Guilty Pleas in Army Manslaughter Cases: How Often, and What Came Next
In 10 Army courts-martial from 2021–2025 where the accused pleaded guilty to charges including Article 119 (manslaughter), the median confinement was 5.9 years, compared with 5 months for all Army guilty pleas in those years.
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Short answer: In 10 Army courts-martial from 2021–2025 where the accused pleaded guilty to charges including Article 119 (manslaughter), the median confinement was 5.9 years, compared with 5 months for all Army guilty pleas in those years. 9 of 10 convicted enlisted members received a punitive discharge (90%), compared with 75%.
Median Confinement of 5.9 Years
All 10 convictions carried confinement. The median confinement was 5.9 years. For all Army guilty pleas in the same years, the median was 5 months.
A quarter of the confinement terms were 10 years or longer. These are adjudged sentences, as announced at trial and before any plea-agreement cap, clemency, or appeal. Each sentence covers every charge in the case.
Dishonorable Discharges Outnumbered Bad-Conduct Discharges
9 of 10 convicted enlisted members received a punitive discharge (90%): 6 dishonorable discharges and 3 bad-conduct discharges. In all Army guilty pleas in those years, the punitive discharge rate was 75%.
A dishonorable discharge is the most severe discharge for enlisted members and is available only at a general court-martial. A sentence without a punitive discharge does not rule out a later administrative separation.
Article 119 Was Often the Only Charge
Article 119 was the only charge in 5 of the 10 cases. In the others, Article 113 (drunken or reckless driving) appeared in 2 cases. Article 107 (false official statement), Article 119a (death or injury of an unborn child), Article 131b (obstruction), and Article 114 (endangerment) each appeared in 1.
Plea Agreements and Forum
All 10 guilty pleas are recorded with a plea agreement (10 of 10). Army records say whether an agreement existed, not what it said, so any limit on confinement in an agreement is unknown. The accused usually chooses whether a military judge alone or a panel of members decides guilt. A military judge alone decided guilt in all 10 cases.
Mostly Junior Enlisted
By rank, 8 of the accused were junior enlisted, 2 were NCOs, and 0 were officers. This group was more junior than all Army guilty pleas in those years.
Trials by Year
The 10 trials took place between April 2021 and December 2025. The records show 2 in 2021, 2 in 2022, 2 in 2023, 1 in 2024, and 3 in 2025.
Changes to the Rules
Since December 28, 2023, special trial counsel have held the prosecution decision for covered offenses. The sheet lists sexual assault, domestic violence, and murder as examples. For sentencing, a military judge applies new parameters when every guilty finding is for conduct after December 27, 2023. These records cannot show which trials qualified, because they omit offense dates.
The earlier Military Justice Act of 2016, in effect from January 1, 2019, created written plea agreements and fixed panel sizes. It also allowed a judge-alone special court-martial capped at six months with no punitive discharge.
What Is Not in the Records
The records cover courts-martial only. They do not describe the evidence or the plea terms. Cases resolved by nonjudicial punishment, administrative separation, or no action are not included.
Dates and sources for the law changes mentioned here: UCMJ change timeline.
How We Counted
Army courts-martial tried 2021–2025: where the accused pleaded guilty to charges including Article 119 (manslaughter) (10 cases), compared with all Army guilty pleas in those years.
Source: public court-martial records (Article 140a, UCMJ) in Military Trial Results, data updated October 24, 2026. Definitions, sources, and known gaps: how this data was built. Errors: content@bodiesburied.com.
Related Analysis
- Article 119 (Manslaughter): Court-Martial Data and Trends (hub)
- Sentences (hub)
- Guilty Pleas in Army Child Endangerment Cases: How Often, and What Came Next
- Guilty Pleas in Army Communicating Threats Cases: How Often, and What Came Next
- Guilty Pleas in Army Conspiracy Cases: How Often, and What Came Next
- Guilty Pleas in Army Domestic Violence Cases: How Often, and What Came Next
- Guilty Pleas in Army Drug Cases: How Often, and What Came Next
- Guilty Pleas in Army Drunken Or Reckless Driving Cases: How Often, and What Came Next
- Guilty Pleas in Army False Official Statement Cases: How Often, and What Came Next
- Search every case in Military Trial Results (members)
Compare: federal court. Manslaughter: Federal Sentences vs. Army Courts-Martial
About the author. Jocelyn C. Stewart is a retired Army JAG with more than 24 years of trying courts-martial and more than 200 jury trials. She hosts Where All The Bodies Are Buried and runs the Law Office of Jocelyn C. Stewart. This analysis is for education and information only. It is not legal advice, and every case is different.