Warren Airman acquitted of murder charge

WASHINGTON (AP) — An airman from Warren was acquitted today of killing a U.S. servicewoman, who was beaten and stabbed at a military base in Iceland, to keep her from testifying against him in a theft case.

Airman Calvin Eugene Hill exhaled heavily as the verdict was announced at Bolling Air Force Base in Washington. A military jury also found Hill not guilty of obstruction of justice.

Hill, 21, of Warren, had faced the death penalty if convicted in the death of Airman 1st Class Ashley Turner.

Turner, 20, of Frederick, Md., was found beaten and stabbed in a dormitory lounge at the Naval Air Station in Keflavik, Iceland, on Aug. 14, 2005.

Prosecutors argued that Hill killed Turner because she was set to testify against him eight days later at a court-martial on larceny charges. Hill was accused of stealing about $2,700 from Turner by making ATM withdrawals using her card and personal identification number.