An Army staff sergeant has been charged with two counts of premeditated murder in the deaths of two Hudson Valley soldiers.

The United States government charged 37-year-old Alberto Martinez with murdering two of his commanding officers in Iraq last week. Captain Phillip Esposito, of Pearl River, and First Lieutenant Louis Allen, who grew up in Chester, were first thought to have died from an enemy mortar attack. After further investigation from the Army it appears Martinez may have thrown grenades inside the quarters where both men were sleeping.

Martinez is being held at a military prison in Kuwait.

Related storyStaff sergeant charged in connection with death of two Hudson Valley soldiers