Stuart Couch - Wikipedia

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2024-10-30 01:00:05

Stuart Couch (born April 20, 1965[ 1] ) is an American lawyer, veteran, and immigration judge. Couch took a conscience driven decision to refuse to prosecute an accused man because he had been tortured by Americans to obtain evidence against him. He was played by Benedict Cumberbatch in a resulting film.[ 2] [ 3] [ 4]

Couch graduated from Duke University on a Navy ROTC scholarship in 1987 and was commissioned into the United States Marine Corps as a Second Lieutenant. He was qualified as a naval aviator in November 1989 and flew KC-130 transport aircraft until he attended law school beginning in 1993. He graduated from the Campbell University School of Law with a J.D. in 1996 and was certified as a U.S. Marine Corps judge advocate officer. In 2008 he graduated with a Master of Laws in litigation and dispute resolution from George Washington University.[ 5]

Couch was one of three prosecutors of U.S. Marine Corps pilots in three trials involving the collision of a military jet with a ski gondola system in Cavalese, Italy that caused the deaths of twenty European tourists.[ 6]   Couch successfully prosecuted Marine Captains Richard J. Ashby and Joseph Schweitze for obstruction of justice in 1999 related to the destruction of video recordings of the incident.[ 7] [ 8] "He needs to pay the price for his criminal conduct. Capt. Ashby needs to feel the sting for what he has done. He doesn't deserve to wear a uniform" Couch said to jurors at the trial.[ 7]

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