Murder charges ‘devastating’

HOUSTON — News that a local soldier has been charged with murdering three Afghan civilians has stunned some in this close-knit community.

Army Spc. Jeremy Morlock is accused of three counts of premeditated murder and one count of assault. The 22-year-old Wasilla man was a Houston High School student and played on the school’s hockey team before entering the military in June 2006.

“It’s a stunner,” said Jamie Smith, HHS hockey coach. “I talked to his brother this morning and they’re just as shocked too.”

In his conversation with Jeremy’s older brother Rick Morlock, Smith said he learned the family found out about the charges against Jeremy through the national news.

“They don’t know anything, they can’t get any information as far as where he’s at, what’s going on, what’s the next step,” Smith said, adding that in a telephone conversation they had with Jeremy recently, “they knew something was up,” but not on the level of facing a possible death penalty.

Being a soldier “was something he wanted to do his whole life,” Smith said of his former player. “He wanted to be in the Army. (What he’s accused of) is not his character. He’s the kind of kid who’s honest — sometimes too honest.”

The news was as much a surprise to the community as well.

“It’s devastating, just devastating,” said a Morlock family friend at Houston Lodge restaurant and bar on Saturday. The woman asked not to be identified because she hadn’t yet talked to any of the family members. “He’s a 22-year-old kid, and it’s just really sad, a very, very sad situation all around.”

Morlock deployed in July 2009 with his unit in support of Operation Enduring Freedom, the Associated Press reports. He returned Thursday to his Washington state base, Joint Base Lewis-McChord. He was charged Friday and has been placed in pretrial confinement.

The Associated Press also reports that Joint Base spokeswoman Lt. Col. Tamara Parker said the charges against Morlock involve three separate events alleged to have occurred between January and May at or near Forward Operating Base Ramrod in Afghanistan. She said she had no further details on the victims or circumstances. Parker said other soldiers were being investigated but she could only discuss Morlock since he is the only one to have returned to the Washington state base. She did not know whether Morlock was represented by a lawyer yet.

When she heard the news, “I was floored,” said the family friend. “My kids played hockey, I know his brother, his family. … This really hits close to home. It’s just devastating on all accounts. It’s so unfortunate.”

The maximum penalty for conviction for premeditated murder would be life in prison or the death penalty, Parker told the Associated Press. Army prosecutors have not yet decided whether to seek the death penalty.

About 10 members of an Army unit based at Fort Lewis, Wash., have been under investigation for as many as three civilian deaths in Afghanistan, along with other potential wrongdoing, a senior military official said last month.

Because there’s little information about the circumstances surrounding the charges against Morlock, it’s best to reserve judgment, the family friend said. Being in a war zone could certainly have been a factor, but that would only be speculation at this point.

“They ask (soldiers) to do some unspeakable things,” she said. “If that’s what happened, it’s just unfathomable. Really, I think we all just want more information.”

If Jeremy Morlock is guilty of what the military alleges, “That’s not the kid that I know,” Smith said. “The Jeremy Morlock I know is basically a kid who’s a team guy. Any role I would put him in, he would do. He had a little bit of a fiery side, had some tough things growing up, but was a good teammate and is very loyal.”

Because the military investigation involved Morlock’s unit, “The hope you have to have is that Jeremy always did what he was told to do,” Smith said. “We’re hoping — that’s what you need to grasp onto.”

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