NewsChannel 5.com - Nashville, Tennessee - Soldier's Mother On Crusade To Clear Son

Soldier's Mother On Crusade To Clear Son

The mother of a Fort Campbell soldier is on a crusade to prove her son is innocent of murdering two Iraqis.

Private First Class Cory Clagett is in jail, and will go to trial in January after Clagett and another soldier killed two men in Iraq in May.

The two American soldiers were on a mission in Northern Iraq. After they detained two men, Clagett claims the men attacked them and they fought back with deadly force. Clagett called his mom Melanie Dianiska after the attack and told her his side of the story.

"He said he had to protect himself, it was the rules of engagement he was attacked, then he fired," his father John Dianiska said.

Corey Clagett and the other soldier said they were under attack by Iraqi detainees. Clagett's mother claims two military investigations cleared her son.

"It wasn't until a third soldier came forward, and said ‘wait a minute, they conspired to do this, and they threatened me if I said anything,'" Melanie said.

Clagett and his fellow soldier were charged with two counts of murder. At first he faced the death penalty, but now faces life in prison.

Until his January trial, Clagett's mom is on a public crusade to prove her son's innocence.

"I have a bond with my son, and if he's told me he did the right thing, he did the right thing, he's not guilty," Melanie said.

She wears her son's uniform as a way of keeping him close while he's behind bars. It's believed her son has post traumatic stress disorder.

"You can train your body to shoot somebody, but you don't know how your mind is going to react, and he's just very emotional," John said.

Corey Clagett is now facing two counts of murder.

His trial is set to begin at Fort Campbell on Jan. 15.

After serving time in a military jail in Kuwait, Clagett was moved to Fort Knox, Ky. He is being held in the Christian County jail because Fort Campbell does not have a holding facility.