Edmond Army officer gets sentence reduced

WASHINGTON — First Lt. Michael Behenna, the Edmond soldier convicted of killing a suspected terrorist in Iraq, had his sentence reduced to 15 years, the U.S. Army said Thursday.

It was the second five-year reduction in Behenna’s sentence for unpremeditated murder and came two weeks after Behenna’s parents argued their son’s case before the Army Clemency and Parole Board. Catherine Mitrano, deputy assistant secretary of the Army for review boards, made the decision to reduce the sentence to 15 years.

Behenna’s mother, Vicki, said Thursday, "I don’t want to appear ungrateful. I’m grateful for the move downward.

"Unrealistically, maybe I believed they would just send him home.”

Behenna, 26, was convicted last February of assaulting and murdering without premeditation Ali Mansur, who had been detained by Army officials in Iraq for his suspected role in planting a bomb that killed two members of Behenna’s unit.

Behenna, who had investigated and arrested Mansur, had been told to take him home when he was released from detention. Behenna decided to question Mansur by gunpoint and shot him.

On a separate track, Behenna is appealing his conviction, arguing the military jury was not allowed to hear testimony from a forensic expert who supported Behenna’s self-defense claim. Prominent attorneys in Oklahoma and elected officials have urged the Army to give Behenna a new trial.

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