A former Blackwater guard was just sentenced to life in prison for a 2007 shooting in Baghdad
Hadi Mizban/AP
Slatten had been convicted by a jury in October.
Three other guards had been found guilty of manslaughter, but Slatten was the only one convicted of first-degree murder.
The guards had been in the employ of the US State Department, and had "fired heavy machine guns and grenade launchers from their armored convoy in the mistaken belief they were under attack by insurgents" in Baghdad's Nisour Square according to the Guardian. Slatten is believed to have been the first to open fire.
The incident drew attention to the role of private security contractors in Iraq and tarnished Blackwater's reputation. But the company was sold in 2010 and re-named Academi, and one of its subsidiaries signed $92 million in security contracts with the US State Department in 2013.
- Tesla tells some laid-off employees their separation agreements are canceled and new ones are on the way
- Taylor Swift's 'The Tortured Poets Department' is the messiest, horniest, and funniest album she's ever made
- One of the world's only 5-star airlines seems to be considering asking business-class passengers to bring their own cutlery
- The Future of Gaming Technology
- Stock markets stage strong rebound after 4 days of slump; Sensex rallies 599 pts
- Sustainable Transportation Alternatives
- 10 Foods you should avoid eating when in stress
- 8 Lesser-known places to visit near Nainital