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After 52 months behind bars at a federal facility in Pennsylvania, Evan Liberty of Rochester will be back in front of the judge who sentenced him later this month after his original 30-year mandatory gun sentence in connection with the so-called Nisur Square massacre in Iraq of 2007 was deemed "cruel and unusual punishment" by an appellate court two years ago.
Liberty, who grew up in Rochester and graduated from Spaulding High, went on to become a decorated Marine and Embassy Guard before joining Blackwater, a private firm that provided security for diplomats during the height of the Iraq War in 2007.
During the 2014 trial, prosecutors accused Liberty and three other Blackwater guards from his Raven 23 unit of an unprovoked machine gun and grenade attack upon a crowded Nisur Square full of innocent civilians in which 14 were killed and many more wounded.
Defense lawyers countered that they were fired upon by insurgents dressed as Iraqi policemen and they only sought to defend themselves.
The day he was found guilty Liberty said, "I don't want to spend any more time in jail. As God is my witness, I shot at two people that day, who were dressed in Iraq police uniforms and they were shooting at me."
During sentencing in 2015, Judge Royce C. Lamberth of the District sentenced Paul Slatten of Tennessee to life for murder. He then sentenced Liberty, Dustin Heard of Tennessee and Paul Slough of Texas to time served on manslaughter and attempted manslaughter charges, but added 30-year mandatory sentences for using machine guns in the commission of a crime, a law that was originally written to punish drug dealers who use automatic weapons to enhance their drug empires.
But the four Blackwater guards' weapons were issued by the state department to protect diplomats as they transited in and around Baghdad, in other words, to DO THEIR JOBS.
However, during sentencing Lamberth testily said that if defense teams sought to get the gun sentences tossed on constitutional grounds he would likely up the manslaughter punishments.
Now that the 30-year mandatory sentence has been vacated as "cruel and unusual punishment," many are wondering how the 76-year-old Lamberth will rule during the Aug. 14 resentencing.
Brian Liberty, of Rochester, Evan's dad, said on Monday he's not going to let himself get too optimistic.
"I'm hoping for the best, but I won't believe it till I see him walk out of that Pennsylvania prison," he said.
Brian Liberty said he and his wife, Debra, will be in the courtroom supporting their son. He said that at least three will be speaking on behalf of Evan, including his childhood buddy Chris Buslovich, who spoke of their growing up together in Rochester during an interview with the then Lebanon Voice in 2016.
Both Liberty and Buslovich signed up to be Marines before they were 18 while both seniors at Spaulding.
Buslovich said Evan Liberty never got in trouble and was as level-headed a friend as you could ever want.
"He was your normal typical kid, a friend who was always there for you. He's was always level-headed, but he could be funny, too," he said.
Buslovich said Evan Liberty was a co-captain on the cross-country team they both ran on, and an all-star basketball player with the Red Raiders.
His basketball coach, Tim Cronin, coached Evan almost straight through school, first mentoring him as a fifth- and sixth-grade coach and later on the Freshman, JV and varsity teams.
"He was a team player, a very good athlete," Cronin said recently, noting at 5-foot-11, Evan was a super shooting guard and a solid player on defense.
Cronin said what really made Evan Liberty stand out was his endurance.
"He didn't run out of gas," Cronin said. "He'd run the whole game."
Cronin pointed to Evan Liberty's character as an outgrowth of his upbringing.
"He grew up in an environment with strong family values, he was always willing to give back," Cronin said, adding he was also involved as a volunteer teaching basketball skills to younger kids on Saturday mornings.
"He wanted to give back, it's how he was brought up," Cronin added.
To learn more about Evan Liberty's story check out the following articles published by the former Lebanon Voice and The Rochester Voice.
For info on how to send an email or letter to President Trump in support of Evan Liberty go to supportraven23.com.
Below are links to several of the stories produced by The Lebanon Voice, which is now The Rochester Voice.
http://www.thelebanonvoice.com/as-evan-liberty-waits-for-justice-the-days-come-and-go-cms-6475
http://www.thelebanonvoice.com/in-iraq-in-2007-this-was-an-everyday-thing-cms-5273
To visit the Free Raven 23 Facebook Page go to https://www.facebook.com/raven23support/?__tn__=%2Cd%2CP-R&eid=ARDDVeXvDX7OWaVkKga6P5eYxQddqbgImcAW5d0qZxFIe0-0DvheKtxIgmdrOPUNR-orE1Gbeji4pfJL
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