Fifth soldier sentenced in death of Pvt. Danny Chen
Pvt. Danny Chen, a 19-year-old from Manhattan, was found dead in a guard tower in Afghanistan on Oct. 3, 2011. Eight American soldiers have been charged. Credit: Handout/U.S. Army
Another soldier has been sent to jail for his role in Lower East Side Pvt. Danny Chen's death.
Spc. Thomas Curtis, 27, pleaded guilty Monday to five charges of hazing and maltreatment, admitting he kicked and dragged Chen, and called him inappropriate names.
After months of abuse, Chen killed himself last year in a guard tower in Afghanistan.
Curtis, who was previously awarded a Purple Heart, was sentenced Monday to three months confinement and a reduction in rank.
He is the fifth soldier to be punished for his role in Chen's death.
Elizabeth OuYang of the New York Chapter of the Organization for Chinese Americans, which has been advocating for stiff penalties for Chen's alleged tormentors, told amNewYork she was disappointed in the "incredibly light sentences" the soldiers have received for hazing the 19-year-old soldier.
"The accused who have been found guilty can't tell right from wrong," OuYang told amNewYork.
She said she was disappointed that Curtis wasn't discharged from the Army, saying, "There's no assurance that he won't do it again."
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