Father: Convicted GI poisoned himself before surrendering

Father: Convicted GI poisoned himself before surrendering

www.stripes.com

A Special Forces soldier who was on the run for nearly two days following a court-martial conviction poisoned himself before surrendering to police, his father told Stars and Stripes on Tuesday.

“He may or may not live,” said John Stewart, who said he was heading to an airport to board a plane from Nebraska to be at his son’s bedside. “He is in the ICU (intensive care unit) and there appears to be some major organ damage, particularly to his kidneys.”

(visit the link for the full news article)

By Seth Robbins, Stars and Stripes
Online Edition, Tuesday, August 25, 2009
A Special Forces soldier who was on the run for nearly two days following a court-martial conviction poisoned himself before surrendering to police, his father told Stars and Stripes on Tuesday.

Kelly A. Stewart — a sergeant first class at the time of his conviction last week on charges of kidnapping, forcible sodomy and aggravated sexual assault of a German woman in August 2008 — is now in intensive care at Walter Reed Army Medical Center, according to his father, John.

Stewart, 36, fled early Thursday morning after being convicted the night before at his court-martial in Vilseck, Germany. He surrendered late Friday to military police in Stuttgart and was taken to the Army confinement facility at Coleman Barracks in Mannheim. It was at the confinement facility where Stewart showed the first signs of illness, his father said in a telephone interview Tuesday morning.

Stewart, a medic by training, may have injected himself with poison or swallowed pills while he was fleeing authorities, his father said.

He was taken to Landstuhl Regional Medical Center on Sunday and then flown to Walter Reed in Washington, D.C., on Monday afternoon, medical officials said. Patient privacy rules prevent medical officials from discussing patient treatment and conditions.

“He may or may not live,” said John Stewart, who said he was heading to an airport to board a plane from Nebraska to be at his son’s bedside. “He is in the ICU (intensive care unit) and there appears to be some major organ damage, particularly to his kidneys.”

The search for Stewart began Thursday morning in Vilseck after a soldier who was sharing an on-post hotel room with the convicted soldier said that he awoke around 7:30 a.m. and found Stewart missing, along with his Class A uniform, wallet, two cell phones and a rental car.

While he was eluding the police, Stewart called his father.

“We talked for a few minutes,” his father said.

In what John Stewart described as his son’s “death bed statement,” he declared that he was innocent of the charges.

“He told me that he loved me and that he was innocent,” John Stewart said. “And to tell his kids that he was a good man.”

Stewart has two children with his wife, who is also an Army medic, the father said.

John Stewart said that his son was distraught over the conviction and was clearly “suicidal.”

“My daughter and wife had resigned ourselves that he was going to kill himself,” John Stewart said.

The elder Stewart wondered why his son wasn’t being guarded more closely following his conviction.

“I don’t know how they could let him get away knowing that he was like that,” he said.

Stewart was sentenced to eight years in prison, given a dishonorable discharge and reduced to the rank of E-1. During the court-martial, he was found innocent of rape, abusive sexual contact and communicating a threat, charges that could have increased his sentence to life in prison without the possibility of parole.

Prior to his conviction, Stewart, a highly decorated soldier who served tours in Iraq, Kosovo and Macedonia, had been training fellow Special Forces soldiers at the International Special Training Center in Pfullendorf.

“He has now lost his entire career,” his father said. “He can’t get any jobs. He’s bankrupt. He’s a sex offender. His life is totally ruined.”

I'm sorry, I had to post this whole article. This guy was on the run for several days. He was apparently a very highly trained individual and found guilty of rape. He was left with only ONE person 'watching' him the NIGHT he was convicted.

He disappeared and finally 'turned himself in.'

Today, we're told that he apparently 'poisoned himself.'

I'm sorry, I'm just having a really hard time buying this one. The more they spin this one, the more it seems there is a lot they aren't telling us and that this guy was a scapegoat.


www.stripes.com
(visit the link for the full news article)

I wouldn't say they are spinning this story unless they got the father in on it. It really sounds like this is the truth just do to the way the story lines up.

I think it would be perfectly normal for someone to be somewhat suicidal after having their life ruined in such a way. Sergeant First Class is a decent rank and by that time he must have had a decent sized attachment to the Army just to be reduced to the lowest rank and dishonorably discharged. On top of everything there is a good chance that this man was innocent.

He protests his innocence... was the evidence damning on him? why does he have too get dismissed unless proven gulity?

reply to post by fill0000


I just thought it was really weird to start with, that they didn't really have any evidence....except testimony of the alleged victim...the original story a few days ago talked about how the court-martial found him not guilty but then I guess the court found him guilty...I also thought it really odd that after he was convicted, he was practically free....at a hotel overnite, with only one person keeping tabs on him...and a couple days ago he turns himself in, then a couple days later we hear that he had poisoned himself before he turned himself in...the whole thing just sounds really strange to me.

reply to post by KSPigpen


The court martial found him guilty. The article states at the bottom that they found him not guilty. That was a typo.

Originally posted by jd140
reply to post by KSPigpen

 

The court martial found him guilty. The article states at the bottom that they found him not guilty. That was a typo.

Thanks for clearing that up. If it were YOU, JD, do you think poisoning yourself would be a more appealing alternative to many years in the brig?

reply to post by KSPigpen


Yes.

He was going in as a rapist and we all know that rapists and pedophiles are at the bottom of the food chain.

I think he was innocent, that would make the sentance he was facing even that more difficult and then he would have to be registered as a sex offender.

His life was over.

Disclaimer: I'm a theist but not of the Abrahamic faiths. I have minor biblical scholar and scriptural skills. Also I am not a scientific/legal or medical expert in any field. Beware of my Contagious Memes! & watch out that you don't get cut on my Occams razor.All of this is my personal conjecture and should not be considered the absolute or most definitive state of things as they really are. Use this information at your own risk! I accept no liability if your ideology comes crashing down around you with accompanying consequences!

Explanation: Hmmm? I percieve cognitive dissonance at play!

Would the OP Please Explain this inclongruency for me RE: "This guy was on the run for several days. He was apparently a very highly trained individual and found guilty of rape." [Note bold is my emphasis]

VS

RE: What Stars and Stripes actually published "Kelly A. Stewart — a sergeant first class at the time of his conviction last week on charges of kidnapping, forcible sodomy and aggravated sexual assault of a German woman in August 2008 " [background to the CHARGES!]

and more importantly ..."Stewart was sentenced to eight years in prison, given a dishonorable discharge and reduced to the rank of E-1. During the court-martial, he was found innocent of rape, abusive sexual contact and communicating a threat, charges that could have increased his sentence to life in prison without the possibility of parole."
[Note bold and underline is my emphasis]

So he's not a rapist and it appears he's only been done for kidnapping! which sorta puts a kybosh on what his dad has said RE: "“He has now lost his entire career,” his father said. “He can’t get any jobs. He’s bankrupt. He’s a sex offender. His life is totally ruined.”. :shk: Seems to me that he has ruined his own life by taking poison on the run after he had been convicted of a felony.

Personal Disclosure: If thats a typo then they need to fire their editor for completely distorting the facts! What an epic fail!

Edited to fix bold.

[edit on 25-8-2009 by OmegaLogos]

reply to post by OmegaLogos


Yeah...I think the consensus is that there must have been a typo in the article. I suppose Stars and Stripes isn't really known for journalistic excellence or anything...

But yeah, apparently guilty of lots of stuff, but allowed to hang out in a hotel instead of jail the night after... disappeared.....turned himself in...now poisoned...

reply to post by KSPigpen


It depends on where the trial was held and if that place had a military jail. This was in Germany and was about a soldier raping a German. So the trial could have been held in a German town so that German civilans would could attend without being held up at the gates of a military post.

Something like this alot of civilians would attend.

edit for typo



[edit on 26-8-2009 by jd140]

Disclaimer: As above!

Explanation: Its just occured to me that Stars and Stripes could have been hacked, being a major "biased" PR exercise for the armed forces of the USA and therefor an obvious target for enemies of the west in general and that the typo is so obviously incongruent with what the rest of the article has to say and with it being an online source I'm now leaning towards it not being a accidental typo by the articles author but instead as a cyberattack by some unknowns!

Personal Disclosure: I'm not sure if its true but I heard that German law acts to enable you where as Australian and US law acts to prevent you! I wonder if this was a determining factor in his conviction?

reply to post by OmegaLogos


I think his conviction was based on the fact that the victim was a German national and he was a soldier.

There wasn't any physical evidence. It was only his word against hers. Those are bad enough when they are both of the same nationality.

As far as the Stars and Stripes. They aren't really anymore biased then any other news source. They aren't like what was shown in Good Morning Vietnam. If you don't like the Stars and Stripes then pick up a copy of the Army Times. I have found they are the least biased of any news source I have seen. They are critical when need be of the government, President and the Army. They also give praise to those same people when they deserve it.

Not sure about the other branch papers.

Originally posted by jd140

Yes.

He was going in as a rapist and we all know that rapists and pedophiles are at the bottom of the food chain.

I don't think rapists are particularly looked down upon in prison.
If he lives, he's going to Leavenworth, I somewhat doubt people get shanked and raped there like a normal prison, but who knows.

reply to post by Schaden


A prison is a prison.

There are the same people there that are in civilian prisons.

edit to add- Rapists are right above pedophiles in the food chain in prison.

[edit on 26-8-2009 by jd140]

Originally posted by jd140
A prison is a prison.

I'll take you word on rapists , but I highly doubt the enlisted prison at Leavenworth is run as poorly as most civilian federal prisons. All of the guards are military. Many of those shanking and rapes in prison happen with the consent of guards. I doubt things are that corrupt to allow that stuff to happen.

my .02