Jury Deliberates First Day Without Verdict on McKinney
FT. BELVOIR, Va. — Jurors deliberated for nearly seven hours Wednesday without reaching a verdict in the sexual misconduct court-martial of the Army’s former top enlisted man.
Sgt. Maj. Gene C. McKinney, 47, faces 19 counts stemming from allegations that he groped or crudely pressured six military women for sex. The charges range from adultery, a crime in the military, to obstruction of justice for allegedly trying to persuade one of his accusers to lie.
McKinney was removed as sergeant major of the Army last year. He could face 55 1/2 years in prison and loss of rank and retirement benefits if convicted.
Five of the six accusers awaited a verdict at the Army base 20 miles south of Washington.
McKinney’s lawyer, Charles Gittins, portrayed McKinney as a racial success story and the alleged victims as liars and manipulators.
Only six of the eight jurors must find him guilty to convict him.
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