Oregon Public Broadcasting

A grand jury-style hearing is scheduled Monday in the case of several Washington-based soldiers charged with murder and other crimes while deployed to Afghanistan.

Specialist Jeremy Morlock is charged with premeditated murder in the deaths of three Afghan civilians

Military prosecutors will first lay-out their war-crimes case against Specialist Jeremy Morlock. But his attorney plans to mount a defense based on drug use.

Jeremy Morlock is accused of playing a key role in a renegade group of soldiers. They allegedly murdered three Afghan civilians, used drugs and assaulted a fellow soldier to keep him quiet.

The alleged crimes took place earlier this year as the Washington-based 5th Stryker Brigade served a one-year deployment in Southern Afghanistan.

Morlock faces three charges of premeditated murder. But his defense attorney, Geoffrey Nathan, says a toxicology expert will testify that Morlock could not have planned murders because his judgment was impaired by drugs.

Geoffrey Nathan: "There was some drug use among the troops and thatís most regrettable, but the Afghan farmers make hashish laced with opiates. That combined with Ambien can cause a dissociation and depersonalization."

Nathan hopes to get the charges against Morlock reduced if not dropped altogether.

The Article 32 hearing will determine if there's enough evidence for a military court martial.

In all, a dozen Washington-based soldiers are charged in this wide-ranging case.