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Maywand District murders

SOLVED2010Maiwand District, Kandahar Province, Afghanistan3 SOURCESUPDATED JUL 2026

Documents violence · torture · ongoing investigation — written to inform, not to shock.

Illustrative

Between January and May 2010, soldiers of 3rd Platoon, Bravo Company, 2nd Battalion, 1st Infantry Regiment, 5th Brigade, 2nd Infantry Division, based at FOB Ramrod in the Maywand District of Kandahar Province, Afghanistan, killed at least three Afghan civilians in staged combat scenarios. The soldiers, who called themselves the "Kill Team," photographed themselves with the bodies and collected fingers, a skull fragment, and other body parts as trophies.

The known victims were Gul Mudin, a fifteen-year-old unarmed farm worker killed on January 15, 2010, in the village of La Mohammad Kalay with a grenade, machine gun, and assault rifle fire under the direction of Staff Sergeant Calvin Gibbs; Marach Agha, killed on February 22, 2010, after being located with thermal imagery while curled by a roadside, whom the Army later said it believed to be deaf or mentally disabled; and Mullah Adahdad, killed on May 2, 2010, in front of his wife and children in Kari Kheyl/Qualaday with a grenade and gunfire. Tribal elders in the area later told Army officers the shooting of Adahdad had been unarmed and staged.

The case came to light after Private First Class Justin Stoner reported hashish use and the murders to his superiors; he was not charged and was honorably discharged in 2012. In total, twelve soldiers were charged with offenses ranging from murder to drug use and obstruction; eleven were convicted. Specialist Jeremy Morlock pleaded guilty to three counts of premeditated murder and was sentenced to 24 years in prison in exchange for testimony against other soldiers. Staff Sergeant Calvin Gibbs, identified as the ringleader, was convicted at trial on 15 counts, including three counts of premeditated murder, and sentenced to life in prison with eligibility for parole after nine years; he filed a lawsuit in January 2020 seeking to vacate his conviction. Private First Class Andrew Holmes pleaded guilty to unpremeditated murder and was sentenced to seven years, later released in October 2015. Specialist Adam Winfield, whose father had tried unsuccessfully to alert Army channels after his son described the killings via Facebook chat, pleaded guilty to involuntary manslaughter for failing to intervene and was sentenced to three years, released in August 2012. Additional soldiers, including Then-Staff Sergeant David Bram, Then-Sergeant Darren Jones, Specialist Adam Kelly, Private First Class Ashton Moore, Specialist Corey Moore, Staff Sergeant Robert Stevens, and Specialist Emmitt Quintal, were convicted or pleaded guilty to related charges such as assault, obstruction, drug use, corpse desecration, and solicitation of murder. Charges against Specialist Michael Wagnon were dismissed by the Army "in the interest of justice" after an investigating officer twice recommended dropping them.

Photographs of soldiers posing with corpses were later published by Der Spiegel and Rolling Stone; NATO officials in Kabul compared them to the Abu Ghraib prisoner-abuse images. A U.S. Army investigative report found that Colonel Harry Tunnell's "inattentiveness to administrative matters" in the 5th Stryker Brigade "may have helped create an environment in which misconduct could occur," though it found no causal link between his leadership style and the killings. The Army issued a public apology over the photographs and stated it would "relentlessly pursue the truth." The events were later depicted in a 2013 documentary and a 2019 war film, both titled The Kill Team.

Key facts

Victims
Gul Mudin, Mullah Adahdad, Marach Agha
Date
2010
Location
Maiwand District, Kandahar Province, Afghanistan
Case status
solved

Case timeline

  1. 2010-01-15

    Gul Mudin, a fifteen-year-old unarmed farm worker, is killed in La Mohammad Kalay village by soldiers under Staff Sergeant Calvin Gibbs's direction.

  2. 2010-02-22

    Marach Agha is located via thermal imagery and killed by roadside; soldiers keep part of his skull as a trophy.

  3. 2010-05-02

    Mullah Adahdad is killed with a grenade and gunfire in front of his wife and children in Kari Kheyl/Qualaday.

  4. 2010-05

    Investigation begins after Private First Class Justin Stoner reports hashish use and the killings to superiors.

  5. 2011-03

    Specialist Jeremy Morlock pleads guilty to three counts of premeditated murder and is sentenced to 24 years.

  6. 2011-05

    Additional charges filed against Staff Sergeant David Bram, including solicitation to commit premeditated murder.

  7. 2011-08-05

    Specialist Adam Winfield pleads guilty to involuntary manslaughter and drug use under a plea deal, sentenced to three years.

  8. 2011-09

    Private First Class Andrew Holmes pleads guilty to unpremeditated murder and drug use, sentenced to seven years.

  9. 2011-11

    Staff Sergeant Calvin Gibbs is sentenced to life in prison with parole eligibility after nine years, following conviction on 15 counts including three counts of premeditated murder.

  10. 2012

    Private First Class Justin Stoner is honorably discharged; Specialist Adam Winfield is released from prison in August.

  11. 2015-10-25

    Private First Class Andrew Holmes is released from prison.

  12. 2020-01

    Calvin Gibbs files a lawsuit seeking to have his conviction vacated.

Best coverage

No approved coverage links are attached yet.

People

  • Michael Wagnon

    CHARGED

    Specialist; charged with possessing a human skull fragment, conspiracy, premeditated murder, and other offenses; all charges dismissed by the Army in 2011.

    citation on file

  • Gul Mudin

    VICTIM

    Fifteen-year-old unarmed Afghan civilian killed January 15, 2010, in La Mohammad Kalay while doing farm work.

    citation on file

  • Andrew Holmes

    CONVICTED

    Private First Class; pleaded guilty to unpremeditated murder and illegal drug use; sentenced to 7 years.

    citation on file

  • Adam C. Winfield

    CONVICTED

    Specialist; pleaded guilty to involuntary manslaughter and illegal drug use; sentenced to 3 years.

    citation on file

  • Adam Kelly

    CONVICTED

    Specialist; convicted of conspiring to harm PFC Justin Stoner; sentenced to 60 days hard labor and bad conduct discharge.

    citation on file

  • Mullah Adahdad

    VICTIM

    Afghan cleric killed May 2, 2010, in front of his wife and children; tribal elders said the shooting was staged.

    citation on file

  • Emmitt Quintal

    CONVICTED

    Specialist; sentenced to 90 days hard labor and bad-conduct discharge under plea deal for drug use, assault, and keeping casualty photos.

    citation on file

  • Calvin Gibbs

    CONVICTED

    Staff Sergeant, ringleader; convicted on 15 counts including three counts of premeditated murder; sentenced to life in prison with parole eligibility after nine years.

    citation on file

  • Corey Moore

    CONVICTED

    Specialist; pleaded guilty to illegal drug use, assault, and desecrating a corpse; sentenced to 60 days hard labor and bad conduct discharge.

    citation on file

  • Marach Agha

    VICTIM

    Afghan civilian, believed by the Army to be deaf or mentally disabled, killed February 22, 2010.

    citation on file

  • David Bram

    CONVICTED

    Then-Staff Sergeant; convicted of conspiracy to commit assault and battery, dereliction of duty, maltreatment, obstruction of justice, and solicitation of another to commit murder; sentenced to 5 years.

    citation on file

  • Robert Stevens

    CONVICTED

    Staff Sergeant, Army medic; pleaded guilty to four charges including shooting at unarmed Afghan farmers; sentenced to nine months.

    citation on file

  • Darren Jones

    CONVICTED

    Then-Sergeant; sentenced to seven months for assault after firing at Afghan civilians who did not pose a threat.

    citation on file

  • Jeremy N. Morlock

    CONVICTED

    Specialist; pleaded guilty to three counts of premeditated murder, conspiracy, obstruction of justice, and illegal drug use; sentenced to 24 years.

    citation on file

  • Ashton A. Moore

    CONVICTED

    Private First Class; pleaded guilty to using hashish during deployment; demoted and forfeited half a month's pay.

    citation on file

  • Justin Stoner

    LAW ENFORCEMENT

    Private First Class who reported the murders and drug use to superiors, initiating the investigation; not charged and honorably discharged in 2012.

    citation on file

Places

Maiwand District, Kandahar Province, Afghanistan

31.5667, 65.4833

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Common questions

What happened to the victim?
A group of U.S. Army soldiers based at FOB Ramrod in Maiwand, Kandahar Province, Afghanistan, murdered at least three unarmed Afghan civilians between January and May 2010, staging the killings as combat and collecting body parts as trophies.
Where did the murders happen?
Maiwand District, Kandahar Province, Afghanistan.
Who was convicted?
Andrew Holmes (Private First Class; pleaded guilty to unpremeditated murder and illegal drug use; sentenced to 7 years.), Adam C. Winfield (Specialist; pleaded guilty to involuntary manslaughter and illegal drug use; sentenced to 3 years.), Adam Kelly (Specialist; convicted of conspiring to harm PFC Justin Stoner; sentenced to 60 days hard labor and bad conduct discharge.), Emmitt Quintal (Specialist; sentenced to 90 days hard labor and bad-conduct discharge under plea deal for drug use, assault, and keeping casualty photos.), Calvin Gibbs (Staff Sergeant, ringleader; convicted on 15 counts including three counts of premeditated murder; sentenced to life in prison with parole eligibility after nine years.), Corey Moore (Specialist; pleaded guilty to illegal drug use, assault, and desecrating a corpse; sentenced to 60 days hard labor and bad conduct discharge.), David Bram (Then-Staff Sergeant; convicted of conspiracy to commit assault and battery, dereliction of duty, maltreatment, obstruction of justice, and solicitation of another to commit murder; sentenced to 5 years.), Robert Stevens (Staff Sergeant, Army medic; pleaded guilty to four charges including shooting at unarmed Afghan farmers; sentenced to nine months.), Darren Jones (Then-Sergeant; sentenced to seven months for assault after firing at Afghan civilians who did not pose a threat.), Jeremy N. Morlock (Specialist; pleaded guilty to three counts of premeditated murder, conspiracy, obstruction of justice, and illegal drug use; sentenced to 24 years.), and Ashton A. Moore (Private First Class; pleaded guilty to using hashish during deployment; demoted and forfeited half a month's pay.).
What is the current status of the case?
Status: solved.

Sources

  1. Maywand District murderswikipedia · Wikipedia · 2026-07-07
  2. Contemporaneous coverage — US soldier admits killing Afghansnews · The Guardian · 2026-07-07
  3. Contemporaneous coverage — U.S. soldiers crimes reportnews · Reuters · 2026-07-07
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