Ex-U.S soldier found guilty in Iraqi rape, deaths

* Guilty on all counts

* Brutal assault

By Steve Robrahn

LOUISVILLE, Ky., May 7 (Reuters) - A former U.S. soldier was convicted on Thursday of raping an Iraqi girl and killing her and her family near Baghdad in 2006 and now faces a possible death sentence.

The federal court jury that delivered guilty verdicts on all 16 counts against former Private 1st Class Steven Green will decide his fate in the trial's death penalty phase beginning on Monday.

Green, 24, was tried in federal court as a civilian on murder, rape and obstruction of justice charges since his arrest came after he was discharged from the U.S. Army later in 2006 for a "personality disorder."

The trial, which lasted eight days before 1 1/2 days of jury deliberations, featured prosecution testimony by Green's former comrades in which they detailed the brutal assault, one of several incidents involving American soldiers that enraged Iraqis and strained U.S. relations.

Green, 19 at the time of the crime, was described as the trigger-man in the group of five men, who donned black "ninja" outfits and raped Abeer Qassim Hamza al-Janabi, 14, and shot to death her and her father, mother and 6-year-old sister.

The incident unfolded after the soldiers drank whiskey, played cards, and plotted the attack in Mahmudiya, 20 miles (30 km) south of Baghdad.