NORFOLK, Va. (AP) - A former Blackwater contractor charged in the shooting deaths of two Afghans is scheduled for trial Sept. 14 in Norfolk.
Justin Cannon of Corpus Christi, Texas, faces second-degree murder, attempted murder and weapons charges. U.S. Magistrate Judge Tommy Miller scheduled the 27-year-old Cannon's trial during his arraignment Wednesday. Cannon did not enter a plea.
A co-defendant, 29-year-old Chris Drotleff of Virginia Beach, previously pleaded not guilty to the same charges. His trial also is set for Sept. 14. An April 19 hearing is scheduled on whether the government will seek the death penalty for both men, who remain in custody.
The defendants have said they were justified in firing last year on a car that caused an accident in front of their vehicle at a Kabul intersection, then sped toward them.
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