Graphic details are beginning to emerge in the case of the Navy SEAL accused of war crimes.
Edward Gallagher was in court Friday for a series of motions. The SEAL is accused of using a knife to kill a wounded teenage ISIS prisoner who was in his care and then posing with the body on May 3, 2017. The chief petty officer was on his eighth deployment.
The defense asked Capt. Aaron Rough, the judge in the case, to exclude testimony from SEALs in his platoon saying that Gallagher bragged of killing as many as 200 people on the 2017 deployment, including women and children.
Gallagher is also charged with killing a man and a woman who were non-combatants in separate incidents during the same deployment.
In a preview of his court martial, Gallagher is also accused of directing a drone to fly over the scene and take pictures of the May 3, 2017 scene. In a separate trial, Gallagher's commander, Lt. Jacob Portier, pleaded not guilty last week to charges that he helped cover up the incident.
Gallagher was taken into custody at Camp Pendleton on Sept. 11, while he was in a meditation session for troops with traumatic brain injuries.
Gallagher said he is innocent. His supporters, including U.S. Rep. Duncan Hunter, have attempted to have him removed from the Naval Consolidated Brig Miramar pending trial. Gallagher's court martial is set to begin Feb. 19.
