Edward Gallagher, Navy SEAL Chief Accused of War Crimes, Is Found Not Guilty of Murder

SAN DIEGO — Navy Special Operations Chief Edward Gallagher was found not guilty on Tuesday of first-degree murder of a captive fighter and attempted murder of civilians in Iraq, but was convicted of a single charge for posing with the dead body of an ISIS captive.

Chief Gallagher, 40, a decorated eight-tour veteran serving in SEAL Team 7, became a rallying cause of some Republicans in Congress and members of the conservative media, and the focus of a potential pardon by President Trump.

Because the maximum sentence he could face was four months and he has spent more time than that in pre-trial confinement, he will go free Tuesday.

The chief was turned in by his own platoon last spring. Several fellow SEALs reported that their leader had shot civilians and had killed a captive Islamic State fighter with a custom hunting knife during a deployment in Iraq in 2017. He was also charged with obstruction of justice by threatening to kill SEALs who reported him.