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Soldier Faces Military Murder Trial

FORT STEWART, Ga. (AP) -- An Army sergeant is set to stand trial at Fort Stewart on capital charges that he murdered a superior officer and a fellow U.S. soldier in Iraq.

Opening statements in the court-martial of Sgt. Joseph Bozicevich of Minneapolis are set to begin Wednesday after the conclusion of more than a week of jury selection. The trial is expected to last several months.

The 41-year-old infantryman faces the death penalty if a military jury convicts him in the September 2008 slayings of his squad leader, Staff Sgt. Darris Dawson, and Sgt. Wesley Durbin. The shootings took place at a patrol base in Iraq in 2008.

Witnesses say the victims were shot at their infantry unit's patrol base after they counseled Bozicevich for poor performance.

(© Copyright 2011 The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.)

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