---
title: "Former Army sniper turned mercenary known as ‘Rambo’ gets life in prison for contract killing"
description: "A former Army sergeant who worked as a sniper instructor and carved out a post-military career as a mercenary under the moniker 'Rambo' was sentenced to life in prison for his role in the contract killing of a woman in the Philippines"
date: "2019-03-08"
modified: "2019-03-08"
authors:
  - name: "Jared Keller"
    job_title: "Former Managing Editor"
    link: "https://taskandpurpose.com/authors/jaredkeller/"
url: "https://taskandpurpose.com/news/army-mercenary-rambo-life-prison/"
categories:
  - "Army"
  - "Military Branches"
  - "News"
tags:
  - "death"
  - "justice"
  - "murder"
---

# Former Army sniper turned mercenary known as ‘Rambo’ gets life in prison for contract killing

![](<https://taskandpurpose.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/11/19261676-1.jpg>)

A former Army sergeant who worked as a sniper instructor and carved out a post-military career as a mercenary [under the moniker](<https://www.nytimes.com/2014/12/21/world/asia/in-real-life-rambo-ends-up-as-a-soldier-of-misfortune-behind-bars.html?action=click&module=RelatedCoverage&pgtype=Article&region=Footer>) 'Rambo' was sentenced to life in prison for his role in the contract killing of a woman in the Philippines, the Department of Justice [announced](<https://www.justice.gov/usao-sdny/pr/third-mercenary-sentenced-life-prison-conspiring-kidnap-and-murder-part-murder-hire>) on Thursday.

- Joseph Hunter, who served in the Army from 1983 to 2004 and led air-assault and infantry squads, was found guilty in April 2018 of orchestrating the murder of real estate agent Catherine Lee with two other former soldiers.
- "With zero regard for human life, Joseph Hunter callously helped to arrange the murder of a Filipino woman in exchange for money," Geoffery Berman, U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of New York, [said](<https://www.justice.gov/usao-sdny/pr/third-mercenary-sentenced-life-prison-conspiring-kidnap-and-murder-part-murder-hire>) in a statement. "He and his co-defendants have now been sentenced to life behind bars for their heartless crimes."
- Hunter, 53, was previously sentenced to 20 years in prison after [pleading guilty](<https://www.nytimes.com/2015/02/14/nyregion/former-army-sniper-pleads-guilty-in-murder-for-hire-conspiracy.html?module=inline>) in 2015 to charges including conspiracy to murder a federal drug agent and import cocaine into the United States as an enforcer for South African businessman Paul Le Roux.
- Prosecutors had [argued](<https://www.armytimes.com/news/your-army/2019/03/08/this-former-us-soldier-turned-mercenary-was-sentenced-to-life-in-prison/>) that, after leaving the military, Hunter "tortured, kidnapped and killed people for years along with other former soldiers," [per](<https://www.armytimes.com/news/your-army/2019/03/08/this-former-us-soldier-turned-mercenary-was-sentenced-to-life-in-prison/>) the Associated Press, murdering Lee because Le Roux "wanted to settle a score with the broker."
- During Hunter's [trial](<https://www.nytimes.com/2018/04/02/nyregion/new-york-trial-joseph-hunter-secret-world-of-mercenary-soldiers.html>), his defense attorney argued that years of military service had left Hunter with post-traumatic stress disorder, [per](<https://www.armytimes.com/news/your-army/2019/03/08/this-former-us-soldier-turned-mercenary-was-sentenced-to-life-in-prison/>) the AP: "The country still owes something to Mr. Hunter."

### SEE ALSO: 2 Army EOD Soldiers Indicted For Allegedly Trying To Sell Guns And Explosives They Knew Would Be Sent To Mexico

### WATCH NEXT: The Navy SEAL Accused Of War Crimes In Iraq

## Author
Jared Keller is the former managing editor of Task & Purpose. His writing has appeared in Aeon, the Los Angeles Review of Books, the New Republic, Pacific Standard, Smithsonian, and The Washington Post, among other publications.

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