William Calley, face of My Lai massacre, dead at 80

He was the only US soldier convicted for the massacre, in which hundreds of Vietnamese civilians were killed.

British Broadcasting CorporationWatchHomeNewsSportBusinessInnovationCultureTravelEarthVideoLiveHomeNewsIsrael-Gaza WarWar in UkraineUS ElectionUS & CanadaUKUK PoliticsEnglandN. IrelandN. Ireland PoliticsScotlandScotland PoliticsWalesWales PoliticsAfricaAsiaChinaIndiaAustraliaEuropeLatin AmericaMiddle EastIn PicturesBBC VerifySportBusinessExecutive LoungeTechnology of BusinessWomen at the HelmFuture of BusinessInnovationTechnologyScience & HealthArtificial IntelligenceAI v the MindCultureFilm & TVMusicArt & DesignStyleBooksEntertainment NewsTravelDestinationsAfricaAntarcticaAsiaAustralia and PacificCaribbean & BermudaCentral AmericaEuropeMiddle EastNorth AmericaSouth AmericaWorld’s TableCulture & ExperiencesAdventuresThe SpeciaListEarthNatural WondersWeather & ScienceClimate SolutionsSustainable BusinessGreen LivingVideoLiveLive NewsLive SportHomeNewsSportBusinessInnovationCultureTravelEarthVideoLiveAudioWeatherNewslettersFormer US officer behind My Lai massacre dead at 80Getty ImagesWilliam Calley, in 1971, arriving at a pre-trial hearing for the My Lai massacreA former US officer who was the only person to be convicted in connection with the My Lai massacre during the Vietnam War has died, according to reports.

William Calley died on 28 April at the age of 80, the Washington Post and New York Times reported, citing official death records.

Calley led the US Army platoon that carried out the mass murder of hundreds of civilians, including women and children, in the Vietnamese village of Son My in 1968.

He was sentenced to life in prison in 1971 for killing 22 civilians, but only served three days behind bars after then-President Richard Nixon ordered his release under house arrest.

The My Lai massacre is known as one of the worst war crimes in American military history. The killings shocked the US public at the time and galvanised the anti-Vietnam war movement.

https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c9wv9l7pe9po

---