US sergeant charged with murdering soldiers in Iraq

Savannah, Georgia: A soldier has been charged with murder in the September shootings of a superior and a fellow team leader at their Army patrol base in central Iraq, the military said on Friday.

Sergeant Joseph Bozicevich has been returned to the US from Iraq and is being held in pre-trial confinement at an undisclosed location in southern Georgia, said Major Lee Peters, spokesman at Fort Stewart where the soldiers' unit is based.

Bozicevich is charged with the September 14 slayings of Army Staff Sergeant Darris Dawson, 24, and Sergeant Wesley R. Durbin, 26. Written charges filed Thursday against Bozicevich say he shot both soldiers with a rifle.

Bozicevich's father, who lives near Albany, New York, said he hadn't heard from his son much since his unit deployed to Iraq last year. He said he was unaware his son faced criminal charges until a reporter contacted his family on Friday evening.

The soldiers were serving a 15-month deployment to Iraq with the 4th Brigade Combat Team of the Army's 3rd Infantry Division.