Associated Press - October 23, 2009 6:34 PM ET
HONOLULU (AP) - An Article 32 hearing for a Schofield Barracks soldier charged with murder for the death of a civilian contractor in Iraq has been scheduled for Dec. 8.
Spc. Beyshee Velez is accused of fatally shooting Lucas Vinson of Leesville, La., Sept. 13 on an American base.
The presiding officer at the hearing - the military equivalent of a grand jury - will make a recommendation to Maj. Gen. Robert Caslen, commanding general of the 25th Infantry Division. Caslen will determine whether a court-martial will be convened.
The 27-year-old Vinson was working for Houston-based KBR at a base in the city of Tikrit.
Velez was on his third combat deployment to Iraq. The 31-year-old soldier has been confined to the Ford Island brig at Pearl Harbor since shortly after the shooting.
Information from: Honolulu Star-Bulletin, http://www.starbulletin.com
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