An investigative hearing has recommended that an American soldier be
court-martialed over hazing that allegedly led to a fellow infantryman's
suicide in Afghanistan, but dismissed the most serious charge against
him, the U.S. military said Monday.
Spc. Ryan Offutt is one of eight soldiers charged in the death of
19-year-old Pvt. Danny Chen, who shot himself on Oct. 3 after what
investigators say were weeks of physical abuse, humiliation and racial
slurs.
A native New Yorker of Chinese descent, Chen had been in Afghanistan
only two months when he shot himself in a guardhouse at a remote outpost
in Afghanistan's Kandahar province.
The investigative hearing recommended that Offutt, 32, be
court-martialed on charges including assault, negligent homicide, and
reckless endangerment, a statement from U.S. military said.
It said the hearing, which ended Sunday, did not recommend trial for an
additional charge of involuntary manslaughter, punishable by up to 10
years in prison.
The most serious charge Offutt now faces is negligent homicide, which carries a prison sentence of up to three years.
The regional American military commander will make a final decision on
any court-martial based on the hearing's recommendations, the U.S.
statement said.
Attorneys for Offutt could not immediately be contacted. Offutt, a
native of Greenville, Pa., joined the Army in 2006 and served 14 months
in Iraq before being deployed to Afghanistan
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