Michael Wagnon

Michael Wagnon is a specialist in the United States Army's 5th Stryker Brigade alleged to have played a role in a conspiracy to shoot Afghan civilians, for thrills. Wagnon is married, with three children. When he was on his first hitch in Afghanistan, in 2010, he served under Sergeant Calvin Gibbs who had several hitches in Iraq and Afghanistan. Gibbs is alleged to have been the ringleader of a group of soldiers who took illicit drugs for recreation, and were later to have killed several Afghan civilians for thrills.

Major Michael Liles, the investigating officer for his article 32 hearing, concluded "no evidence that Wagnon participated in premeditated murder." In the US military justice system the investigating officer in an article 32 hearing makes a recommendation to the "convening authority", a senior officer in command of the suspect, as to whether charges should be laid. The senior officer is at liberty to ignore the recommendation. In spite of Liles's recommendation Wagnon was charged on January 31, 2011.

According to Wagnon's lawyer, Colby Vokey, Wagnon acknowledged being present during an incident where civilians were killed, and acknowledged firing his weapon, but he maintained he didn't know the killings were staged.