Rape court-martial begins for Fort Bragg soldier
FORT BRAGG, N.C. (AP) - Army prosecutors are opening the court-martial of an Oklahoma soldier accused in a series of rapes and break-ins at Fort Bragg.
Multiple media organizations report the military trial for 23-year-old Aaron Pernell of Tulsa, Okla., opens on Wednesday. Pernell could face life in prison if he is convicted of rape. Pernell faces more than two dozen civilian charges related to attacks on six women in Fayetteville and Hoke County, which border the massive Army post. Fear of a possible serial rapist gripped the area last year. Army prosecutors expect alleged victims to testify. One woman living on Fort Bragg while her husband was deployed says a midnight intruder covered her mouth with his hand, threatened to kill her, then raped her in front of her 6-year-old.