--- 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.md" 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 ![]() 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, the Department of Justice [announced]() 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]() 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]() 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]() that, after leaving the military, Hunter "tortured, kidnapped and killed people for years along with other former soldiers," [per]() the Associated Press, murdering Lee because Le Roux "wanted to settle a score with the broker." - During Hunter's [trial](), his defense attorney argued that years of military service had left Hunter with post-traumatic stress disorder, [per]() 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. ### Author social links [Twitter]() [Facebook]() [LinkedIn]() [Instagram]() ## More - [Former Texas Army Guard soldier gets prison time for selling $2 million in military gear on eBay]() - [Former Air Force sergeant sentenced to life for killing a cop in the name of sparking a second civil war]() - [White man who killed newly-commissioned Black Army lieutenant sentenced to life in prison]() - [Army staff sergeant convicted of killing wife with toxin from puffer fish]() - [Army sergeant convicted of murder shared racist thoughts and hopes of killing protesters online]() - [Ex-VA nursing assistant pleads guilty to killing 7 veterans with fatal doses of insulin]() - [Navy SEAL and Marine Raider could get life in prison if convicted of murdering Special Forces Staff Sgt. Logan Melgar]() - [Former Army sergeant admits to murdering soldier who reported his marijuana use]()