A January ruling by a Navy judge in the case of a SEAL accused of war crimes including stabbing a wounded ISIS prisoner recently shed light on the reasoning for keeping him confined.
One witness claimed to hear Navy SEAL Chief Edward 'Eddie' Gallagher, 39, threaten to kill anyone who spoke out fatally stabbing a non-combative ISIS fighter in 2017, according to court documents obtained by the San Diego Tribune.
Another detail in the ruling also alleges Gallagher deliberately drove his car at a police officer on Naval Base Coronado in July 2014.
Navy Judge Captain Aaron Rugh's January 'findings of fact' revealed previously undisclosed details that the judge believed supported a decision to keep Gallagher confined before his trial.
Newly released details of a Navy judge's ruling in January sheds light on accusations of witness intimidation that led to SEAL Chief Edward Gallagher's continued restricted confinement
Edward Gallagher is accused of repeatedly stabbing a wounded teenage Islamic State fighter who was a prisoner during a 2017 deployment
A defense attorney for Gallagher disputed the leaked ruling's claims, according to Business Insider, saying the threats to kill fellow SEALs are 'entirely fabricated.'
Gallagher, currently jailed in military prison Naval Consolidated Brig Miramar in California on charges of premeditated murder and aggravated assault, has become a cause among some politicians after family and supporters lobbied for less restrictive confinement.
He's accused of killing the 15-year-old Islamic State fighter who was in his care by repeated plunging a knife into the already wounded prisoner's body.
In Rugh's ruling, members of the platoon met to discuss the incident, and one member allegedly heard Gallagher say that he'd kill whoever spoke against him if he were to find out who it was.
The following night, another witness said Gallagher allegedly asked him for the names of 'any platoon members who disagreed' with his actions.
Navy Judge Captain Aaron Rugh (seen here as a Commander in October 28, 2015) ruled in January that a pattern of witness intimidation by the accused Edward Gallagher led to his restricted confinement
The guided-missile destroyer USS Stockdale leaves Naval Base Coronado in this file photo. Another detail of Rugh's ruling alleges an incident in 2014 where Gallagher deliberately drove a
