Soldier Rescinds Insanity Defense

By Carrie Pond

Ft. Campbell, KY – A former 101st Airborne Division soldier has rescinded his insanity defense against charges that he raped and killed an Iraqi teenager and shot her family to death while on active duty. Attorneys for former Pfc. Steven Dale Green filed the notice on Thursday, just days after federal prosecutors asked that their mental health experts be allowed to examine Green. Instead, defense attorneys say, they will rely on mental health evidence only if a jury is asked to sentence him to death. Green's trial is scheduled for April 27. His attorneys notified the court last May that he would rely on an insanity defense. Green faces a possible death sentence if convicted of premeditated murder and aggravated sexual assault in the March 2006 attack. He has pleaded not guilty to the charges.