New date set for Navy SEAL’s war crimes trial

SAN DIEGO — A new date has been set for the trial of a Navy SEAL accused of murder and attempted murder in the death of an Islamic State prisoner under his care and the shootings of two Iraqi civilians in Iraq in 2017.

Defense attorney Tim Parlatore said Thursday that the military judge granted his request to push the date back from June 10 to June 17. Parlatore represents Special Operations Chief Edward Gallagher.

Lead Navy prosecutor in SEAL war crime case out over email spying

Navy Cmdr. Christopher Czaplak was ordered off the case by Judge Aaron Rugh Monday for emailing 13 defense attorneys and paralegals, as well as Navy Times editor Carl Prine a tracking beacon in an effort to find the source of leaks to the media.

Howard Altman

June 3, 2019

The judge, Navy Capt. Aaron Rugh, also is considering a request by Parlatore to dismiss the case because the prosecution tracked the emails of Gallagher's attorneys without court approval to find the source of a news leak.

Rugh on Monday removed the lead prosecutor accused of misconduct.

Gallagher has pleaded not guilty to the charges.