Soldier Charged with Murder, Family Speaks Out

By Kirsten McIntyre, NEWS 9

SHERMAN, Texas - The U.S. soldier accused of killing five fellow troop members in Iraq is now being charged with murder.

Army Sergeant John M. Russell, 44, is from Sherman, Texas, just south of the Oklahoma border and his family has ties to Oklahoma.

Sgt. Russell was on his third tour of duty in Iraq and had been referred to a counseling clinic at Camp Liberty over concerns of his mental state.

Russell allegedly got into an argument at the clinic, grabbed the weapon of his military escort and opened fire.

Sgt. Russell's family is speaking out about a man they say snapped under pressure, pressure from the very people who were supposed to ease his stress. Russell's father said his son felt the army had turned its back on him.

"As far as he was concerned, the military was the most wonderful thing that ever happened to him. And...evidently he felt they turned against him, his life was over. He didn't care anymore. I guess he broke, he couldn't handle it," said Wilburn Russell, John Russell's father.

Sgt Russell is officially charged with five counts of capital murder and assault.