More likely to be charged

MAT-SU — A Wasilla man accused of murder in the deaths of three Afghan civilians likely won’t be the only soldier to be charged.

Jeremy Morlock, 22, is the first soldier to be charged as the result of a military investigation into a series of allegations of events from January to May that include illegal drug use, assault, conspiracy and murder, said Lt. Col. Tamara Parker, spokeswoman for Joint Base Lewis-McChord in Washington state. Morlock is the first to be charged “because he was returned to our base,” she said.

Morlock is part of B Company, 2nd Battalion, 5th Stryker Brigade Combat Team based out of Lewis-McChord, she said. The battalion is deployed in Afghanistan and is beginning its move to return to the United States.

And while Morlock has been formally charged with three counts of premeditated murder and one count of assault, he is one of as many as five “who have been implicated in the murders,” Parker said. “He’s the second (soldier) who was put into pretrial confinement.”

The first soldier to be detained hasn’t been identified because he hasn’t returned to the base and hasn’t yet been charged, she said.

Officials began investigating Morlock’s unit after receiving information from within the unit, according to a press release from the Army’s Criminal Investigation Command (CIC).

That information alleged “that a small number of U.S. soldiers were responsible for the unlawful deaths of as many as three Afghan civilians,” the release says.

A former Houston High School student who also played on the school’s hockey team, Morlock has several statements posted under the “Favorite Quotations” spot on his Facebook page. One of those is a modified quote from the movie “A Few Good Men.”

“I will never explain myself to a man who rises and sleeps under the blanket of freedom that my brothers in arms and I provide, then questions the manner in which we provide that freedom,” it says.

His Alaska roots are also evident in the statement: “Have you ever been hit with a hockey puck, that (stuff) hurts, dude.”

The next step in the legal process for Morlock is up to commander of Task Force Stryker, Parker said.

“That’s the person who commands all three Stryker brigades,” she said. His charge is “to decide if he’s going to direct an Article 32 investigation, which is the equivalent of a grand jury. Due to the seriousness of the case, we expect that he will.”

When that Article 32 investigation could happen is not known, she said.

Following Morlock’s arrest on Friday, some close to the former Houston High student and his family expressed shock and disappointment.

Jamie Smith coached Morlock in hockey and said the military was a career the young man looked forward to pursuing.

“He wanted to be in the Army,” Smith said, adding that being an accused murderer “is not his character.”

Morlock and any others charged in the Afghan killings could face life in prison or the death penalty if convicted, Parker said. A decision on whether to seek the death penalty has not been made.

As the military investigation unfolds, Smith has hope that circumstances may show any involvement Morlock may have had in the killings wasn’t his idea.

“The hope you have to have is that Jeremy always did what he was told to do,” he said. “That’s what you need to grasp onto.”

The announcement from the CIC alleges illegal drug use and conspiracy, but how those factor into the murder allegations is not being released, Parker said. “That’s part of the investigation.”

Contact Greg Johnson at greg.johnson@frontiersman.com or 352-2269.