Colorado Army officer accused of killing Iraqis convicted of lesser charges

Colo. Army officer convicted of lesser charges

DENVER — An Army captain from Colorado charged with killing two Iraqi civilians has been convicted of lesser charges in Iraq.

Military officials say Capt. Carl Bjork was found guilty of reckless endangerment and negligent homicide in a general court-martial on Tuesday. He was reprimanded and will lose a third of his salary for one year.

Bjork is from Evergreen and was deployed in January 2006 with the 1st Battalion, 36th Infantry Regiment, near Hit, Iraq. He was charged with two counts of premeditated murder in the slaying of two detainees and one charge of reckless endangerment.

Bjork’s father, Peter, a Denver lawyer, told The Denver Post in an e-mail that the decision was “clearly a huge victory and relief for us all.” He and other supporters attended the trial.