- Edward Gallagher, 40, was acquitted of murder charges on Tuesday in military court on Naval Base San Diego
- Gallagher was accused of murdering 17-year-old militant in Mosul in 2017 firing at innocent civilians in Iraq
- He was convicted of posing with the corpse of an ISIS fighter but is expected to be spared jail for time served
- Gallagher maintained his innocence throughout and said he was being set up by a group of younger soldiers
‘We’re heading for tattoos and alcohol’: Navy SEAL Eddie Gallagher drives away from court with his wife in a white Mustang and embraces his emotional children before heading to a bar after being cleared of murdering ISIS fighter
Acquitted Navy SEAL Eddie Gallagher embraced his 10-year-old son and teenage daughter on Tuesday after being cleared of the murder of a wounded Islamic State captive under his care in Iraq in 2017.
In an emotional video shared by his wife Andrea on Instagram after the jury had returned its verdict, Gallagher, 40, scooped up his children and hugged them while they yelled ‘finally!’ and music played in the background.
He continued the celebrations with a large group of friends at a pub in San Diego later that night.
After his acquittal, he and his wife drove away from court in a white convertible Mustang and joked they were going for ‘tattoos and alcohol’.
He embraced his teenage daughter and 10-year-old son after being acquitted at court and they cheered and chanted ‘Finally’ as they hugged their father
Special Operations Chief Edward Gallagher, 40, kissed his wife Andrea, 39, at a pub in San Diego to celebrate being cleared of the murder of a 17-year-old ISIS militant
Since he was charged in September 2018, Andrea, 39, has relentlessly campaigned for her husband’s exoneration for the killing of the 17-year-old militant.
She made multiple television appearances, first on Fox News and later, as the trial gathered speed, on Good Morning America to insist on his innocence and condemn prosecutors’ attempts to put him behind bars.
As well as the two children in the video, the couple have a 19-year-old son together.
The acquittal at a military court on Naval Base San Diego was met with an outpouring of emotion as the military jury also cleared Gallagher of attempted murder in the shootings of two civilians and all other charges except for posing for photos with the body of the dead captive.
The case exposed a generational conflict within the ranks of the elite special forces group and the outcome dealt a major blow to one of the military’s most high-profile war crimes cases.
Outside the court Gallagher greeted the media alongside his wife and lawyers. He spoke briefly saying: ‘I’m happy and I’m thankful.
‘I thank God, my legal team and my wife.’
Dozens of friends visited the San Diego pub to celebrate the release of the decorated Navy SEAL, who was allowed to go home on time served despite being convicted of taking a photo with a corpse
Prosecutors told them that Gallagher’s guilt was clear in photos he took with the dead militant’s body but he was acquitted of other charges
According to Fox News he joked with his legal team that ‘it’s Independence Day’.
His wife Andrea said they are now looking forward to freedom: ‘We just want to celebrate today.
‘I was feeling like we’re finally vindicated after being terrorized by the government that my husband fought for for 20 years.
‘I think that this vindication, I hope, will be a lesson learned to everybody, that we need to uphold innocent until proven guilty (and) due process.’
‘If this was a movie no one would believe it.’
Navy Special Operations Chief Edward Gallagher, center, walks with his wife, Andrea Gallagher, left, and advisor, Bernard Kerik as they leave a military court on Naval Base San Diego, Tuesday
Edward Gallagher shares a moment with his wife Andrea Gallagher after being acquitted on most of the serious charges against him from his court-martial trial at Naval Base San Diego in San Diego, California
Ga;;agher only spoke briefly to the media outside court. According to Fox News he joked with his legal team that ‘it’s Independence Day’
Outside the court Gallagher greeted the media alongside his wife and lawyers. He said: ‘(I feel) happy and thankful. Thank God for our legal team’
His wife said they are now looking forward to freedom. ‘If this was a movie no one would believe it,’ she said
Special Operations Chief Edward ‘Eddie’ Gallagher is pictured above
The turning point in the court martial was when one of the SEALs, Corey Scott, who had been expected to testify for the prosecution took responsibility for killing the boy Gallagher was alleged to have murdered.
Scott now faces perjury charges from the Naval prosecutors he blindsided. They say he made it up to protect Gallagher after being granted immunity for his own war crimes.
Earlier Tuesday Andrea shared a black and white photograph on a Facebook page where she has been keeping fans and followers updated throughout the trial, Andrea Gallagher wrote: ‘Please pray for a Not Guilty verdict and the #TRUTH to finally set us Free as the jury deliberates again today so this nightmare can end.’
Prosecutors told them that Gallagher’s guilt was clear in photos he took with the dead militant’s body.
They also pointed to texts where Gallagher allegedly told friends: ‘Got him with my hunting knife’ and ‘there’s a good story behind this’, claiming those proved his guilt.
They tried to throw out the confession of another SEAL who took credit for killing the boy, claiming he was lying because he had been given immunity and wanted to protect Gallagher, and said jurors must focus instead on what Gallagher said after the boy’s death.
On Tuesday morning, Andrea Gallagher, the SEAL’s wife, shared this photo of him cuddling their son on social media. She captioned it: ‘Please pray for a Not Guilty verdict and the #TRUTH to finally set us Free as the jury deliberates again today so this nightmare can end’
Andrea Gallagher shared this photograph of her hugging her husband from inside the Naval Base moments after the not guilty verdict was returned. She captioned it: ‘NOT GUILT OF MURDER’
They claim he went off the rails after 19 years in the armed forces and stabbed the boy unexpectedly in front of other SEALs while clearing villages in May 2017.
Gallagher’s wife also uploaded an Instagram video on Tuesday after the verdict and said ‘we have our life back’
Gallagher claimed he is not responsible for the boy’s death and is being set up by younger, less disciplined SEALs who had it out for him because he had been tough on them on the battlefield.
The defense told jurors that those SEALs were lying when they claimed to have seen him stab the boy angrily.
He was only reported to his supervisors after the other SEALs learned he was up for a promotion and a Silver Star, the third highest honor in the military.
They said there was no evidence, aside from their testimony, that Gallagher committed pre-meditated murder and that he is being set up.
The prosecution needed two-thirds of the jury, or in this case five jurors, to agree to a guilty verdict to convict.
‘Navy Cmdr. Jeff Pietrzyk said in closing arguments that text messages by Gallagher show he is guilty.
One message said: ‘I’ve got a cool story for you when I get back. I’ve got my knife skills on.’
An unidentified SEAL is shown unzipping a medical bag to tend to the boy in Mosul, 2017, while others stand around. Gallagher and one other, Corey Scott, treated him
In these photos that were shown to the jury, the SEALs are shown lifting the lifeless boy’s body after he had died. They were taken on one of the SEAL’s helmets
Two SEALs, Gallagher and Corey Scott, gave the boy medical care. They are shown above crouching around him
