cover, according to the investigation.
They tried to make clear that they were not a threat, but when the shooting continued, they returned fire. Moriarty was fatally injured after he and al-Tawayha exchanged fire. The fourth soldier, who survived, shot and seriously wounded al-Tawayha.
The investigation concluded that the three soldiers “were properly trained, equipped and armed’’ and had been following “established procedures for entering the gate.’’
It found “no evidence that substantiates post-incident allegations and speculation that alcohol was involved,’’ and no evidence that “the Americans were the first ones to fire their weapons.’’
Video footage of the firefight has been shown to the bereaved relatives, but not released to the public.
The relatives said the video showed that the gunfight lasted about six minutes and that al-Tawayha reloaded and opened fire, even though the Americans waved and yelled: “We’re Americans! We’re friendly.’’
In an open letter Monday to Jordan’s ambassador to the United States, Moriarty’s father, James R. Moriarty, who is a lawyer in Houston, called the conviction “a good first step’’ but said that the victims’ families had made other demands, which had not been met.
