Existing comment:
Medina Found Not Guilty
Tried by the military for failing to stop the atrocities at My Lai, Capt. Ernest L. Medina, hired famous defense lawyer F. Lee Bailey, who wears a suit and leans back in his chair. In the heat of August in Georgia, the Army officers wore short-sleeved uniforms, but notably the judge, Col. Kenneth A. Howard, and civilian lawyer Bailey, did not. Witnesses corroborated Medina's testimony that he was not present when the slaughter began. On September 22, 1971, Col. William D. Proctor, the president of the court announced that Medina was not guilty of involuntary manslaughter of more than 100 civilians and not guilty of premeditated murder of the wounded woman he had admitted to killing. Denied a promotion to major, Medina received an honorable discharge on October 15, 1971.
Howard Brodie. [Capt. Ernest L. Medina My Lai Massacre court martial trial at Ft. McPherson, Georgia, courtroom scene], 1971. Color crayon on white paper. Prints and Photographs Division, Library of Congress (092.00.00)
LC-DIG-ppmsca-51142 © Estate of Howard Brodie |