Murder Convictions of Junior Enlisted (E-1 to E-4): Courts-Martial Compared With Federal Court
Courts-martial convicted 26 junior enlisted members (E-1 to E-4) of murder under Article 118, with trial dates from 2016 to 2025. The median adjudged confinement was 206.9 months (17.2 years), and all 26 received confinement. In federal court, the median prison term for 3,243 people sentenced for mu
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In brief: Courts-martial convicted 26 junior enlisted members (E-1 to E-4) of murder under Article 118, with trial dates from 2016 to 2025. The median adjudged confinement was 206.9 months (17.2 years), and all 26 received confinement. In federal court, the median prison term for 3,243 people sentenced for murder in fiscal years 2016 to 2025 was 292 months (24.3 years).
This post uses the U.S. Sentencing Commission's records of 3,243 people sentenced in federal court in fiscal years 2016 to 2025, compared with court-martial results from this site's Military Trial Results data (updated November 2, 2026). Acquittals and dismissals come from a second source, the Federal Judicial Center's records of 753,808 federal defendants whose cases ended in fiscal years 2016 to 2025. It is part of the Federal Prosecution Analysis series, which builds on Military Moves Toward Sentencing Guidelines to Mirror the Federal System. How the numbers were built: How the Federal Comparison Data Was Built.
Sentences for Junior Enlisted Murder Convictions
Of the 26 junior enlisted members convicted, all 26 had a sentence that included confinement (100%). A quarter received 395.7 months or more, and 4 received confinement for life.
Of the 26, 24 received a punitive discharge (92%): 22 dishonorable discharges and 2 bad-conduct discharges. A general court-martial heard 25 of the 26 cases (96%).
| Courts-martial: Junior Enlisted (E-1 to E-4) | Federal court, FY2016–FY2025 | |
|---|---|---|
| Convictions or people sentenced | 26 | 3,243 |
| Sentenced to confinement or prison | 100% | more than 99% |
| Median confinement or prison | 206.9 months | 292 months |
| A quarter received this or more | 395.7 months | 470 months |
| Pleaded guilty | 12 of 20 with a plea recorded (60%) | 77% |
| Mandatory minimum applied | See the caveats | 44% |
How This Group Compares With All Ranks
For all ranks, courts-martial had 40 murder convictions, with a median confinement of 198 months and confinement in 95% of cases. The junior enlisted median of 206.9 months is higher than the all-ranks median.
By service, the junior enlisted convictions were Army 8, Air Force 10, Navy 5, and Marine Corps 3. The Air Force alone accounts for 10 of the 26, so service mix is part of this group's results.
Guilty Pleas and Contested Cases
A plea was recorded for 20 of the 26 convictions, and 12 were guilty pleas (60%). The median confinement was 206.9 months after a guilty plea, with 10 cases, and 83.9 months in contested cases that ended in conviction, with 7 cases.
Federal guilty pleas were more common: 2,482 of 3,243 people (77%) pleaded guilty. The federal median prison term was 240 months after a guilty plea and 470 months after a trial. In the court-martial group, the order was reversed: contested cases that ended in conviction had the lower median.
Change Over Time
For trials in 2016 to 2019, the median confinement was 215.9 months, based on 9 cases with confinement. For trials in 2020 to 2025, it was 198 months, based on 13 cases.
The medians for the earlier and later periods are close. Both periods have small counts, and the records cannot show whether any difference reflects a change in the cases or in the rules.
The Federal Comparison and Its Limits
In federal court, 3,239 of 3,243 people received a prison term, and 683 received a life sentence. A quarter received 470 months or more, and a quarter received 180 months or less.
Federal records have no rank. The nearest federal measure of record is criminal history, and courts-martial have no such field. A federal group therefore cannot be limited to the equivalent of E-1 to E-4, and the federal figures describe everyone sentenced for murder, whatever their rank or service status.
What the Records Cannot Show
Court-martial sentences are as adjudged at trial, before clemency or appeal. Federal terms are those imposed, not time served.
Rank is the rank at trial as listed in the record. A group of 26 is small, and the records do not show the facts or charging decisions in any case.
How We Counted
Courts-martial with trial dates in 2016 to 2025 ending in a conviction for murder (Article 118) where the accused was junior enlisted (e-1 to e-4) (26). Federal: 3,243 people sentenced under guideline §2A1.1 (first degree murder) or §2A1.2 (second degree murder) (U.S. Sentencing Commission). Federal records have no rank; criminal history is the nearest federal measure of record, and courts-martial have no criminal history field.
Federal fiscal years run from October 1 to September 30. No person, judge, or lawyer is identified in any of these records.
What to Keep in Mind
Who is in each set of numbers. The federal sentencing numbers come from the U.S. Sentencing Commission. They count only people who were convicted and sentenced in federal district court. People whose cases were dismissed or who were acquitted are not in them. The military numbers come from court-martial results, which include acquittals. To compare acquittal or dismissal rates, the federal side uses a different source: the Federal Judicial Center's case data, which counts every defendant whose case ended.
Different cases reach each system. Federal prosecutors bring a narrow set of cases. In fiscal year 2024, immigration and drug trafficking cases were 59% of everyone sentenced in federal court (36,664 of 61,678). Many crimes that the military prosecutes, such as most assaults, most sexual assaults between adults, and drug use, are usually state crimes for civilians and reach federal court only in special situations, such as on federal land or in Indian Country. A federal case and a court-martial for the same crime can involve different kinds of facts.
Time periods. Federal numbers are by federal fiscal year (October 1 to September 30), based on the sentencing date. The military numbers are by trial date. Neither source has the date of the offense, so a change in law shows up in either data set gradually.
Offense categories do not line up exactly. Each comparison uses a federal offense group chosen to match the military article as closely as possible (see the crosswalk). Some matches are close; others are partial. The post says which federal guideline or statute was used and why it is not an exact match.
No parole in federal prison; credit for good conduct. Federal prison has no parole for crimes committed on or after November 1, 1987. A federal prisoner can earn up to 54 days of good conduct credit for each year of the sentence the judge imposed, which is about 15%. Some federal prisoners can also earn First Step Act time credits, but many offenses make a person ineligible. The numbers in this post are the sentences judges imposed, not the time people actually served.
Military confinement credit and parole. For military sentences adjudged after 2004, good conduct time is 5 days for each month of confinement, about 16%. Military prisoners can also earn up to 8 more days a month for work and programs and up to 2 days a month for special acts, with a limit of 15 days a month in total. Military prisoners can be considered for parole by their service's clemency and parole board. The military numbers in this post are the confinement adjudged at trial, not the time served.
Military sentences include punishments federal sentences do not. A court-martial sentence can include a punitive discharge (bad-conduct discharge, dishonorable discharge, or dismissal for officers), reduction in rank, and forfeiture of pay. These have no federal counterpart. A comparison of months of confinement leaves them out. A short confinement term combined with a dishonorable discharge is a heavier sentence than the months alone show.
Federal supervised release. Most federal prison sentences are followed by a term of supervised release that the judge sets as part of the sentence. A person who violates it can be sent back to prison. A court-martial cannot sentence anyone to supervision after release. Military parole and mandatory supervised release are decided later by a board, not by the judge at trial.
Who decides the sentence, and under what rules. Federal judges sentence every federal case. They must calculate the Sentencing Guidelines range, which is advisory, and must impose any mandatory minimum the statute requires unless an exception applies. In courts-martial, the accused could choose sentencing by members until the rules changed. For cases in which every guilty finding is for an offense committed after December 27, 2023, a military judge sentences alone, within sentencing parameters. Courts-martial tried in 2024 and later include both old-rule and new-rule cases, and the data cannot tell them apart.
How life sentences and "time served" are counted. In the federal numbers, a life sentence is counted as 470 months, and any other sentence longer than 470 months is counted as just under 470 months. A sentence of "time served" is counted as one day (0.03 months). Averages are affected by these rules; medians much less.
Related Analysis
- Military Moves Toward Sentencing Guidelines to Mirror the Federal System (the background article)
- Federal Prosecution Analysis (all federal posts)
- How the Federal Comparison Data Was Built (sources and method)
- Murder and Manslaughter: Federal vs. Court-Martial Sentences, 2016–2025 (overview)
- Murder Convictions of NCOs (E-5 to E-9): Courts-Martial Compared With Federal Court
- Murder Charges: How Often Federal Trials and Courts-Martial End in Acquittal
- Guilty Pleas in Murder Cases: Federal Court vs. Courts-Martial
- Murder: Sentences After a Guilty Plea vs. After Trial, Federal Court and Courts-Martial
- Murder Sentences: Federal Court vs. Courts-Martial, 2016–2025
- Murder: Federal Sentences vs. Air Force Courts-Martial
- Is Army Murder Prosecution Rising or Falling? Article 118, 2021–2025 (court-martial data)
- Article 118 Sentences in the Air Force: Confinement and Discharges, 2016–2025 (court-martial data)
- How Has Article 118 Changed in Navy-Marine Corps Courts-Martial Since 2017? (court-martial data)
- How Much Confinement for an Article 118 Conviction in the Navy-Marine Corps? (court-martial data)
- Article 118 (Murder): Court-Martial Data and Trends (court-martial data)
- Article 118 UCMJ: Murder (law firm reference page)
- U.S. Sentencing Commission, Individual Offender Datafiles (source)
- Federal Judicial Center, Integrated Database (criminal defendants) (source)
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.