Hearing set in stabbing of basic trainee

Hearing set in stabbing of basic trainee
By Gina Cavallaro - Staff writer
Posted : Friday Sep 12, 2008 13:27:44 EDT

The stabbing death of a Fort Benning, Ga., basic trainee will be the subject of an Article 32 hearing scheduled for Thursday.

Pfc. Rick Bulmer, 23, a California National Guardsman who was in basic training to become an infantryman, was allegedly stabbed to death while resting in his second floor barracks room the evening of May 18 while the rest of his company was learning drill and ceremony tasks one floor down.

Another soldier, Pfc. George D. McDonald, 19, was taken into custody shortly after the incident and was charged by the convening court martial authority with premeditated murder, two counts of aggravated assault and resisting apprehension.

The Article 32 hearing, the military’s version of a grand jury proceeding, will be conducted to determine whether sufficient evidence exists for a general court martial in the stabbing incident.

`After he was taken into custody, McDonald’s Army defense counsel requested a hearing before a Sanity Board, according to Fort Benning spokeswoman Monica Manganaro.


Rest of article at: http://www.armytimes.com/news/2008/09/army_benningstab_091108w/%2e