A military jury has found an Army sergeant not guilty of negligent homicide in the death of an Army private based at Fort Wainwright who killed himself in Afghanistan.
Sgt. Adam Holcomb of Youngstown, Ohio was found guilty Monday on two lesser charges, maltreatment of a subordinate and assault. He faces a maximum of 2 1/2 years in prison.
The 10-member jury deliberated for two hours in military court at Fort Bragg on Monday after hearing closing arguments.
Holcomb was the first of eight soldiers to be court-martialed for the alleged racial hazing of Pvt. Danny Chen, who killed himself last October.
Throughout the trial, the defense painted Chen as an incompetent soldier disowned by his family. Prosecutors said Holcomb abused Chen because of his Chinese heritage and drove him to suicide.
Chen was a member of the 3rd Battalion, 21st Infantry Regiment, 1st Stryker Brigade Combat Team, 25th Infantry Division based at Fort Wainwright but was under the command of a Fort Bragg general in Afghanistan.
