IRAQ Army indicts 2 after deaths

A Salem man is one of four soldiers recently charged with murder.
TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) -- The military released the service records and hometowns Thursday of two Fort Riley soldiers charged with murder in Iraq.
Sgt. Michael P. Williams, 25, of Memphis, Tenn., and Spc. Brent W. May, 22, of Salem, Ohio, both served with Company C, 1st Battalion, 41st Infantry Regiment, 3rd Brigade, 1st Armored Division. The soldiers had been in Iraq since June and also served there from February 2003 until July 2003.
Who was charged
Williams and May are the second pair of soldiers from the 1st Battalion, 41st Infantry charged with murder in two weeks. The two others were charged with first-degree murder in Clay County in north-central Kansas.
Williams and May are charged with premeditated murder of three Iraqis. Williams also has been charged with obstruction of justice and making a false statement. Officials with the U.S. Central Command and 1st Cavalry have declined to give further details.
According to Fort Riley, Williams joined the Army in March 2001 and had been at the post since November 2002. May joined the Army in July 2001 and arrived at Fort Riley in April 2002.
Post officials have made counseling and family support services available around the clock, base spokeswoman Deb Skidmore said.
Others accused
On Sept. 15, prosecutors charged Sgts. Eric J. Colvin, 23, of Pappilion, Neb., and Aaron R. Stanley, 22, of Bismarck, N.D., with the shooting death of Staff Sgt. Matthew H. Werner, 30, of Oxnard, Calif., at a home about 30 miles from Fort Riley. Werner had been serving in Iraq on his second tour of duty when he returned for surgery on an injured hand.
A second soldier, Spc. Christopher D. Hymer, 23, of Nevada, Mo., was wounded and died Saturday. Prosecutors have charged Colvin and Stanley with attempted first-degree murder in his shooting and expect to upgrade the charges.
Colvin and Stanley remain jailed on $1 million bond each. A court hearing is scheduled for Nov. 3.