A Fort Riley, Kansas soldier received a sentence of more than eight years in prison following a guilty plea to charges of voluntary manslaughter in the death of a fellow soldier.
Spc. Jalen Thomas, 21, pleaded guilty to that lesser charge on Dec. 2, Stripes.com reported.
Thomas had faced a more severe murder charge and a charge of assault and domestic violence, according to a statement provided by 1st Infantry Division officials to Stripes.com, the website of the news outlet Stars and Stripes.
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Unrelated to this specific case, the Army announced on Monday that it had created a new position and 150-person office that it will staff over the coming year to prosecute murder, rape and other serious crimes. Army Chief of Staff Gen. James McConville has appointed Col. Warren L. Wells, who will receive a promotion to brigadier general and report directly to Secretary of the Army Christine Wormuth.
Thomas, from Brandon, Florida, received a 100-month prison sentence, reduction in rank to E-1, and a dishonorable discharge as part of his plea agreement, according to 1st ID officials.
He’d been charged in the stabbing death of Sgt. Stacy Subotich, 30 in Junction City, Kansas on August 6. The town is near Fort Riley.
Thomas enlisted in the Army from Brandon, Florida in 2019 and was assigned to the 1st Infantry Division Sustainment Brigade.
