Oregon Public Broadcasting

A Washington-based soldier has been charged with the pre-meditated murder of three Afghan civilians.

The charges against Specialist Jeremy Morlock were announced late Friday. Additional soldiers could face charges in the coming days. Austin Jenkins reports.

Specialist Morlock is a 22-year-old and from Wasilla, Alaska. According the Army he deployed to Afghanistan in 2009 with the 5th Stryker Brigade from Joint Base Lewis McChord near Tacoma.

Morlock has been charged in military court with three counts of murder.

Lt. Colonel Tamara Parker is an Army spokeswoman. She says the charges stem from the deaths of three Afghan civilians.

Tamara Parker: "They were three separate incidents that were alleged to occur between January and May 2010 at or near Forward Operating Base Ramrod in Afghanistan."

That's in Kandahar Province in Southern Afghanistan.

Morlock is also charged with assaulting a fellow soldier. If convicted he faces a maximum sentence of life in prison or even the death penalty.

Last month, CNN reported than 10 members of the 5th Stryker Brigade were under investigation for a variety of crimes.

Specialist Morlock is back at Joint Base Lewis McChord and being held in a military jail.